Blog #3: Buried Child and ‘night, Mother

Both Buried Child and ‘night, Mother depict a few intense social and political concerns from the time period the play was written as well as in today’s world. In Sam Shepard’s Buried Child there are many themes portrayed throughout the entire drama. Alcoholism is a main motif in the play, which continually causes discord between family members. The use of alcohol correlates with the hostile cold environment. For example when Tilden accuses Dodge of hiding whiskey under the sofa, Dodge becomes very defensive and responds, “I haven’t got anything under the sofa! Now mind your own damn business! Jesus God, you come into the house outa the middle of nowhere, haven’t heard or seen you in twenty years and suddenly you’re making accusations.” Obviously Shepard is suggesting a negative tone about the social issue of alcoholism. Throughout the entire play Dodge insists on having a “goddamn bottle” of whisky to drink. Again Shepard suggests the negative aura of alcoholism through Dodge’s character. Also Dodge’s persistent use of alcohol suggests his attempt to be numb to his families past. As shown, the author uses dialogue to support the negative impact of alcohol. Shepard also uses stagecraft such as props and sound to reiterate the concern for alcoholism. In the stage direction it state there should be the sound of bottles smashing against wall. This should be the actual smashing of bottle and not tape sound. With the use of these different effects help us imagine the actual actions of an alcoholic.

Norman’s ‘night, mother is entirely focused around an important social concern—suicide. Suicide will always be an issue due to the high pressures of society. I personally think the play is simply trying to bring more awareness to this devastating action. The two characters in the play, Mama and Jessie, have completely opposite standpoints on the issue of suicide. Jessie wants to be in a dark, quiet place, which she believe she will find when she is dead. Where as mama can’t even grasp the concept of death and fears all thought of suicide. Norma uses’ stagecraft to emphasize the importance of this issue. Not only was this a problem in the 80’s when this play was written, but suicide will never disappear. This play takes place in a relatively new house built way out on a country road…the house is more comfortable than messy….[the set] should simply indicate that they are very specific real people who happen to live in a particular part of the country. Heavy accents, which would further distance the audience from Jessie and Mama, are also wrong. The stagecraft provided in this particular stage direction proves us with a useful description about how the scene is supposed to look. The play is taking place in a relatively new house, which indirectly suggests that suicide will always be occurring even in modern times. The characters are dressed as ordinary people so the audience can directly relate to the actresses.  

#2 The Glass Menagerie

In Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, Williams uses “plastic theater” to help mold the ideas of the play. At the end of scene 1, Laura is speaking to her mother about her fear of receiving no gentleman callers. Later she states she is scared she is going to  grow up and be an old maid. At this moment “The Glass Menagerie” music ends the scene. The tone of the song matches her internal feeling and also describes her external physical state. A Menagerie means a place of keeping unique animals, which directly relates to Laura being unique. Also, she is kept from society and unable to live a normal life similar to what a menagerie does to animals. When I listened to the song, it puts me in an awkward eerie place. The song “The Glass Menagerie” reminds me of Laura’s insecure state of mind. Specifically relating to the glass unicorn that is so dear to Laura’s heart because it is different than all the other glass horses. The music is played when Laura feels insecure and demeans herself not only in the scene 1, but also in scene 7. The song allows the reader a deeper understanding of Laura because it brings about different emotions that she portrays.

            The Glass Menagerie is a “memory play” which alone may be skewed from what exactly happened. When combining a memory play with “plastic theater”, it allows there to be manipulation of the truth. These concepts compliment one another because together they let you imagine what is true and the meaning behind each scene. In real life there is no music playing in the background. The music and other characteristics of “plastic theater” transform it from just a regular play into a “memory play”. Having the music in the background makes it feel more like a memory instead of just an ordinary play. By the placement of images and music, it enforces the true meaning behind Williams’ words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUnS1mK9ibo

#1 Trifles & “A Jury of Her Peers”

Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and “A Jury of her Peers depict the same story; however, they are in different genres. Both short stories and dramas are a form of literature, yet there are advantages and disadvantages for using each category. The drama, Trifles, gives the reader freedom to interpret what they want about the setting, plot, and emotion of the characters.  While reading a drama, the reader has the ability to form their own opinions where as, in a short story it is more laid out and tells you the feelings of the characters. In “A Jury of Her Peers”, we are given the feelings of Martha Hale and how she interprets the scene. The drama form also allows the actor or actress to use their own judgment on how to partake on the role of each character. The dramatic form has many limitations. For example, it restricts the description of the setting. In Trifles, we get less of a visual of how specific the kitchen is laid out. The description of the setting is found in short paragraphs before the scene, which hinders the reader’s ability to understand the full environment of the play. Also, in the drama format, the reader has to figure out character’s tones of voice, which is unlike short stories. In short stories, voice description is told to us, which to some can be a pro or a con. This allows for more understanding of what the author is trying to convey, but it also restricts the reader to use their own thought. Dramas are a lot harder to follow when being read. If the dramas are acted out or even read by different people (similar to what we did in class) it is a lot easier to understand.