George Bernard Shaw has said that “a happy family is but an earlier heaven “and though this may be true it is reasonable for one to question whether being alone is better than staying with people that love you and accept you for you who you are. In the play Afterimage, adapted by Canadian author Robert Chafe, originally written by Michael Crummey, it exhibits the significance of being able to fit into a society rather than being isolated and all alone. The play makes an effort at answering the question that surrounds the strength of family affiliations and its ability to carry on with the influences of societies affecting it. Through the use of tropology and character, the strength of relationships within families, and how it is on top of everything else is shown from start to finish in the play.
Afterimage is based on the lives of Lise Lacoeur, a fortune teller who is not accepted by the society because of how people presume that she instigates bad events to occur, and her husband Winston Evans, a burn victim with scars all over his face, who is also taunted because of his damaged face. These characters are often tormented about their physical features as well as their strange but exclusive abilities all throughout the play, which leads to them being socially isolated. The isolation phase that all the characters go through shows decrease in their self esteem and self confidence, which can be mainly seen through the character of Leo, the Evan’s middle son. Leo does not have the same physical features as his brother Jerome and his sister Theresa, nor does he have any of his parents’ features which makes himself feel as if he does not belong with them. Leo also has a hard time trying to connect with the rest of the family, beca...
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...hat Leo is better off being isolated because he does not feel as if he is being a component of the family.
Overall, the play Afterimage shows the difference of being socially isolated versus the importance of being a part of a family. It also shows the appearance of how truthfulness plays a major role in families, because without it, there might be trouble that occurs. Through the use of tropology and the characters, the message of how being a part of a family is much more important than being accepted socially is also portrayed. Robert Chafe was able to illustrate a clear picture into the readers head through the thoughts, actions and the events that the characters went through to show how being socially isolated is nothing compared to having a family that you can rely on.
Work Cited
Afterimage by Robert Chafe, adapted from the 1998 short story by Michael Crummey
The characters address the audience; the fast movement from scene to scene juxtaposing past and present and prevents us from identifying with particular characters, forcing us to assess their points of view; there are few characters who fail to repel us, as they display truly human complexity and fallibility. That fallibility is usually associated with greed and a ruthless disregard for the needs of others. Emotional needs are rarely acknowledged by those most concerned with taking what they maintain is theirs, and this confusion of feeling and finance contributes to the play's ultimate bleak mood.
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Now that the play, “Post-its (Notes on a Marriage),” could make the audience react to feel distanced and questionable of the actions of the characters, how can that relate to everyday life? traits of the play Post-its (Notes on a Marriage) through staging and conversation,
... authors conclude that it is through alienation within a small society that ultimately leads to the primary characters’ demise and death. Whether their individual cases are self imposed or externally imposed, the results and the impact are the same, annihilation of the human soul. Their craft make emphatic use of setting to the successful depiction of this theme. Both characters ultimately fall into the abyss of loneliness and despair proving that human existence cut-off and on its own is more destructive than positive . Thus their message seems to suggest that as humans, we need society in order to truly belong and have a connection, purpose and worth in this life, in order to truly live.
Currently, families face a multitude of stressors in their lives. The dynamics of the family has never been as complicated as they are in the world today. Napier’s “The Family Crucible” provides a critical look at the subtle struggles that shape the structure of the family for better or worse. The Brice family is viewed through the lens of Napier and Whitaker as they work together to help the family to reconcile their relationships and the structure of the family.
First of all, the book follows the themes of isolation, innocence, and corrupted maturity through the setting. In
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“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.
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