"My Son John"(1953) portrays a man of exact opposite character of American norms of the day. Older, single, withdrawn, and seemingly feminine, John is anything but the perfect son. His parents suspect him of being a member of the Communist party. This movie displays the conflict of a Communist man inside of a traditionally "American" home. The scene given demonstrates the mother as an everyday American housewife who is concerned with John's odd qualities. This scene depicts the paranoia of those who fell outside traditional family norms during the Cold War. 

Also, although the film does not directly suggest this, many viewers and critics interpreted John's character as being potentially homosexual. In the mindset of the times, why else would John be older and unmarried?

This suggestion indicates just how essential marriage was in the 1950s and the importance of the traditional family structure within the home. John's Communism ends up destroying his family and even his own life. As a result, the film paints John and his family and the non-example of what the American family should be, promoting heterosexuality, marriage, and family unity.