Rabe’s play is set in a Hollywood Hills house shared by the characters Eddie and Mickey, the place of their meetings with their friends Phil and Artie as well as with the female characters. Each of the four men has to find ways to meet the necessary requirements of Hollywood business, and to cope with the exigencies of human communication to which they are unaccustomed – in short: to deal with life.
The impact of this play lies in emotional and verbal aggression: the cathartic shock desired by Artaud’s ‘theatre of cruelty’ is reached by the excessive use of degradation and obscenities.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. HURLYBURLY’S MALE CHARACTERS
2.1 Eddie
2.2 Phil
2.3 Mickey
2.4 Artie
3. HOMOSOCIAL DESIRE
4. MASCULINE RELATIONSHIPS
4.1 Eddie and Phil
4.2 Eddie and Mickey
4.3 Mickey and Phil
4.4 Mickey and Artie
5. MALE BONDING RITUALS
5.1 Drugs
5.2 Women
5.3 Boasting
5.4 Aggression
6. SELF-ENACTMENT
7. THE VANITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTELLECT
8. CONCLUSIONS
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
This academic paper examines David Rabe’s play "Hurlyburly" as a critique of masculine identity and homosocial behavior in post-1960s American drama, exploring how the male characters navigate a society defined by emotional emptiness and the breakdown of traditional gender roles.
- The role of homosocial desire in shaping male relationships.
- The performative nature of masculine identity and self-enactment.
- The function of bonding rituals such as drug use, verbal aggression, and objectification of women.
- The critique of linguistic emptiness and intellectual vanity.
- The influence of Antonin Artaud’s "Theatre of Cruelty" on the play’s aesthetic.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Hurlyburly’s Male Characters
Rabe’s play is set in a Hollywood Hills house shared by the characters Eddie and Mickey, the place of their meetings with their friends Phil and Artie as well as with the female characters. The society they all are placed in is a cruel and demanding one, especially intellectually, as all the men are ”trained to control their feelings and think” (Rabe 1991b: 200) and at the same time have to maintain the relationships with their surroundings. Therefore, it is not surprising that each of the four men has to find ways to meet the necessary requirements of Hollywood business, and to cope with the exigencies of human communication to which they are unaccustomed – in short: to deal with life.
“Rabe’s characters either accept their sordid existence with cynicism or they look for the easy fix or the feeble lie that will make life more convenient but never more meaningful.” (Kolin 1986: 67). This statement shall serve as a working hypothesis for a closer look at the four male characters and their approach towards life.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the play’s connection to the Drama of New Realism and the influence of Artaud’s "Theatre of Cruelty" regarding emotional and verbal aggression.
2. HURLYBURLY’S MALE CHARACTERS: Introduces the four male protagonists and analyzes their individual strategies for coping with the demands of their professional and private lives.
3. HOMOSOCIAL DESIRE: Discusses how the men's lack of stable private lives drives them toward a quest for lasting male friendship and companionship within their secluded household.
4. MASCULINE RELATIONSHIPS: Analyzes the specific interpersonal dynamics and power structures between Eddie, Phil, Mickey, and Artie.
5. MALE BONDING RITUALS: Explores how drug abuse, the objectification of women, boasting, and aggressive behavior serve as social glue and defense mechanisms.
6. SELF-ENACTMENT: Investigates the performative nature of the characters' self-images and their struggle against the realization of a hollow society.
7. THE VANITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTELLECT: Critiques the emptiness of the characters' speech, illustrating how language is used to conceal rather than reveal their inner turmoil.
8. CONCLUSIONS: Summarizes the play’s depiction of male relationships as a desperate compensation strategy for those adrift in a decadent, materialistic society.
Keywords
Hurlyburly, David Rabe, Masculinity, Homosocial Desire, New Realism, Theatre of Cruelty, Male Bonding, Self-Enactment, American Drama, Cynicism, Verbal Aggression, Gender Roles, Communication, Identity, Alienation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper explores the crisis of masculinity in David Rabe’s play "Hurlyburly," specifically looking at how male characters use bonding rituals and homosocial relationships to cope with societal insecurity.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
The study focuses on the performative nature of identity, the objectification of women as "social currency," the emptiness of modern language, and the influence of the "Theatre of Cruelty" on the play's aggressive tone.
What is the author's primary research objective?
The goal is to analyze how the male characters in "Hurlyburly" struggle with the loss of traditional male roles and attempt to construct an artificial stability through cynicism and shared rituals.
Which theoretical approaches are utilized?
The analysis incorporates Antonin Artaud’s theories on the "Theatre of Cruelty" and Goffman’s sociological concepts regarding self-presentation and performance.
What does the main body of the text address?
The body chapters categorize the male characters individually, examine their relationships through the lens of homosociality, and detail specific bonding behaviors like drug use and verbal debasement.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include "Male Bonding," "Hurlyburly," "Homosocial Desire," "Masculine Identity," "Communication," and "New Realism."
How do the male characters view women in the play?
The women are typically treated as objects of trade or sexual "pacifiers" meant to mitigate the men's stress, rather than as equals in a relationship.
What is the significance of Phil's suicide in the conclusion?
Phil's suicide represents the ultimate failure of the characters' coping strategies, illustrating the tragic outcome of powerlessness and the inability to communicate authentically.
Why is language considered "vain" in this context?
Language is described as "vain" because it is stripped of sincerity and meaning; the characters use pseudo-intellectual jargon and obscenities to conceal their inner emptiness rather than to facilitate genuine human connection.
- Quote paper
- Volker Lorenz (Author), 2006, Male bonding in David Rabe’s "Hurlyburly", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/93549
