In the beginning of the play, Chris believes that his father is innocent. He trusts that his father was exonerated because he was not guilty of the crime and Steve Deever was guilty. Chris believes in the system, he is idealistic in his view of life, he trusts that people, especially his father, would not lie.
That is why when Chris finds out about his father's guilt, his deception, he is stricken, sick, he runs off. He can't bear the thought that his father is dishonest, he equates his father's mistake in judgement with a lack of integrity, saying if Joe has no integrity, then he has no integrity. He feels dirty by Joe's behavior, he feels betrayed at the deepest level.
Chris is still in shock, absorbing the fact of Joe's guilt; he is so affected by this news that he feels that he must leave the house, go into a self-imposed isolation away from the neighborhood, away from Ann. He feels so changed by the news that when he hears that his brother killed himself over the discovery of Joe's behavior, Chris understands, this is expressed through his own intentions.
Like Larry's fated decision to end his life, Chris will end the life he knows in reparation for the deaths his father caused. At the end of the play everything happens so fast. Before Chris has a chance to truly react to the news, Joe Keller shoots himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment