Roadside Memorial

Here’s a play I wrote for my playwriting class, titled Roadside Memorial. Remember, this is copywrited work. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think.

 

Roadside Memorial

 

 

(Lights. Sidewalk by the road. Daytime. Low sounds of cars driving past. SAM sits on a bench, contemplative and sad. The backdrop should be drab brick; the street does not feel out in the open, and it is not a busy street. It’s a quiet, barely traversed road. The bench is next to a roadside memorial that SAM has made, a wooden cross that bears the name “Lawrence” through the middle. It has a green ribbon tied to it. SAM holds flowers in his hands – a pot of azaleas. He wears a wrinkled suit, inexpensive. It looks like he didn’t sleep the night before, and he hasn’t shaved.

He murmurs to himself without words, audible enough for the audience to hear speech.
A teenage boy, LEROY, comes in stage right. He wears a button down shirt and khakis, and the shirt is not tucked in. It seems he has made the attempt to dress up. He acts rather disturbed.
SAM looks up to see the boy. LEROY does not see SAM, because he is looking at the ground. SAM does not seem surprised to see LEROY.)

SAM
Summin wrong, son?

LEROY
Hmm.

SAM
Son? Yello?

LEROY
(looks up)
Oh. Sorry, I must not have caught what you were… um, what you were saying. What was it that you were saying?

SAM
I asked if summin was wrong. Ya look a little bit off.

LEROY
If you don’t mind me saying, you look a bit tweaked too. If you don’t mind me saying. You look tired. Tweaked.

SAM
Ya’re rambling.

LEROY
I know.

SAM
Call me Sam.

LEROY
Okay Sam.

(Pause)

SAM
Normally, ya’d tell me yar’s.

LEROY
Leroy.

SAM
Leroy? Not a very popular name, is it?

LEROY
Not very, no sir. No sir.

SAM
I said call me Sam.

LEROY
Not very, Sam.

SAM
Have a seat. (Motions to bench)

LEROY
(takes seat next to Sam)
What are you here for?

SAM
Thinking. Honoring.

LEROY
What do you mean honoring? It’s a sidewalk. What’s to honor?

SAM
More than just stone, son. Every place around here has a story, don’t ya think?

LEROY
I guess so. Not really sure how you mean that. You mean the buildings tell the city’s story?

SAM
Yeah, I mean, ya could think like that. All of these streets have seen more things than we have, ya know? They know who’s been here, who’s left. Accidents and such.

LEROY
It makes sense. (Pause. LEROY senses a coldness in SAM’s voice. He looks away from SAM) What’s that cross there for?

SAM
Well don’t ya see, boy? Says “Lawrence” on it. I’d sure as hell guess it’s a memorial of some sort.

LEROY
It says Lawrence? I wonder…

SAM
Why, ya know of ‘em?

LEROY
(Looks down)
Yeah. Yeah, I think I did. If it’s who I’m thinking of -

SAM
Really! Ya knew him! Well how? Let’s honor him with the memory.

LEROY
He wasn’t a friend. I know he went to a different school than me. He was the same age as me, sixteen. Maybe a few months older, I don’t know. I heard stories about him though.

SAM
Hum. Go on – I’m intrigued.

LEROY
I don’t know all that much about him. Good kid I guess. Smart, good in school. Probably would have gotten a scholarship if he had had the chance. People were looking up to him. He was in the paper this fall because of his high honors. He was the guy that everyone wanted to be better than.

SAM
(Frowns)
Yeah, he was in the paper. I remember it. How’d he die, do ya recall? Someone kill him out of jealousy?

LEROY
It wasn’t out of spite.

SAM
Accident then, was it?

LEROY
(Puts his head in his hands)
It’s painful to talk about. I – I don’t really want to.

SAM
Nothin’ to be pained about. He’s dead, right? He’s not feelin’ anymore, so why should you? Tell me what happened.

LEROY
I don’t know. He was drunk, driving in the middle of the night down this road. He was weaving all over the road, someone said. You know this road? It only gets light traffic, even in rush hour, so there weren’t many cars out. His lights weren’t even on, damn it! He went through a red light, didn’t even slow down! And then -

SAM
What, his car blew up? There’s gotta be more.

LEROY
(stands up, paces)
No! No! I hit him with my car! It’s always a deserted street, like it is today! I pulled out of the intersection, not seeing him coming down the street, and I smashed into the driver’s side! I heard this sickening crunch of metal and the breaking of bone. Everyone denies it could be true but I swear I could hear those bones snapping! It was as if car and man became one at that instant, a horrifying mutant hybrid. I didn’t see much, my head hit the steering wheel. And I was knocked out, but when I woke up I had been pulled out of the car.

SAM
Did ya think to check on Lawrence?

LEROY
There was nothing to think of. I knew he had to be dead. And they just kept asking me these questions while I was just waking up – I couldn’t handle it, I just answered with anything I could think of.

SAM
Ya didn’t even ask about him? The man that you killed?

LEROY
There was just so much happening! I couldn’t think at all. All my thoughts were stuck in my mind like a big ball of peanut butter, thoughts like whether I would be okay myself, whether or not my dad was told of what was happening. If I was going to get hit for wrecking Dad’s car. How much all of it was going to cost.

SAM
(His tone is no longer friendly and talkative. It has an edge, sharp and heavy. He wrings his hands together. He sets the azaleas down and stands up quickly. His throat is raspy as if it needs to be cleared, and his voice wavers.)

Do ya not understand yar actions! (Picking up speed) He was still alive he was still alive HE WAS STILL ALIVE. How do you think a father feels to be called to the side of his son’s hospital bed, no longer a man but just a pile of broken bones? Who were YOU to not even care about what you did!

LEROY
(Shrilly)
You’re Lawrence’s father?

SAM
(Shakes head)
Where was your mind that night, son! Don’t ya remember me? The man shaking his fists to the sky, raging at the police officers? Screaming for mercy, that was me! Yelling for someone to save my son! They loaded him up on a stretcher, and they took him speedin’ off. Got ‘em to the hospital in time for me and my wife to clasp his hand as the doctors pronounced him dead. And you couldn’t have cared less about him. While all this was happening, all of this that you caused, you were sitting there wondering if you’d be okay. Someone died at that accident. I guess you figure, (mocking) “At least it wasn’t me, right?”

LEROY
I did care! I couldn’t have known! I didn’t know and now he’s dead. What does it matter if I knew he was alive or not? How could I help him! How could I save him! He was a drunk, mangled carcass that not even the paramedics could save.

SAM
(Very severely and slowly)
He wasn’t drunk you piece of garbage. You liar.

LEROY
He was drunk and you know it, you just don’t believe it. Read the police report. He was drunk. Intoxicated. Trashed. It wasn’t my fault at all.

SAM
YOU crashed the car. Yar foot pushed the gas, yar body yar legs yar brain yar FUCKING CAR. You you you you you you!

LEROY
(Goes to the cross and kneels. He pats the ground.)
Is this enough worship and care for you? Should I weep here? You tell me how to mourn.

SAM
Get off the ground. (He walks to Leroy) Get up. You ruin his memory.

LEROY
You have had four weeks to remember him. I understand your suffering, but I’ve suffered too.

SAM
I’m sure. I know the type of kid you are.
LEROY
Do you? So you know how much my father beat me after that accident? Beat me with a belt so hard that I couldn’t get out of bed the next day, right? Yeah, you know all about that don’t you. And you know how little sleep I’ve been getting, dreaming of the accident that your son caused. I can’t drive a car anymore. It was so hard to come to this spot, to pay my respects, that I threw up down that alley. (Points behind him) You know all my secrets. Show me my wrongs, oh father.

SAM
No other father will show ya, it seems.

LEROY
(Stands up, steps away from SAM)
Yes, let’s talk about fathers, shall we? You can make fun of my father all that you want – I know who and what he is, I’ve grown up with him for sixteen years of my life, but you – (sarcastically) ohh, I want to know all about you. Tell me how much you care for Lawrence.

SAM
I put up that memorial for him. This sidewalk will always bear that cross.

LEROY
No. Look around. There have been many, many accidents on many different streets. How many crosses do you see? Hmm? How many memorials? Do you think this is the first time something like this has happened? (Pulls his eyes open) LOOK AROUND. The world is not stopping, this was not some cataclysm! It’s an everyday thing!

SAM
And so, because it happens to everyone, ya’ve just moved on? Have ya forgotten that experience? Should I drop it from my mind like I ne’re had a son? Should tell ma wife, I guess, to just suck it up! Tell her to forget about it, it’s not my fault, don’t leave me!

LEROY
Did you just hear yourself?

SAM
Hear what?

LEROY
What you just said: “It’s not my fault.”

SAM
Didn’t mean nothin’ by it.

LEROY
You’re not upset about your son’s death…

SAM
Fuck you I’m not. Don’t ya tell me what to be upset over.

LEROY
I don’t have to tell you because you already know. Your son is dead – but that’s not what keeps you up at night. That’s not what made you put the cross up. You want your life back. The way things were before. When you didn’t have to worry about your guilt.

SAM
My guilt! The boy talks about MY guilt like I killed Lawrence myself!

LEROY
I didn’t kill Lawrence. He killed himself. And I’m sorry that I helped him along the way, and I think about it (enunciated) ev-er-y day. But listen to yourself, man! You’re blaming everyone and everything! It’s time you let the fault go and get on with it. Remember Lawrence for who he was, not how he died.

SAM
(Voice escalating. He goes to LEROY)
I just don’t know what to do. I’m losing my wife. I’ve lost my friends. Everyone judges Lawrence now. At the funeral, no one would look at me! I could see judgment in their eyes, like they had the hand of God to pass it down on me! And I know that they turned their backs on the casket and before they were even out of the parlor, they said, “What kind of son was this! How tragic a mistake. A reflection of the father.” They know about the drunk driving; they blame me.

LEROY
And you just want things to be normal. You don’t want the guilt.

SAM
(desperate)
No. No. I miss my son.

(Takes out knife from one pocket, a gun from the other, discreetly, glancing around for people)

I miss my son.

LEROY
Sam. Sam – what are you doing?

SAM
I couldn’t decide which one. I had a knife that would do the trick. Then I thought maybe a gun would be better. Lawrence died of head trauma, and this gun can go boom right into your skull. Too much blood with knives. Too much of a personal feeling. With this gun, I don’t have to actually touch ya – I can just pull this itsy little trigger and it’s all done.

LEROY
(realization dawning)
You didn’t make that memorial for Lawrence! You sought me out! I would have to come here sooner or later. You had to know who I was from the accident!

SAM
That cross is for Lawrence.

LEROY
Don’t kid with me! It’s for yourself!

SAM
I sit here waiting every day.

LEROY
(frantic)
Today’s the day, my friend?
SAM
Today’s the day. No one to blame.

LEROY
No one will forget how he died, even if you do this. They’ll blame you more!

SAM
(sarcastically horrified)
Will they? Then what’s to lose? I’m already under fire! Suffering is sweeter when it is not you who is in pain.

LEROY
This is not redemption, it’s murder. You cannot make your life the way it was, it has been shaped by fate and you cannot mold it to your liking! You pretend you know regret. You think you know. But if you carry this out, you will only know what it is like to take a life.

SAM
And what’s so wrong with that?

LEROY
I guess the only way to know is to find out. Do it. (Holds arms up in surrender) I guess this is it. Lawrence, shield your eyes if you’re watching, man. Your father is the monster here.

SAM
(raises the gun)
Ya think my son is not proud of this vengeance?

LEROY
No, I don’t think he is at all. Do you want him to be proud? Is that the type of son you think he was? Is that who you want him to be?

SAM
No –

LEROY
Is that what you raised him to be?

SAM
No, it’s not –

LEROY
(interrupting again, feeling like he’s reaching SAM)
Maybe you need to talk to your son. Talk and he’ll listen. Understand! You just need some understanding.

SAM
(nodding and turning to the memorial)
Ya’re right. Talkin’ and understandin’. (He shuffles to the bench, takes the azaleas, sets them by the cross, and sits down in front of memorial. Murmers) I’m sorry, son.

LEROY (As LEROY says this,
(quietly turns and looks away) SAM lies in front of
It will all work out for the cross and puts them. They’ll be alright. gun to his temple.)

LEROY
(turns, looks horrified)
Think about the choices you have! I won’t stop you, if you feel you’ve made the right decision.

SAM
Ya think I look for pity? I’m looking for rest only. Sometimes it’s just better to take yourself out of the game. Quit before ya’re more behind. Things are only getting worse from here.

LEROY
(looks away)
If that’s how you feel, then do it.

(Gun shot. SAM’s hand falls from his head, knocks over azaleas. LEROY turns back and puts his hand to his mouth)

LEROY
(con’t)
I didn’t… think… you’d do it. But I hope you find Lawrence, and the way you want him to be. But I have a feeling what you’re looking for is lost now.

(LEROY holds position. Light slowly fades. Sirens can be heard just barely, before darkness.)

Analysis of Scene 5 of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal

Here is an essay that I had written for my Playwriting class, looking at a particular scene in-depth to understand how the playwright uses characters’ knowledge of secrets to engage tension. Just so you know, if you’re looking for help with your essay or something for a class (because I know those are most of the hits I get on this blog), this essay got an A. Just remember it is copyright and you can’t use it for your own, or any of my words. I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! Is he kidding…?

In Scene 5 of Betrayal, which marks the beginning of act two, Emma and Robert are sitting together in Venice discussing a trip to Torcello when Robert makes mention of a letter that Emma has received from Jerry. Emma begins by asking about Torcello, where she says that she can’t wait for it and then pauses. Her pause seems to indicate that she really does not wish to go to Torcello, but the beat changes because Robert changes the subject to the book that Emma is reading.

Emma relates that she is reading a book by Spinks, who Jerry has told Robert about. In this instance, one wonders if Emma has heard of the book through Jerry as well, and when Robert tells her about Jerry’s reference, Emma acts surprised that Jerry has heard of the book. Robert replies with, “Unsolicited manuscript,” and then a pause, which seems to reference the fact that Robert is both jealous and a little angered by Jerry’s luck at finding this new writer.

After the pause, the dialogue changes a beat again, where Robert then asks if she likes it. Emma does, and Robert says that he, Jerry, and Emma should all get together for lunch to discuss the book. Robert’s motivation in this line feels like he is trying to draw out a suspicious response from Emma; he wants to make her slip up, or make her feel nervous about the truth between her and Jerry. In fact, Emma’s response includes a pause, indicating that she does not want to meet with both of them at once because of the awkwardness that that would entail. After Robert asks her why she will not have lunch with them and she responds with an outburst, Robert changes the beat again, replying that he must read the book again. He does not dwell on the past conversation – Robert has been changing the focus of the conversation each time.

Robert and Emma discuss the publishing of the book, where Robert concludes that the book speaks too much on the subject of betrayal. Emma disagrees – almost as if she is willing herself to believe that her relationship with Jerry is not betraying Robert. This subject also suggests that Robert has a good idea that Emma and Jerry are having an affair because he has brought up the book himself. Robert pauses again, letting Emma know he might be thinking of the wrong book. This statement ties in with Robert’s affairs as well. When Robert says he may be thinking of a different book, he metaphorically states that he might be thinking of himself, because the audience has learned earlier in the play that Robert has been having affairs behind Emma’s back as well. After this, there is a silence, where both of them seem to be thinking about the other. Then Robert changes the beat once again, this time getting away from the book entirely to a new subject.

Robert begins to talk of going to American Express, where he gives in more detail than is needed what he was doing there. He explains why he was there (cashing traveler’s cheques) and why he chose to cash them there, indicating he is either lying or nervous about what Emma will think when he tells her about the letter. He probably suspects that she will think he was snooping through her mail. He explains the whole situation, and then asks if she had gotten it. Emma says yes, and then Robert asks her if she got it when she was out shopping. It is strange that he is concerned with when she got the letter; his direct question indicates that he does not entirely trust her when she says she was out “shopping.” Emma confirms his thought, and then Robert changes the subject again when he pauses to say that he was surprised that they would offer to give him Emma’s mail. His line suggests that he is hinting to Emma that he could find something out about her that he didn’t know any time. He pauses during his speech to say that he did not take the letter because he could have been a total stranger, and in a way, the audience knows that he is a stranger to Emma. They may be married, but they are not really a couple anymore. They have both betrayed each other to the extent where they are almost strangers to each other.

They talk about the letter, where Robert goes on to make comments about how he knew the letter was from Jerry. He keeps getting closer and closer to what he really wants to talk about without letting on, and he keeps pressuring Emma into making a mistake by talking about it. However, Emma does not say very much at a time, because she does not want to give too much away. Robert does most of the talking in this scene because he is trying to force Emma to open up. At the end of the conversation about Jerry’s letter, Robert changes the subject to Torcello. He at first asks her if she looks forward to Torcello, even though she has said earlier in the scene that she cannot wait. Then, before Emma has time to answer, he changes subjects again and asks how many times they have been to Torcello. He is domineering in this dialogue, not allowing her to speak and answering his own questions. He asks if she will like Torcello as much as she did when they were first married, hinting that he understands her loss of love for him. He pauses, and again changes the subject to what she thinks of Jerry as a letter writer, and then again to asking if Emma is cold. She only responds no, and then Robert discusses his friendship with Jerry, as if letting Emma know that he has known and been friends with Jerry longer than she has, and that she has broken up their friendship. He asks if he had introduced her to him, and she says she cannot remember, but Robert is trying to worm answers from her. He then asks if he was the best man at their wedding – he is indirectly inching his way towards the questions he wants answered by manipulating Emma. When Emma responds with, “You know he was,” Robert has drawn out a lie from Emma.

Again, Robert changes the subject and asks if he is mentioned in Jerry’s letter, and then asks about if Jerry sent his love. At this point, it seems Robert has gotten to his motivation for this scene – he has asked Emma (even if he has beaten around the bush) about her affair, and Emma does not lie but lets Robert know that she and Jerry are lovers. Robert then admits that he had had a feeling, and Emma apologizes, but does not seem to be too upset. Robert’s anger escalates, but after a brief silence, he switches the topic to how the affair was pulled off. He wants to know how long it has been going on, and then, after he learns that it has been five years, he wonders if the baby they had is actually his. However, when Robert ends the conversation, he doesn’t dwell on the affair but how much he liked Jerry. In fact, he does not blame Jerry for the affair, and instead asks the repeating question of if Emma is looking forward to the Torcello trip. This is an interesting way to conclude the scene. For one, the statement could be Robert’s sarcasm towards Emma’s betrayal; on the other hand, it could also be Robert’s acceptance of Emma’s affair, since he has also had one for so long that he might think it almost natural.

In this scene, both Emma and Robert are lying because both are hiding something. Robert controls most of the subject changes, because he is the one that is trying to get information out of Emma. He is able to change topics enough to get to his point, which finally causes Emma to admit her relationship. In this scene, it is important for the audience to have seen the scenes that happen later in the actual chronological order, because then the audience realizes that Robert will find out about the affair, and also that Robert has his own affairs. It makes the conflict more intense, because the reader knows that the truth is going to have to come out, but they do not know how or what will come out of it.

Time shifts and their effects in How I Learned to Drive

This is an essay that I wrote for my Playwriting class on How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel. In it, a woman in her 30s, Li’l Bit, tells the story of her relationship with her uncle, Peck, and how it came to happen. Vogel uses time to her advantage, by going back in forth in her memories, signified by certain parts of a driver’s ed class. This essay looks at this time shifting in the play and why it was used by Vogel to create the most emotional effect.

 

At first, Vogel chooses to introduce the audience to Uncle Peck and Li’l Bit close to the end of their relationship. The narrator is Li’l Bit herself, and it seems that Vogel is not so much dictating the play’s time but that Li’l Bit is telling the story in her own unique way. As Li’l Bit and Peck’s conversation unfolds, the audience is led to the assumption that Li’l Bit is having an affair with an older man, which is true, but Li’l Bit conceals the fact that Uncle Peck is in fact her uncle until late in the scene. It is also important to note that Vogel hides this fact from her reader as well in the character names. In the beginning of the play, when Vogel outlines the characters, she refers to Uncle Peck as just Peck, making no mention of his relation to Li’l Bit. Also, Vogel refers to Uncle Peck as just “Peck” in her dialogue lines, which one assumes to mean that the familial link between Uncle Peck and Li’l Bit is meant to shock at the end of scene 1.

 

While scene 1 is the audience’s introduction to Uncle Peck’s and Li’l Bit’s relationship just before it ends, the final scene (the last “You in the Reverse Gear”) is strikingly similar in events. These scenes seem to bookend the play, and it does not feel like a coincidence that both are very similar. While scene 1 shows Li’l Bit more comfortable with Uncle Peck’s sexual advances, where she is almost accepting just to get the encounter over with, the last scene depicts Li’l Bit as truly terrified of what is happening, and shows her lack of control. This was an important decision on Vogel’s part as to where these scenes would appear in the play. When the audience sees the scene 1 first, they feel like Li’l Bit is playing a part in the affair, and has a say in the relationship. At the end of the play, however, emotion is created dramatically because the audience learns that Li’l Bit was not an instigator, but was molested. This shift in thought produces many emotions for the viewer – shock and disgust at what has been happening in Li’l Bit’s life, anger at Uncle Peck for his behavior, sadness towards Li’l Bits circumstances, and even a little guilt for not seeing Li’l Bit’s innocence. If the last scene had appeared first in the play, the viewer would not have been surprised throughout the whole play. They would already know that Li’l Bit had been taken advantage of, and the emotions would not have been as intense and varied as they are when the scenes are presented out of their chronological order.

  

Another tactic that Vogel uses to create suspense and emotion is the fact that she has Li’l Bit present the audience with background information on Li’l Bit’s life and her associations with Uncle Peck. When Li’l Bit talks of her family, she outlines the fact, both subtly and literally, that she has grown up in an environment that is overtly sexual and uncomfortable. She shows the audience a scene where her family is discussing Li’l Bit’s breasts over the dinner table, and when she is uncomfortable and runs out of the room, Uncle Peck is the one to come outside and help her with her troubles. Li’l Bit shows the audience that Peck understands her, comforts her, and is the one that is always there for her, unlike her strange relatives. This comparison between Peck’s normality and her immediate family’s strangeness is ironic, for at the end of the play the audience will come to see Peck as a strange man himself. It is the lesser of two evils, it seems, that Li’l Bit turns to. Yet it is interesting that Vogel (through Li’l Bit) has chosen to show the audience this scene directly after the scene about Peck and Li’l Bit’s affair, because it appears that Li’l Bit is trying to offer a reason as to why she is together with her uncle. At this point, the audience does not feel any loathing for Peck – they understand Li’l Bit’s emotional insecurities and her reasons for running to Peck in her time of need. However, if the audience were to know before this scene that Peck had taken advantage of Li’l Bit, they would not feel anything for Peck except their contempt. Towards the end of the play, looking back at this scene, one can understand that Li’l Bit has conflicting feelings towards Peck and their relationship, because on the one hand she is disgusted with it and knows that it cannot go on, but on the other hand, he was a person who she could run to when she needed help. This scene helps to give the audience these conflicting feelings inside Li’l Bit’s head, and since it comes right after her first scene late in Peck’s and Li’l Bit’s affair, it does not seem so much an excuse as it is a reason for Li’l Bit’s affection. This also seems to come into effect as Li’l Bit presents her high school problems, too. Her friends and classmates do not seem normal when they are picking on Li’l Bit’s breast size – another reason why Peck could be the understanding man that she could go to.

  

The scene in which Li’l Bit gets drunk with Uncle Peck at the restaurant is one of the stronger indicators that something fishy is going on with Peck. Peck’s openness and actual support of Li’l Bit getting drunk seems to indicate that Peck has bigger plans than just going to dinner. He never does anything to Li’l Bit, but his encouragement of her inebriation is one of the first signs in the play that Peck is a shady figure. It happens as foreshadowing to what’s to come in the play. Yet it would not be foreshadowing if this had happened in actual chronological order, because one would already know that Peck had molested Li’l Bit, and his encouragement of her drunkenness would actually fuel the audience with more contempt of Uncle Peck. In this way, Vogel creates suspense as to what might happen in the play, which is more of an emotional shock at the end than if the audience were to know that Peck was a child molester.

 

The scenes that happen after the restaurant again give the audience more reasons to see Peck as an escape for Li’l Bit, more excuses as to why Li’l Bit could be persuaded by Peck. However, when Peck gives his monologue to Bobby on the fishing trip, the audience is again presented with a darker side of Peck. They are now more inclined to think that Peck is not the kind and gentle uncle that they once thought him to be, and it creates a sinister feeling inside the reader. They begin to wonder if Peck is actually up to no good. It is here where the anger towards Peck begins to rise – one realizes that Peck is very good at persuasion, especially to young children, and that Li’l Bit might have been Peck’s victim. It is important for the play that this scene occur here – it is only a hint towards Peck’s abuse, which creates anger and suspicion in the reader. If the scene had not been presented here, it might have not even had any use in the play, because the audience would already know that Peck was a molester from the start and they would not need this irrelevant situation. However, as presented in the middle of the play, the scene creates emotion because it serves as a dark omen for the end of the play, and a lead-in to the conflict which will occur.

 

As the play progresses, the audience sees more and more hints that Peck is a malevolent character. Finally, we are presented with the end of the relationship, as Peck has been stalking Li’l Bit at college until her 18^th birthday. This serves as another red flag, as when she turns 18 she will be legal for sexual consent. Li’l Bit realizes at this point that it is time to break things off with Peck, and she does so after he proposes to her. After this scene, the audience is shown a scene early on in Li’l Bit’s life when she wants to go see Uncle Peck and her mother tells her that if anything happens between Uncle Peck and Li’l Bit, she will hold her responsible for it. It is here that one realizes that she did not have the support from her mother that she should have, and is one reason why things happened the way they did. By showing us the scene here, and before the scene where Li’l Bit is actually physically molested, one can see that as an eleven-year-old, Li’l Bit is too young to make the distinction of what could happen here. The audience is led to the conclusion of the play, where they find that Peck has forced himself on Li’l Bit, which creates the ultimate emotional rush – the pain and sadness for Li’l Bit, the anger towards Peck, the guilt towards Li’l Bit, and also, the confusion as to how one could have been led to believe that Peck was a good man. It is here that the audience is given the same feeling as Li’l Bit in the play; Vogel creates a character that, through time manipulation, has managed to trick the audience into believing in his purity, as he has done with Li’l Bit. This is one of the strongest emotions that the play projects – the fact that Peck could manipulate the audience generates understanding of how Li’l Bit could succumb to his advances, and that is truly terrifying.

Tensions rising in “MASTER HAROLD”… and the Boys

I’m taking the lazy route again and posting an essay I did for class on the play “MASTER HAROLD”… and the Boys by Athol Fugard. It’s an interesting and difficult play, so I’d suggest taking a look at it. It’s funny that the majority of my hits are generated by my play essays – students need analyses, I guess.

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“MASTER HAROLD”… and the Boys begins with Willie and Sam having a small conflict between themselves. Willie is practicing for his dance with Sam in the tea room, and Willie has a hard time with both his dancing and his dance partner. An exposition is told of how Willie has been having problems with Hilda, and how he beats her when she doesn’t come to dance with him. It is ironic that Willie has trouble dancing and also has trouble with his dance partner, because later on Sam describes life like a dance where people bump into each other, and in dance the object is to not bump into the other dancers. It is as if Willie’s inability to dance is a metaphor for his inability to stop “bumping” into other people.

Hally soon comes home, where, after talking with Willie and Sam for a while, learns about how Willie is having trouble dancing. Willie gets upset and throws his rag, which hits Hally, who then criticizes Willie. This action creates subtle tension, where Hally starts to show both his temper and his feelings of superiority over Willie and Sam. This is not a large conflict – it is actually quickly resolved by Sam letting Hally know that his father may be released from the hospital. However, it stands to foreshadow Hally’s later anger at Sam and his feelings of dominance.

Hally and Sam get into a conversation on remarkable social reformers and academics, and both cannot really agree on someone. It leads them into exposition of memories, and finally a story of a day when Sam whittled a kite for Hally. It is Hally’s monologue, one that seems very vivid because of the detail that Hally tells it, and he shows that again, Hally has thoughts of being better than Sam and Willie when he says, “I mean, seriously, what the hell does a black man know about flying a kite?” Again, this is a subtle foreshadowing towards the later dissension between Sam and Hally that creates an underlying feeling of tension. Hally, towards the end of the memory, makes another reference to the impending conflict when he states, “Little white boy in short trousers and a black man old enough to be his father flying a kite. It’s not every day you see that.” On first reading, these statements do not create much anxiety, but on later readings, one can see that these are slight hints towards the climax.

Later, however, when Hally talks on the phone with his mother, one can feel the tension increase in the play. There is a coldness to Hally’s speech with his mother that represents the feeling that Hally does not want his father home. It signals a change in Hally, where he becomes meaner and cranky. He starts criticizing his mother for not being strong enough to say no to his father, again acting as if he is better than her. When Sam tries to talk to him, Hally has changed into a critical boy who corrects Sam when he misstates something. When Willie and Sam start dancing again, they clash with Hally, creating a more intense conflict than at the beginning of the play. Hally escalates to physical abuse on Willie, a step up from the tension when Willie hit Hally with the rag; this signifies that the play is working itself closer to its critical breaking point.

After, the play settles again, where Hally, Willie, and Sam discuss the dance and Sam gives his metaphor on dancing. The tension seems lost – that is, until Hally gets another phone call home from his mother with the news that his father is indeed coming home from the hospital. The reader can sense another shift in tone from Hally; he is cold to his mother, and when he is put on the line with his father, he hides his unhappiness and pretends that he is fine. After the phone conversation, Hally insults Sam’s dream of a world without collisions and becomes incredibly nasty to Sam. He has changed again, and all because of the news of his father’s return. This conflict is the greatest in the play, much larger than the two the preceded it. Hally expresses his disinterest in his father, until Sam defends him, and Hally loses control of his emotions. At this point, both Sam and Hally are “dancing” too fast to stop from colliding with each other. While previous collisions could be avoided, both Sam and Hally take it to the extreme. When Sam is instructed to refer to Hally as “Master Harold,” the reader can sense that the tension has been ramped up so much that there is no going back to the way things were before. One realizes that an argument was inevitable, and while they hoped that it wouldn’t result in conflict, it now must be carried on. Hally brings the tension to an even higher level when he spits in Sam’s face – the physical abuse was hinted at in the play earlier, but the direct assault is too much, and it requires Sam to do the one thing that he thinks will hurt Hally the most. Sam tells the kite-flying story again, but this time from a different perspective. He remarks that the reason he couldn’t stay with Hally when he was flying the kite was because it was a white’s only bench, segregation that Hally hadn’t realized when he was younger because he didn’t know it was a choice to either accept or not accept whites. The story helps to show the toleration that Hally used to have towards blacks and his growing feelings of superiority later in life. Sam has tried to teach Hally of what it means to make that choice between what is right and wrong, but Hally has not learned, which mimics Hally’s feelings of his failure to teach Sam earlier in the play.

Sam’s lesson helps Willie, however. He understands what it means in the dance of life, of trying to create the perfect dance – to not bump into one another. The play is all about the bumps and bruises of life, and the conflict in Master Harold shows the reader just how easy it is to make that collision — but it also shows how one can avoid it.

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Hope you enjoyed it.
Ryne

Dramatic tension in A Raisin in the Sun

Originally an essay for my Playwriting class, I thought I’d post it here as well to kill two birds with one stone.

One of the biggest dramatic questions asked in the play is where the most important place is to invest the money that Mama has. Walter believes that it will do the most good for the family, and his own self-worth, if he invests it in his liquor store business, because he thinks that he will be able to make big money from it. On the other hand, Ruth is now pregnant again, and she thinks that there is just not enough room in their current housing to have another baby. Mama and her want to invest the money in a new house that they could all live in together. Mama, as the leader of the house, decides that the family needs the house more than Walter needs to invest in his business, but after Walter complains, she lets Walter take the money.

This question of monetary investment creates many disputes within the household, all of them building the tension a little higher. Before the money even gets to the house, Walter, Ruth, and Mama are already thinking of what to do with it. Walter and Ruth get in an argument at the beginning of the play about what to do with the money, and Walter is dead set on having Ruth talk to his mom about putting the money towards his business. Later on, when the check does come, another dispute arises when Walter comes home and is ignored when he asks about the check. He does not know that Ruth is pregnant, which is secondary dramatic tension, because this adds new suspense to the choices that have to be made as to what the investment should be put towards. The next dramatic escalation that concerns the money is when Mama buys the house, making a huge decision that Walter finds unbelievable. He becomes upset, creating another disagreement between himself, Mama, and Ruth, and this creates more suspense because Mama’s action signifies herself as the ruler of the house, and it seems like this will be the final word on what is done with money.

However, the drama builds even more when Mama gives Walter the rest of the money to invest in his business, showing that now Walter has the power in the family to do what he thinks is right. The decision to trust the businessmen and to use Beneatha’s college money to invest in the business is Walter’s to make, and it creates an intense dissent between Walter, Beneatha, Ruth and Mama. Walter’s decision has brought about even more suspense as to how the family will come back from their hardship. But another important decision that Mama has to make is whether or not to move to the house, because they already know that her family is not wanted in the neighborhood, and also they know that they might not be able to afford it anymore.

The decisions, however, have brought about a change in Walter – they have created the experience needed for Walter to make the right decisions.  Before, Walter had been contemplating accepting Lindner’s business proposition of paying the family money not to move into the neighborhood, but after Walter learns his mistake in thinking money is the most important thing in life, he makes the right decision and decides to move to the neighborhood, like his family needs.

All of the decisions and questions form some sort of tension for each family member. Their dreams are compromised by each others’ choices, and it emphasizes the importance of making the right decision and the importance of having dreams. While the decisions that each family make serve as conflict, they also help the family realize what is important in their life. The tension is created by each character’s dreams being stepped on by the other people’s wishes, but in the end the tension is resolved in the climax because the characters come together and understand each other. The use of tension in building increments helps to carry the audience to the conclusion, where there must be a huge, suspenseful conflict to match up with the tension that has brought the audience to this point. Finally, there is a cathartic release, where all the suspense falls away to show the viewer that the family is not broken by the situation, but is actually stronger and better for it.

Regarding Death of a Salesman – An analysis of character

I had to read Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller yesterday and today for my Playwriting class, and it was my first time experiencing it. I knew it had something to do with Willy Loman, and obviously the death of a salesman, but other than that, I was clueless.

It’s a great play. The character Willy is one that you love to hate – a liar, a cheater, and he’s too proud to let anyone else in on his problems. He’s a whiner, and yet we feel for him through his wife Linda, who has never given up on him. She’s stuck by his side while everything around them fell apart.

But we have to admit that Willy did have some faults that led to his demise. His lying and exaggerations were passed down to his sons, who he lied to himself, boasting of big sales and how he was raking in the money when he and Linda were barely scraping by, and later on, not at all.

His jealousy of Charley, of his brother Ben who went off on an adventure and ended up with bigger things, all cause Willy to want his sons to grow up bigger than he is. Biff and Happy show motivation and commitment, they exude confidence and are well-liked all around. Willy, in his flashbacks, shows how much he has shaped Biff and Happy’s future, forcing them to try and be more personable than actually doing anything. And he’s also shown them that exaggeration is how you get ahead in life. So when it comes down to actually doing the work, Biff and Happy make things up to make them seem bigger than they are, and what it comes down to is that Willy reinforces that by putting words in their mouths, as seen in the restaurant scene late in the second act.

Willy has forced his death early on in his life when he was raising his sons. While Bernard and Charley have worked hard to get where they are, Willy is influenced by Ben’s easy time in making money. What Willy doesn’t realize is that Ben was lucky enough to stumble upon diamonds in the jungle, but he didn’t work for them, and this easy time cannot happen for everyone else. Willy’s desire to work at a job where he can be well-known is his downfall, because no one remembers a salesman after a couple decades. He might have been personable, but people die or change.

Biff and Happy have done nothing with their lives during the point we are at during the play. They’re not married, not really working at a decent job, and they’re not helping out Willy when he needs them most. Instead, they’re off galavanting around, courting women they just met or pretending like they have an honest job when they know they don’t.

Honestly, past ghosts haunt almost everyone in the family, especially Biff and Willy. Why did Biff become the way he is, and why doesn’t he care about his father anymore? And why does Willy regret so much? The play uses these ghosts as encounters for Willy to walk through, as his exhaustion turns his thoughts towards his past conversations. Through all this, he learns that he might have been where Biff and Happy went wrong, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

But one can’t really place blame on one person. Biff’s motivation lies elsewhere, and instead of following that dream and ignoring what his father wants him to do, Biff sticks around and constantly fights with his father. Biff and Happy are so self-concerned at times that they don’t wonder about Willy until it’s too late to mend it. Biff’s self-absorption is limited, but he’s still too stubborn to find jobs to help assuage his father’s exhaustion.

It just mimics the fact that Willy is too proud to take the job that Charley offers him, and in the end money is what leads to Willy’s suicide. He thinks of how he’s worth more dead than alive and takes his life, all for Biff. This is as a salesman thinks – money is what they work for, and with, after all. And at Willy’s funeral, no one comes to pay their respects, because Willy has become unknown again, just as he came into life and how he was afraid to live. But Death of a Salesman tries to teach us that popularity isn’t what’s important – it’s trust, the love and happiness of your family, that really make you who you are – and while Willy had the love of Linda, he didn’t have the trust of anyone because of his past mistakes and exaggerations. His death is one of our fears; to die having nothing, to know that our loved ones are throwing their lives away, are things that we can’t live with. So Willy doesn’t live with it, he dies with it, giving his boys probably their most important lesson.