Samantha Souza

Dr. Philip Lerman

20th Century American Drama

Spring 2010

Analysis of 1920s and 1930 Drama

Back in the earliest part of the 20th century, there were only three ways of

recording the events of the time. One was the retelling of history over and over. Another

was journalism. The final part was literature and drama. The people learned about each

other and the day to day happenstances of the times through the imaginative storytelling

of the playwrights. A huge change occurred after the First World War, and people were

never the same. The terrific plays I will cover in this paper will stand the test of time

because they spoke the truth of the early 20th century.

Eugene O’Neill, the genius behind The Hairy Ape, had two separate careers, early

and late in life. Coming from a theatrical family, his career seemed destined. O’Neill took

a different approach in crafting The Hairy Ape in that he avoided the typical three act

structure. Instead, he opted for the episodic technique. The Hairy Ape is more of a quest

where we follow the central hero, Yank, through each different aspect of the main theme.

In the first scene of the play, Yank is a leader. Circumstances lead him to search for

where he belongs, and for true acceptance. He meets Mildred, who represents inherited

wealth looking for thrills, a member of the lost generation. As Yank searches for the

place of the world, it becomes clear that he will continue to be lost, and trapped, just as a

hairy ape in a zoo. O’Neill explains, not only in The Hairy Ape, but throughout his works,

that happiness is usually bought at someone else’s cost.

Golden Boy marked one the most successful play by Clifford Odets. It was so

successful, in fact, that it spawned not only a movie, but a Broadway musical, as well!

While many critics deemed some of his earlier works pure propaganda pieces, Golden

Boy focused more on interpersonal relationships. Odets uses a device many writers before

him have used. He lets his boxing lead Joe be in love with something more than any

woman or event in the ring: his violin. Clifford Odets so delicately demonstrates that

successes found in finances are not necessarily found in art. Joe is terrified of suffering

from poverty, which was a common fear during the time the play was written. He puts

aside his desire to pursue his art in favor of money. Again, happiness is achieved, but at a

cost. In addition, Golden Boy poses the question, Is happiness truly achieved solely by

escaping our fears? Clifford Odets explores this in Golden Boy.

Maxwell Anderson wrote twenty plays in his time, many based on historical

themes. Winterset was no exception. The play, based on the Sacco Vanzetti case on 1921,

follows Mio Romagna’s quest to prove his father’s innocence in the years after his father

was executed for a robbery and murder that he never committed. Winterset is written in

verse, very similar to Shakespearean style writing. This is, of course, exactly what

Anderson intended, as the play is riddled with Shakespearean references. Great

playwriting is the relationship between personal stories and destinies set against great

drama. The play is, essentially, about a trial where one witness who could’ve testified the

truth was never called to the stand. Then, years later, it is discovered that the trial was a

sham because this man never testified. Anderson made the cops represent justice. Justice

was clumsy, dumb, and blind, both in the play and in the real life case. Anderson is

saying that there was a lot of resentment of the law because it was clumsy, brutal, and not

the friend of the ordinary people. Mio’s doubt of whether or not his father is innocent

weighs on him, and he feels he is worthy of the shame he felt. Once Mio knows his father

is innocent, he is free of the shame. The theme of Winterset is the eternal effect the dead

has on the living.

Of Mice and Men is not only one of the best novels ever written, but it is also one

of the best plays of the 20th century. Of Mice and Men also depicts the history of the time.

In the 1930s, the topsoil was severely dried out, robbing it of the nutrients it could impart

into the food. The play begins and ends at a riverbank. This is almost allegorical. To start

the play at a riverbank gives a mythical quality, symbolizing that this is where life begins.

It makes it even more poignant when the play, as well as the life of Lenny, ends at this

very same riverbank. Lenny and George represent two different sides of human nature.

Lenny represents the muscle and George is the brain. Many characters are crippled in this

play, whether mentally, socially, or physically. Lenny is mentally crippled, Curly’s hand

is broken by Lenny, the dog is old and useless, and therefore crippled physically, Curly’s

wife is crippled by her loneliness, and George is crippled by the responsibility he has of

Lenny. Lenny is a child, and George wants to spare him of the confusion of a trial, and

preserve his innocence. Of Mice and Men follows the idea that George’s certain

responsibilities keep him from doing something useful with his life, and Lenny’s idealism

and pursuit of the dream reminds George of his long term goals. The dramatic theme has

to be spread out for every character, and Of Mice and Men does just that, explaining that

the nature of how relationships are interdependent, as well as imperfect.