In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, Larry is the youngest member of the Keller family who died during World War II. Although he does not appear on stage for the entire run of the show, he is still considered one of the most important roles. His disappearance haunts his family due to his mother's superstitious belief in his return, as well as his brother's sudden claim on his childhood sweetheart. Larry is introduced in the show through the symbol of the tree, which highlights how his presence permeates his surroundings. The destruction of the memorial provides the family with a talking point and reignites his presence in the family and community around him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Built as a means to commemorate Larry, who did not survive World War II, the tree ties in significantly to Larry's character. Additionally, the fallen tree stands in the center of the courtyard, as a symbol of Larry's presence in the middle of the show. Kate is relieved when lightning strikes him, thinking this is a sign that Larry is returning home. The tree foreshadows the destruction of Larry's life, which we begin to understand towards the end of the show. The tree happens to fall on Larry's birthday month, making Kate even more desperate to find clues to Larry's return. “It was too early to plant a tree for him,” Kate says when speaking to Chris. The hope and faith that Larry may still be alive remains close to her heart as her superstitions get the better of her. The destruction of the tree had a similar impact on Chris and Joe Keller on Kate. They will have to deal with the turmoil in Kate's life as she deals with the pain of losing her son once again. Larry has a considerable impact on his family members and community, despite never being on stage. He is constantly compared to Chris throughout the play, presumably for the purpose of better defining Chris' character, but ultimately, however, we learn that Larry alone has a greater effect on the overall story. Chris, who is described as "A man capable of immense affection and loyalty", has fallen in love with Larry's ex-girlfriend, Ann Deever, and invited her to his family's home to propose marriage. Unlike his mother Kate, Chris accepts the fact that Larry is no longer alive and therefore feels comfortable marrying his brother's ex-partner. Chris is portrayed as a very idealistic character in the play; however, Larry turns out to be much more idealistic than Chris. When Larry discovered his father's crime, he could not live with the knowledge that his father could have done such a thing and committed suicide. Chris, on the other hand, has managed to live with his suspicions about Joe's crime, as he reveals in the third act. According to Joe, Larry was the brother with the “business mind,” which he therefore took after Joe. However, towards the end of the story, Larry's death can be attributed to his father's moral crime. Symbolically, this represents Larry as a sacrifice of the “American Dream” symbolized by his father's financial success. Larry has the greatest impact on his mother, Kate Keller. His life is dominated by his refusal to admit that his son is really dead. Kate has nightmares about Larry and is nervous and suspicious of the people around her. He believes that Chris and Ann are morally wrong to plan a wedding as he still sees Ann as Larry's fiancée. Kate's grief drives much of the action throughout the show, especially when Frank Lubey fuels the illusion.