Characters: Different characters embodied different traits. Jason was the researcher with an objective, outsider perspective on cancer. Fascinated with it kind of how Vivian was fascinated with Donne. Susie embodied empathy and kindness that leaned away from the intellectual games that enthralled Jason. Ashford kind of embodied wisdom (helped Vivian's start on intellectuality, but knew to be kind/gentle at the end of her life). Vivian underwent the greatest development, starting more like Jason (intellectual) and moving more toward Susie (kindness) "Young doctor, like the senior scholar, prefers research to humanity...Simpering victim, wishes the young doctor would take more interest in personal contact." Vivian was hiding through metaphysical reasoning from the answers/lack of answers to life's meaning, just like the student said, "I think he's really confused. I don't know, maybe he's scared, so he hides behind all this complicated stuff, hides behind this wit" (60).
Tone: The tone was very similar to Donne's poems or, as was described multiple times, an intellectual game. So the majority of the play was very matter-of-fact, using big words and Donne's poems to try and "out-wit" cancer/death. As the play progressed, the tone moved away from the objective standpoint (but was still expressed by Jason) and more toward an empathetic kindness (Susie and Prof Ashford).
Setting: W;t was set in the hospital interspersed with brief flashbacks of her childhood and her time teaching. The clear setting and almost exclusive dialogue between Vivian and the hospital staff from the very beginning of the play set the stage (pun intended) and gave a clue that the play would also end in the hospital (most likely with her death).
Diction: Repetition, especially the exchange of "How are you?" "I'm fine." She uses it to explain irony and make jokes near the beginning, towards the end it is so hollow and has no more meaning. Kind of goes along with Vivian's change. Starts intellectual but towards the end she finally embraces emotion and tells Susie how she actually feels and eats a popsicle like a child.
I really enjoyed this play. I thought it did a great job of capturing insight into the thoughts of someone questioning the meaning of life, and the way it mirrored Donne's poems (trying to reason through everything: like learning the big doctor words) was fascinating!
I liked your analysis of the characters and how Jason was more interested in the intellectual side, much like Vivian and her poetry. I also liked your setting analysis... I think the setting was one of the key factors in this play. I also thought it was super fascinating how the play mirrored Donne's poems.
ReplyDeleteI like how you referred to the play as feeling like an intellectual game. I have to agree with you on that. Sometimes, when a writer is obviously deliberately doing that, it can bother me, but I actually really enjoyed the cleverness of the style in which she pulled it off here.
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