At the opening of the play it takes us through the scenery. The overall energy reminds me of home. It gives the feel of being in a place so cold and far away from big dreams and endless possibilities. A slow somber reflection on life. What it is and what once was. A town & a life abandoned. Visual aftermath of poor management of resources or a lack of in most cases and failure to evolve. It gives a feeling of deep emotion like the beauty inside of struggle. 

They set the scene with an overbearing mother. A woman who often outwardly reflects on her past and all that could have been and should have been if this and that hadn’t of been. Regrets and fond attachments to who she once was and the things she once almost had. These ways spill over into the way she interacts with her children. All of her concerns for her children are in desire for them to be all the things that she never got the chance to in some ways. She seems to have a high self-esteem. She puts a great deal of attention into having her children be a prim and proper reflection of her self perceived grace. She lives in her own reality. At the same time she is just a woman who is worried about her children. A woman who made the decisions she thought was right in her life only to be betrayed and abandoned by the man she chose to build a life with. Left all on her own to figure things out. To have someone snatch the dreams she saw for herself away in an instant to satisfy his own desires despite his commitments and responsibilities. 

In some ways the image she has built of herself has cast a shadow on her daughter that brings about a feeling of inadequacy. She seems to shrink at the thought of what her mother used to be in comparison to who she feels she is. In her reality and the reflections of her mothers memories of herself, it seems that she feels that she just cannot compare and it cripples her in a way that is so deep that it’s sickening to even witness. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around being so shy to the point of falling sick & fainting. It shows just how deeply a person’s sense of reality can be off. In reality the daughter has a minor disability that most people wouldn’t even acknowledge without it being brought to their attention. The reality is that she is a beautiful young woman with her own interest to share. Truth is she could have and be whatever she wants, but because she doesn’t know that, her true reality is living as a crippled woman. She is meak, and inexperienced with the world and too afraid to change that reality. You see a closeness in the mother and daughter where the dynamic is the mother still being the daughters protector or needing to watch over her very much like a child. You see a very insecure woman who is not necessarily being intentionally made to feel inferior but the latent effect of the mothers personality lends to it. 

The son Is shown as almost an afterthought. There is no concern for his desires, dreams, or even his concerns in life. He was simply responsible for taking care of his mother and sister. Anything outside of that the mother labeled as selfish. You see him struggle back and forth with himself and the possibilities he dreamed of out in the world. His character seemed to be the only fully functioning person in the house considering his mothers intense ways of being and his sister’s overly shy personality. It seems that he is the only rational person & he carries the weight of dealing with two broken people with no future or direction placing all of their hopes, dreams, and livelihood on his back. There is a strong sense of responsibility to carry the role of provider. The ghost of his father makes him feel an obligation not to leave then like his father did. He is left with the choice of abandoning his dreams or abandoning the women in his family. 

  The mother places so much shame and pressure on her children for the things she wants for them. It’s one thing to want greatness for your children and to want them to apply themselves and represent themselves but what she does is make everything about her and what everything they do does to her. She operates in a way that makes all of their lives intertwine like one is not separate from the other. “ Is that the future we have mapped out for ourselves?” She says when talking to her daughter about what she plans to do since quitting school. Like their lives are also her life. It’s like she places all of the things she lost for herself on to them and she doesn’t let up on her pursuits. She has no sense of the effect she is having on her children. 

This play heavily reminded me of one of my favorite plays, A raisin in the sun. They are different in a few ways but overall. It’s a story of many people but the one that carries the most weight for me in both are the male characters. The brother, the son & what he represents. The story of burdens. The result of lives unfulfilled that came before him. Entitlement, lack of accountability & fear. The story of a man with a dream that conflicts with his loyalties and his responsibilities. A house full of expectations, all taking and complaining but no action for change. The desperation of being fed up and eager for more. The ugly vision of the decisions a person feels they must make in order to be free to live their own lives for themselves for once. The grappling between the understanding of what he has chosen to do, while also recognizing the cold selfishness of just walking away with no concern for the expense.