I hate when the author stops in mid sent....

Okay so the ending of this play is rather ambiguous. Though we don't really know any of what happens at the end, I will focus on Bennie and her future endeavors. She has this opportunity to go to Africa after she gets her medical degree. I don't know about other people, but I would not be with someone much longer if they asked me to change continents for them. And, also, I don't think that Africa offers the best facilities when it comes to practicing medicine. But I digress.

Overall, I think that this play is pretty good. I'd give it about a six out of ten, which is very good coming from me. I think that my favorite character is Ruth, because, though she is very mean, she is real. She thinks about what is best for her family and tries to help them in whatever way possible. I also like Walter, because I think that how childish he is is very funny. Whatta guy.

Hey Mama.

I really enjoy the character of mama. I am going to argue that she is the protagonist of the play. She is the person that runs all of the activity that happens in the play. Yes, she doesn't always play a big role, but she is kind of like the dad in The Glass Menagerie; she is always there looking over the other characters' shoulders. I think that it is her that causes Bennie to want to look into her roots, and her that causes the move of the family and forces them to stay even when they aren't wanted. She is just awesome.
As I said, I think that mama is also a lot like the dad is our previous play. She doesn't play a huge role in the acting itself, but she does effect the decisions that the characters make. They all strive, in one way or another, to please her. They also want to get the money. That does have a huge impact on their motives. Just saying.

Family Guy - Bullfrog

Walter

I am going to call Walter a static character. He seems to me to be a childish person throughout. He has this crazy dream of helping his family through a liquor store, which ends up losing his family $6500. One major things that shows how childish he is is when he gives Travis the money that his mother said they couldn't afford then gives him even more money just to spite Ruth. This childish nature doesn't really change that much throughout the play.
I think that he is very similar to Peter Griffin of the greatest show ever made- Family Guy. They both act very childish and don't have the greatest sense of what is good and bad. They each are also married to sensible women that struggle putting up with their ridiculous behavior. Here is a clip that shows Peter Griffin at his finest.

Very nice.

This play is one that I actually like. The first thing that I like is that it isn't written by Bill. I can actually understand what is being said. But besides that, it does have some great qualities that I love. I love that it is told as a memory. Much like The Things The Carried, the memory aspect of the play makes it more believable. The audience can relate to the relationships that Tom has with his family and how he can look back on them and see how they affected him. Tom is another reason that I like this play. I have never read a play in which a main character narrates the play. I would love to see this play live, because I am interested in how this would look on stage. I also like that the author pays such close attention to details in the stage directions. It makes the play much more real when it is being read. I can actually see what is happening and paint a realistic image in my head of what the stage is like. The stage directions not only help the audience understand what is happening, but it keeps the meaning of the play consistent. This is just an awesome play.
Boo Bill.

This play is a...?

This play is hard to judge as a certain type of play. It has its ironic parts that could make it seem like a comedy. It has its sad parts that could make it seem like a tragedy. Considering that it has little aspects of both, I'm going to say that it doesn't really fit into a category. This play is unique in many different ways, so it doesn't really need a category. The first thing that makes it unique is that a main character in the story is also the narrator. This creates extreme bias in everything that takes place, because it is all told from Tom's perspective. It also has the transparent screen that kind of point out what is being focused on and differentiates between when Tom is a narrator and when he is a character. A third unique part is that it seems mostly realistic, but it has a major character that does not appear on stage except for in a picture. The father of the family makes multiple key appearances and affects the daily life in the play, but a picture of him is all that the audience sees. This strange character is another way that this play doesn't really fit into a category.

Tommy boy...the protagonist

In this play, Tom is the clear protagonist. It is he who tells the story, but the play is also from his memories. Every aspect of the play deals with him and how those around him affect him. He is what most of the conversation in the play deals with. The action of the play centers around his internal struggles as an aspiring writer who must work in a warehouse to support his family.
I would say that the antagonist in the play is Amanda, his mother. She is constantly critiquing every move that he makes. It makes him feel as if he is living in a prison in his own home. Amanda never is satisfied with what Tom does. This is why he contemplates leaving his family, and eventually does. We, as readers, don't really know if Amanda acted this way or if Tom just perceived her this way, but the play is of his memories, so she is definitely the antagonist.