Mumbling about his experience flying planes in the Second World War, he passes out again. . Wesley then leaves and Ella begins to give a motherly talk on what happens during menstruation and what cannot be done during the cycle. Weston is a destructive and angry man . 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. 14. They menace the family a little and leave. Ella leaves with Taylor, telling Wesley to take the lamb with the maggots back outside. Ella begins to act antsy and Emma realizes that Ella has boiled her chicken. The production had original live rock, blues, jazz, punk, and Latin-style music, composed and arranged by Steve Bargonetti and Diane Gioia. Weston is proud of Emma, saying that it takes guts to do something like that at her age. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Weston talks to the lamb briefly, and then begins putting the groceries, which turn out to only be desert artichokes, in the refrigerator. As she cooks, Wesley recounts the nights events, making car sounds as he pushes the wheelbarrow off. Word Count: 269. Sergeant Malcom is the police officer who arrives at the house to inform Ella that Emma has been arrested for riding a horse into the Alibi Club and shooting it up. . Heart pounding. Hes plastered and doesnt want to move. Teeth covered with peanuts. Randall, Phyllis R., Adapting to Reality: Language in Shepards Curse of the Starving Class, in Sam Shepard: A Casebook, edited by Kimball King, Garland, 1988. View All Characters in Curse of the Starving Class, Curse of the Starving Class guide sections. Westons only way of being a father is to exercise his paternal privileges, which, in Shepard-land, include wreaking havoc, fucking up your kids and your wife, and squandering the future; we learn by the second act that, in order to pay off loan sharks, Weston has already sold the property, to a bar owner named Ellis (Esau Pritchett, who has a lot of strength and appeal, though Kinney doesnt temper his performance, either).
Hello, this is Emma's monologue from Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard. The Curse of the Starving Class Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Weston looks around and moves to the refrigerator. They have blown up Westons car, unaware that Emma was inside. The three of them converse tensely until Ella enters. President George W. Bush proposes an energy policy that stresses greater production, but many citizens mistrust this policy because of Bushs and Vice-President Dick Cheneys ties to oil companies and the energy industry. He tells Weston that he has butchered the lamb for food. Ella is a highly dysfunctional individual with no capacity to cope with her husband's alcoholism. Already a member? Acts 1 and 2 both begin with characters engaged in simple question-and-answer conversations which serve to provide expository information necessary to an understanding of what has occurred before the start of the play or between the acts. Weston becomes grumpy and refuses to tell the rest of the story. The agriculture drew refugees from the Dust Bowl states during the Great Depression, and poor people thronged to southern California. Its themes include the struggle for dignity, moral obligations to family members, and the effect of money in America. He begins eating everything in the refrigerator. She reassures the refrigerator that soon there will be little eggs, butter, and other foods tucked away inside of it. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Gale Cengage The Word Is My Shepard. In New American Dramatists, 1960-1980. date the date you are citing the material. Jump-start your essay with our outlining tool to make sure you have all the main points of your essay covered. He pulls out the $1,500, telling them that is the amount that Weston owes to some pretty hard fellas. nada! Then I could picture my Dad driving it. When he returns, he is wearing Westons overcoat, tennis shoes, and baseball cap, and he says that he butchered the lamb for food. By the time she enters the action, theres nothing left for her in the fridge, not even the chicken she raised so that she could kill it and cut it up as a demonstration for the 4-H Club. Wesley wanders in, dazed and naked, wet from his bath. Ella goes to the back part of the house and Emma goes to the refrigerator. . Wesley then explains to Emma that it is not typical homebuyers who are going to purchase the house, but that it is land developers. The open spaces that once separated them have largely disappeared; similarly, the farmland that once was the areas largest economic resource has long since given way to other industries. In the end he was cheering for the eagle. I could hear the coyotes. Taylor says that any deal Weston makes is void because he is considered incompetent by the state. Ellis says that Weston must have sent Emma down there and takes back his $1,500 and runs off to his club, swearing he will get revenge on Weston. Dad crashing away. Ella, his mother, enters and they begin to discuss the events of the night before that lead to Wesley's father, Weston, breaking down the door. 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. The play closed on April 9, 1978. Our Essay Lab can help you tackle any essay assignment within seconds, whether youre studying Macbeth or the American Revolution. Cobwebs moving with them. The last date is today's Ed. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Ella sits up and screams, and Emma departs. 2425. Finally, highway patrolman Malcolm appears with the news that Emma, having shot up the Alibi Club, is in jail. The lamb is heard before the lights come up on act 3. She tells Wesley that she knows about Westons foolish purchase of desert land sight unseen, and Wesley deduces that it was Taylor who sold him the land. Act I Emma walks out. (The set design is by Julian Crouch.) Like several of Shepard's plays, Cures of the Starving Class explores family dysfunction in Western America. 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Ella goes downtown to get Emma out of jail. Word Count: 958. My listening was afraid. Cars line up for gasoline, and President Ford appoints an energy czar to head U.S. energy policy efforts. . When Weston comes to, he starts up again where he left off, rejecting Wesleys suggestions that they plant avocados on their land. 1970s: With the first wave of feminism, women begin demanding equal treatment by the law and by their husbands. *Our system only provides suggested monologues or songs for select characters if we have matching monologues and song information in our database. Conservatives, however, decry feminism, blaming it for rising divorce rates and what they see as a breakdown of the nuclear family. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. He tells Wesley and Emma that he has already purchased the house from Weston and shows them the cash. While Ella takes steps to get away by trying to sell the old homestead, through a lawyer named Taylor (Andrew Rothenberg), Wesley cant imagine his life as anything other than what it is: he moves and speaks as if bewitched by the awfulness; his existence is a Daddy-dominated dream. Vol. Dad's a foul talking drunk, and Mom is desperately trying to save what's left of their family life. He is uninterested in the other crimes that Wesley and Ella accuse Taylor and Ellis of, stating that he is only there to tell Ella about Emma. [5] The cast was as follows: Wesley - Ebbe Roe Smith Ella - Olympia Dukakis Emma - Pamela Reed Taylor - Kenneth Welsh Weston - James Gammon Ellis - Eddie Jones Malcolm - John Aquino However, the tom cat won't let go because if it does it will fall and die. New York: Garland, 1988. Planes still hanging. Kauffmann, Stanley. Malcolm enters and informs the family that Emma has been arrested for riding her horse through the Alibi Club and shooting up the bar. Curse of the Starving Class Wesley, in sweatshirt, jeans and cowboy boots picks up pieces of a broken door and throws them methodically into an old wheelbarrow. . In the play, as in the real world, these families were often taken advantage of, selling their land for well below market rates and finding themselves with nowhere to go and little money to sustain them. Michael and me -- well, we're closer than most brothers and sisters. She then pulls out a wad of cash and tells him that she's taking their mother's car and going into crime. No sound. Download the entire Curse of the Starving Class study guide as a printable PDF! As the crisis ends, both politicians and the public realize that these shortages were created arti- ficially by oil-producing countries and oil companies in order to boost profits. It is morning. Vol. Sorry! See more characters from Sam Shepard. . I could feel the presence of all the people outside, at night, in the dark. I am aware that I have taken on characters that are outside of my RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DIALECT, and AGE. Later, when Wesley and Ella talk, Ella tells him that she is going to sell the house and use the money to go to Europe.
While he is fulminating, Sgt. Me, the enemy. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original The set similarly incorporates both realistic and mythic elements. Try it today! When Wesley tells her that there will not be enough money from the house to move to Europe Ella gets angry that Wesley is ruining her dream. Wesley tells her, when she asks if he is going to take over the role of Daddy Bear, that he feels himself becoming his father, that as he put on Westons clothes, he could feel something growing on him. Emma returns, still furious, and the three begin an argument about the starving class and whether or not they are part of it. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. I could see the trees being lit one after the other by the lights, then going back to black. Ella and Ellis argue, Ellis shows her the deed Weston gave him, and Taylor arrives to settle his deal with Ella. The curtain opens on Wesley again, who this time is building a new front door for the house. Feet. Then stopping. For instance, sprinkling sand on the stage to evoke Shepards edge-of-America Western localeshe grew up on an avocado farm in Duarte, California, near Route 66as is done in the current revival of his 1977 play Curse of the Starving Class (at the Signature, under the direction of Terry Kinney), does little to get at his genius, which was not about surfaces but about how peoples lives can be mangled by their belief in surfaces. Wesley exits at the sounds of his fathers approach. Makes me feel lonely. Ellas loneliness, or the incredible amount of adrenaline she has to produce in order to keep her body togetherIm not sure about her soul; shes not that deepmakes her hungry. Weston tells Wesley that he got up early and took a walk around the house and decided he wanted to stay, so he cleaned up, bought food, made a huge breakfast, and did all of the laundry. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, See more characters from
Emma enters, carrying her riding crop. Emerson and Slater warn him to pay up. Just sitting. I could feel the presence of all the people outside, at night, in the dark. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Home | The Curse Of The Starving Class Monologue (Wesley). She appears to be the most bizarre character in the play, yet is also the most normal member of the family. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Weston Tate is the father of the family and an abusive alcoholic. Ella re-enters with groceries and throws the artichokes on the floor. I could feel the headlights closing in. She has just started her first period, and has several mood swings during the play. Emma explains that her father broke the door down the night before in a drunken rage. Whatever the cause, the Tates will do just about anything to raise themselves out of the downward spiral into which theyve fallen. Having the set self-destruct is meant to indicate, of course, that trouble is on the way, but why make such an overdetermined move when Shepard clearly reveals, in the ensuing dialogue and action, how troubling the story were entering is? Word Count: 89. He is also the same man who swindled Weston into buying the useless desert property. 1. Just from my Dad coming back. He exits again and returns with a lamb, which he puts in the enclosure. WESLEY I'm doing it. Wesley sets up a folding enclosure and puts a sick lamb inside. Christian H. Moe. This act opens with Weston, who is now clean, and sober. eNotes.com After the walls split, we see a young man, Wesley (Gilles Geary), picking up whats left of the kitchen door. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wesley tells him that he ran into a brick wall. Log in here. While Ella eats her breakfast, Wesley urinates on Emmas charts. Video . Dogs. Whenand where doesTheCurse of the Starving Class take place? Vol. Already a member? Cutting through the orchard. Emma picks up Ellas pocketbook, steals from it, and then tells Wesley that she is going to begin a life of crime. Suzie tells a new friend about her older brother. Door slams. Wesley assures his father that the gang will get him, and Weston takes off for Mexico. It is shocking to see a live lamb on stage and even more shocking to see it bloody and dead; similarly, the centrality of the refrigerator to every scene and the constant opening and closing of its door reminds us of the theme of hunger and starving, but Shepard refuses to nail down its meaning for us. Lights go off. Curse of the Starving Class begins with Wesley, in sweatshirt and jeans, tossing pieces of a door into a wheelbarrow. He has brought a bag of artichokes that he bought while visiting his worthless desert property. Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. When the Spanish first explored the area of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, the region was arid, almost desert. Instead, it chooses to bring the eagle down, even if it means certain doom for the cat as well. Sara's optimism, cheerfulness, and.
Some population geographers see the U.S. cities of Los Angeles and San Diego and the Mexican city of Tijuana as one immense megalopolis, a mega-city with tens of millions of inhabitants. We're what the school psychologist calls -- products of a broken home. The Curse of the Starving Class Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Since Ella is still under the impression that Wesley is Weston, Emerson and Slater also mistake Wesley for Weston. Swearing he will kill Taylor and Ella, Weston staggers against the table and falls asleep on top of it. Sam Shepard: Yes, Yes, Yes. Esquire 93 (February, 1980): 79-86. They are realistic as stage properties, but the sheer quantity Weston brings home is obsessive, imparting a meaning beyond their food value. How old is Wesley in "Curse ofthe Starving Class"? Wesley leaves and Emma returns, covered in mud from being dragged by the horse. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Taylor is in disbelief, and Ellis threatens him. Feet and hands tearing. [7], Curse of the Starving Class won the 197677 Obie Award for Best New American Play.[8]. Sam Shepard's coming of age drama about a dirt-poor 1950's-era farm family. Directors and actors tend to latch onto the more obvious effects in Shepards writing, including the types of characters he returned to time and again: disgruntled drunk dads, battling spouses and siblings, forsaken lovers. Emma hates living with her family and repeatedly announces plans to leave home. Ellis represents the greed and controlling nature of business owners and the tendency of these people to take unfair advantage of each other and people below them. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. . He is the one who actually put the bomb in the car that kills Emma. He looks at his parents; they do not notice him, and he leaves with the lamb. Floating. The Tates live on a farm where they formerly raised sheep and grew avocados. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Perhaps that's the reason they're stuck where they are: broke, hungry, and fighting. Sam Shepard: A Casebook. Weston stumbles in, drunker than before, announcing that he has sold the house to Ellis. Then I heard the Packard coming up the hill. Joseph Chaikin & Sam Shepard May 18 2022 Friends since 1964, correspondents since 1972, playwright Sam Shepard and director Joseph Chaikin established . As she is falling asleep, and Weston is talking to her about the benefits of sleeping on the hard table, Wesley walks into the kitchen, naked, and takes the lamb outside. The central city suffers while middle-class people flee to suburbs that sprawl ever farther into what was once farmland. Gale Cengage Emma begins a rant about how she raised the chicken and hand fed it every day, then killed and cleaned it and her mother has gone and boiled it.
Then I hear the door of the Packard open. 1998 eNotes.com While Wesley is bathing, Weston yells in to him that he agrees to become an avocado grower for the Grower's Association. He is the representative for several large corporations that are looking to buy up land. Emma runs away, only to return covered with mud, thrown by her horse. Taylor leaves, and Wesley yells at the policeman to arrest him for being a confidence man. The play ends with Ella and Wesley staring at the lamb carcass. Car door slamming. Part of the immensely useful Twaynes U.S. The second date is today's When she turns around she finds that there is a man standing in the room with her. He tells her to take a nap on the table because itll do wonders for her. Their daughter, Emma, is a smart and rebellious teen, itching to get away from her crazy home. City-dwellers seeking lower taxes, lower crime rates, and less congestion came to these suburbs. Act 2 begins with the sounds of hammering. Video marketing. Bulls. 2003 eNotes.com Keys turned off. His wife, Ella, is utterly burned-out and will do just about anything to leave her husband behind. Hes plastered and cant move. The film was written by Bruce Beresford and directed by J. Michael McClary. Taylor explains that selling is in Ellas best financial interests. His symbolsthe lamb, the broken door, the refrigerator, the old carjump out at the viewer and almost announce I am a symbol! But Shepard uses them less as true symbols than as evocative images. The use of the artichokes in Curse of the Starving Class suggests both the realistic and mythic aspects of Shepards dramatic strategy. Curse of the Starving Class premiered Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival, on March 2, 1978, presented by Joseph Papp. Shifting unconsciously. Ad Choices. Wesley tells Weston that his creditors are going to kill him. Weston and Wesley discuss the poison that Weston feels has infected him all of his life. Ella. Foot kicking. 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