Sticks and Bones, a Play in Two Acts

The Vietnam Plays #2

by David Rabe

دیوید ریپ در نگارش نمایش‌نامه‌ی «ترکه‌ها و استخوان‌ها»» سبک‌ها، ایده‌ها و سمبول‌های گوناگونی را یک‌ جا مورد بهره‌برداری قرار داده‌است، به عبارت دیگر این نمایش‌نامه به لحاظ سبک‌شناسی، لحن و شیوه‌ی بیان، تلفیقی از سبک‌ها و تکنیک‌های بیانی مختلف است. «ترکه‌ها و استخوان‌ها» اولین نمایش‌نامه‌ از سه‌گانه‌ی دیوید ریپ (دو نمایش‌نامه‌ی دیگر به نام‌های «دوران آموزشی سرباز پاولوهابل» و «پرچم‌ها» است.) درباره‌ی جنگ ویتنام است که اوایل دهه‌ی شصت نوشته‌ شد و اولین بار در سال 1969 در دانشگاه ویلانووا به روی صحنه رفت و سپس در 1972 با اجرا در «برادوی» تحسین همگان را برانگیخت.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

97 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Somia Atif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it a while ago, but I can still feel the strong aftertaste it left me with. This is such a powerful play documenting an era of war, hatred, racism, and absurdness. How can man stay sane in an insane world? How can a man who underwent the chaos of war and the brutality of man be understood by people who voluntarily choose to be blind nd deaf to everything? His screams were so loud yet no one listened. It's much easier to consider their own son a lost cause and label him crazy than to face their own realities and to admit that their society and values are rotten to the core
The ending left me speechless...

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is sort of your typical creepy post war PSTD play that occurred after the Vietnam war. I've read several things like this in the past, and this was one of the more boring ones. It took quite a while to get interesting, probably around the second act was where I finally felt drawn in. I'm assuming this translates much better to the stage than it does when just reading it. It also had a lot of underlying themes like the emasculation of the father we see a lot in 70's plays, or ya know, racism. It's a good play but by far from one of my favorites.

[Bobby Keniston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until today, I had never read any of the plays that make up what is considered David Rabe's Vietnam quartet--- "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel", "Sticks and Bones", "The Orphan" and "Streamers". Strangely enough, I had read Christopher Durang's "The Vietnamzation of New Jersey", which is a pretty merciless (and very funny) parody of "Sticks and Bones". In college, I read Rabe's "Hurlyburly" and felt I was supposed to like it more than I did. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a fine play, but I never went gaga over it the way so many of my classmates seemed to, which may be why I never went out of my way to read more of his work.
Having said this, I think "Sticks and Bones" is quite powerful and raises a great deal of conversation points about war, PTSD, racism, and America wanting to pretend that everything is fine, just fine, and back to normal, without taking full stock of the horrors and atrocities of war.
Rabe was drafted into the Army in 1965 and served in a medical unit until 1967. He returned to Villanova to earn his M.A. in playwriting, where he began work on "Sticks and Bones". He became a sensation with his first two plays, and none other than Joseph Papp (whose importance in American Theater is hard to calculate, only to say that it is immeasurable) suggested that he was the most important American playwright since Eugene O'Neill. In 1973, Rabe wrote a teleplay that was directed by Robert Downey, Sr. for CBS. The subject matter was deemed so controversial that half of the affiliates refused to air it.
I do not find this surprising. "Sticks and Bones" is the very darkest of black comedies, and turns an often unflattering mirror on America. Rabe names his characters after the famous sitcom family of "Ozzie and Harriet"--- father Ozzie, mother Harriet, and the two all-American young men, oldest son David and younger son Ricky. In this play, David returns from Vietnam, having been blinded in the war. While Ricky just wants to eat his mother's homemade fudge and strum on his guitar, and Ozzie and Harriet want everything to be fine, just fine, David is haunted by war, as well as his relationship with a Vietnamese woman who he dared not bring back home with him, as his parents are astoundingly racist. David continues to go deeper into his rage and despair, and is completely disgusted by his family and their values. Harriet believes their family priest can help. Ozzie begins to doubt his manhood and worth, and believes an inventory of all of his possessions and their cost will fill this new doubt in him. Meanwhile, Ricky just wants to play his guitar, eat his mother's homemade sweets, and go out at night to hook up with girls without a decent reputation in secret. The tension builds as David continues to break down the facade of this "happy" and "normal" household. And the shocking ending shows to what lengths the family would keep the illusion of their normalcy than deal with their war traumatized son.
Clearly, Rabe intended this family and their reaction to stand in for how many Americans treated the Vietnam war, and the physically and emotionally damaged soldiers who returned.
So no wonder CBS didn't want to show such a thing on television, a piece darkly satirizing the sitcom lies normally scheduled.
I look forward to reading more of these pieces by Mr. Rabe.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rick: Mom...Dad's hungry...I think. He wants some fish, I--

Ozzie: SHUT UP!

Rick:: [hurt deeply] Dad?

Ozzie: PIECE OF SHIT! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

Harriet: Ozzie!. . .

Ozzie: [roaring down at DAVID] I don't want to hear about her. I'm not interested in her. You did what you did and I was no part of it. You understand me? I don't want to hear any more about her! Look at him. Sitting there. Listening. I'm tired of hearing you, Dave. You understand that? I'm tired of hearing you and your crybaby voice and your crybaby stories. And your crybaby slobbering and your. . .[And his voice is possessed with astonished loathing.] LOOK. . .AT. . .HIM! YOU MAKE ME WANT TO VOMIT! HARRIET! YOU--[He whirls on Harriet.] YOU! Your internal organs--your internal female organs--they've got some kind of poison in them. They're backing up some kind of rot into the world. I think you ought to have them cut out of you. I MEAN, I JUST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I JUST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. LITTLE BITTY CHINKY KIDS HE WANTED TO HAVE! LITTLE BITTY CHINKY KIDS! DIDN'T YOU! FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN! [And he slaps DAVID with one hand.] LITTLE BITTY YELLOW PUFFY--[He breaks, groping for the word.]. . . creatures!. . .FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN! [He slaps DAVID again, again.]

In 1972's Sticks and Bones, David Rabe dramatizes the repressed racism and hatred of the typical American family. The catalyst undercutting the normalcy of Ozzie and Harriet's life is, of course, the Vietnam War. Rabe shuns conventional drama, electing instead for an absurdist approach in dialogue and setting. The main problem for me, though, is the overall play seems dated, sensationalizing what was sensational then and failing, in the long run, to be universal. Considering we're dealing with racism, family, violence, war, it would seem that should not be a problem. And yet...

Sure--a contemporary director could update the characters and setting, but I doubt it would improve what little real impact this drama has. Rabe goes out of his way to be cutting edge, sticking it to "the man." The play is too 1970s and, honestly, it's well past its expiration date.

Now on to some Sophocles or Shakespeare...

[Danilo DiPietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proxy for ‘My Friend Pinocchio’ - New Yorker short story discussed w Ann’s book club. Two long time friends deal w the vicissitudes of life.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Read in conjunction with dramaturgy research for "The Black Monk").
What an extraordinary challenge for actors and directors.
Reminded me in two salient ways of Sam Shepard's "Buried Child," my favorite play, which followed Rabe's work by about a decade.
1.) "David," the disaffected, incomprehensible, destructive young man returning home after many years functions similarly as BC's "Vince." However, Shepard did say that if he were to rewrite anything about that play, it would be to explain, perhaps, Vince's, shall we say, sudden loss of sanity in between scenes.
2.) The characters really, really don't seem to be interacting that much. It is magical and bizarre and terrifying, the talking past one another, the dispensing with all pretense of listening, the living in one's own world AND almost blithe assertion of that world. This is an excruciating quality in Rabe's play, several notches up from what Shepard does with it. Shepard at least has "Shelly," who connects us to reality a bit. I really don't know how as an actor or director you would begin to look at these scenes.
Well look at me. GO BACK TO SCHOOL, KIDDO. I've probably missed more important parallels, though, so scratch that.
But, if I must, (for your own benefit!) as it pertains to "The Black Monk":
1.) LETS DOMESTICATE THE THREATENING OTHERWORDLY MALE PRESENCE WITH A GLASS O WARM MILK
2.) AND THEN LETS ALL BE AGENTS IN HIS DESTRUCTION ! ! !
But you've got to say, every character is perfectly understandable except that bishop person.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started of interestingly enough as a sort of un-constructed play, with the subtext as the text and the characters literally talking past each other, but by the end of the first act and throughout the second it just became more and more bizarre and less and less understandable. The conclusion being easily the strangest thing I've ever seen in a play. Perhaps it makes more sense when performed, but I doubt it.

[رضوى منصور · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of my favourites now ,reminds me of The Metamorphosis

I hope to write a review later : )

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of The Subject was Roses, only darker.