Sam Shepard is known as one of the most accomplished playwrights in the United States, he also gained celebrity as an actor in a couple of American movies.
He has written more than 45 plays, different screenplays, and has received 11 Obie Awards, besides a Golden Palm Award and an Oscar nomination.
For the 1979 published play Buried Child he received the Pulitzer Price in the same year. This play belongs to Shepard′s trilogy of family dramas, and is probably the one which marks the change of direction in his career to a more realistic style.
Critics do recognize a lot of differences compared to older plays, which are seen as surrealistic plays, or plays, which critics catogorize as parts of the Theatre of Absurd, like, for example, Fool for Love.
But reading Buried Child, the reader quickly realizes that the play may have started as a realistic play, but it turns out to be totally different. Step by step, Shepard creates a sarcastic play, which also could be seen as part of the Theatre of Absurd.
The play is about a farmers family living near Illinois, in the middle of nowhere. On the surface the family seems to be normal, maybe just a bit frustrated. But in the background appears to be a secret, which connects the family in a very strange way, also every single member of the family tries to keep this secret.
In a brilliant way, Shepard here combines the actual with the fictional. When the audience just starts to feel comfortable with the play, the plot changes immediately and disappoints their great expectations.
The following essay is divided into three main parts. The first part will give an idea of Shepard′s use of autobiographical facts, the second focuses on the father-son conflict we often find in his plays. The last part ′The Buried Child′ will be a direct interpretation of the text.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Autobiographic in Buried Child and other plays
The Father-Son Conflict
The Buried Child
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This academic paper examines Sam Shepard's play "Buried Child" through a critical lens, exploring the interplay between autobiographical elements, complex father-son relationships, and the thematic significance of the family's dark secret. The central focus is to analyze how the play portrays the disintegration of the American Dream and the cyclical nature of domestic dysfunction.
- Analysis of autobiographical influences in Shepard's dramatic works
- Examination of the father-son conflict and power dynamics within the family
- Interpretation of "The Buried Child" as a symbol of ancestral shame and hidden history
- Discussion on communication barriers and the preservation of family myths
- Evaluation of the play's critical reception and its exploration of American pop mythology
Excerpt from the Book
The Father-Son Conflict
Reading Buried Child, the reader recognizes quickly a father-son conflict between Dodge and Tilden. So far we do know that Shepard has some serious problems with his father. They meet rarely, also his father is told to be a drunk who left his family several times and then finally decided to live a life on his own, leaving his familylife behind.
In a few interviews, Shepard told the journalists, that he really loves his father, but could never handle his "drinking bouts and military-style discipline".
Because Shepard seldom mentions facts about his relationship with his father, we have to stick to the facts we know. So the father-son conflict is not for sure of autobiographical nature, but the real conflict seems to lay behind the idea of the conflict between Dodge and Tilden in Buried Child.
For once, the relationship between Dodge and Tilden is fragile, because Dodge knows about Tilden’s and Halie’s incestious incident, and that Tilden is the father of the buried child. Connected with the fact that nobody in that family talks about the past or about the kept secret, the communication, especially between Dodge and Tilden, is heavily disturbed.
"DODGE. Tilden, your mother told me all about it. TILDEN. What’d she tell you? (...) DODGE. I don’t have to repeat what she told me! She told me all about it!"
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides biographical context on Sam Shepard and a brief overview of the plot and characters in "Buried Child."
The Autobiographic in Buried Child and other plays: Explores the connection between Shepard's private life and his dramatic settings, focusing on how personal history informs his narrative.
The Father-Son Conflict: Analyzes the fractured communication and power struggles between Dodge and Tilden as a core element of the play's psychological depth.
The Buried Child: Offers a close interpretation of the play's plot, specifically looking at the symbolism of the "buried child" and the family's refusal to confront their past.
Conclusion: Summarizes the play as a critique of the American Dream and the inescapable influence of family tradition.
Keywords
Sam Shepard, Buried Child, father-son conflict, autobiographical drama, American Dream, family secret, theatrical symbolism, Theatre of Absurd, domestic dysfunction, inheritance, patriarchial power, identity, rural existence, incest theme.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
This work provides an analytical interpretation of Sam Shepard's play "Buried Child," investigating how themes of family secrets, father-son conflicts, and autobiographical narratives shape the play's structure.
Which key thematic areas are discussed in the analysis?
The paper covers the integration of personal history into fiction, the psychological breakdown of communication in families, and the symbolic meaning behind the play's title.
What is the primary research goal of the study?
The study aims to uncover how Shepard portrays the decline of the American Dream within a farming family and how this reflects a broader societal anxiety about the past.
Which scientific methods are applied to analyze the play?
The author uses a text-based analytical approach, drawing on contemporary critical essays, program notes, and comparative references to other Shepard plays like "Curse of the Starving Class" and "True West."
What content does the main body of the paper address?
The main body breaks down the play's narrative, focusing on the character dynamics between Dodge, Tilden, and Vince, and their collective struggle to confront the hidden history of the "buried child."
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Sam Shepard, Buried Child, family secret, father-son conflict, domestic dysfunction, and autobiographical elements.
How does the author interpret the role of the character Shelly in the play?
Shelly is identified as a mediator between the audience and the family, as she is the outsider attempting to decipher the hidden reality of the household, mirroring the reader's role in interpreting the play.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding the ending of "Buried Child"?
The paper concludes that the cyclical nature of the family's dysfunction remains largely unbroken, as the son eventually takes the father's place on the couch, suggesting that the patterns of the past are destined to be repeated.
- Quote paper
- M. A. Alexandra Mohr (Author), 2000, Zu: Sam Shepard - "Buried Child", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/2992
