I am currently enrolled in PMA 2800: Introduction to Acting. And while I enjoyed the play for what it was, the things I have been learning in the course allowed me to view the events from an alternate perspective. One of the things we learned recently is considering all of the things that motivate a character, his wants and needs. Unlike real life, things that occur in a play do not just happen, nor are any of them disconnected. Anything that happens is specific and advances the plot in some way. We refer to these as triggers, intrusions in the stasis of the character(s). Considering the circumstances in which the character finds him/herself, and how the character goes about achieving the goal(s) is necessary to understanding the play as a whole. In this case, perhaps the greatest motivator for the characters is the Great Depression. With that said, no one in the play comes out and says, “Gee, this sucks. We’re in the Great Depression”. It’s simply the reality of their circumstance, and they must all deal with it in their respective ways.

The characters all find themselves in different “pits”, with seemingly no way out. For the mother, the pit is her deteriorating marriage and her inability to provide a better future for her son. For the father, it is his inability to find a job, as very few people are being hired. For the children, the prospect of going to college or making something more of themselves is a distant possibility. No one expects anything from them; they’re effectively dead in the water with no future ahead of them. It is only by playing with death (literally playing chicken with the giant train that comes through) that they can feel alive. The sense of hopelessness and the desperate struggle to survive came across through the actors’ performances. Like the line from Bob Dylan (perhaps more popularized by Jimi Hendrix), there is a pervading sentiment that there must be some way out of here. And all of the characters are trying to find it.