The 1996 production of Buried Child does an astonishing job at showcasing the characters and themes of Sam Shepherds play. The production was very adept at displaying the disconnection within the family and the sad truth about the American dream. Throughout the production, we could easily see how disappointed Dodge and Halie were in both of their sons since one of them was physically handicapped(Bradley) and the other was mentally handicapped (Tilden). Their dead son, Ansel, represented a hero, one who had achieved the American dream. Bradley’s tone towards Dodge and Tilden implies that there is little respect between the family members. On the other hand, Dodge’s attitude towards the corn and carrots that Tilden brings in displays his inability to accept reality and most importantly, to be optimistic. The corn and carrots represent a chance of renewal, a new beginning almost.
The first aspect that I thought was strongly portrayed was the disappearance of ethics. In the final act, Halie simply walks in with father Dewis, implying that she had an affair with him and cheated on her husband. Bradley shamelessly teases Tilden and steals Dodge’s couch while also screaming whenever he feels like it. When Shelly is in the house, the family ignores her until she decides to throw a cup and break it against the wall. Additionally, she raises her voice and begins screaming, almost mimicking the way the family members treat each other. Finally, the family was only able to recognize Vince, when he was drunk and acted like a hooligan. Essentially, the family only paid attention to an individual when they acted like them.
The second aspect that was strongly portrayed in the production were the character’s personalities. I could clearly see that Tilden was mentally damaged from his trip to New Mexico. It was obvious that he had trouble standing up for himself especially when Bradley scared him away. Dodge on the other hand, was shown to be a character that was thoroughly depressed. He constantly smoked and wanted a bottle of whiskey. Bradley acted like a spoiled brat, as if everyone owed him something just because he was missing a leg. Finally, the personality change of Vince was made crystal clear. His calm self turned into a self-proclaimed alpha male that was going to carry out the family legacy.
I like how in the beginning of your analysis, you discussed the idea of the American Dream and how it ultimately fails throughout the play. Connecting the corn and carrots to Dodge’s inability to accept reality as well as a chance of renewal was very interesting, as when I first read the play I did not regard the corn and carrots to be symbolic. I also like how you pointed out that the family only accepts someone when they act like them, which portrays the truly dysfunctional nature of the family. Great character analyzation towards the end of your response; I agree that Dodge was portrayed to be depressed and that Vince is the new “alpha male”.
I found your claim that the family only truly noticed a character when that character acted like them and I agree. This is the truth for most families, for example, the rebellious teenager is never quite understood and looked down upon until he or she starts acting like the rest of the family. It also shows how influential family is to our identity and how one person’s actions can create a never-ending cycle. Each character does seem to be in their own world without any support because different didn’t really seem to be understood. Even when Shelly and Vince were once the normal characters and they came to this family it was obviously different and they tried to fix it and bring order but you can’t have to fix something you don’t understand, you have to accept it, and that’s what makes family, family but such isn’t the case here.