hbvietnam

Hannah Byars THEA2100H Prof Richmond 25 October, 2010 Similarly Different Plays In order to study the differences in the playwrights various points across in __The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild__ and __The Vietnamization of New Jersey__ one has to separate the two plays into their different approaches. There are three main similarities that the playwrights have attacked from different angles: the setting of the 60s/70s in the view on the Vietnam War, the comedic aspect, and the influence of families on the actions of their children. Since both plays are set in the 60s and 70s, one would expect that they would be similar in the ways that the decades are portrayed, but they are actually vastly different. In __Tulsa__, the focus is on the peace movement, the hippies, the colorful clothing, and the “let it come” attitude that Tulsa’s mom lets everyone know. Her views on the Vietnam war is that it is terrible and it is her lifestyle her passion to stop. Even when Tulsa says that it is pointless, her mom points out that it is not up to her to decide whether it works or not, it is just that she has to try, she has to fight. This is different from __New Jersey__ because the playwright causes its characters to take a more lackadaisical approach to stopping the war and more concern with the effect on their lives. They hold on to their prejudices without concern about whether the war is ok or not. They are similar in that they both take a negative view on the war. Even though it is for different reasons, both plays cast the Vietnam War as a bad part of history. In New Jersey they view the war as a bad thing because it takes Davey away from them and made him bring home a “Vietnamese” woman. __Tulsa__ takes a negative stance on the war because Tulsa thinks it consumed her mother’s life in a pointless manner. Both of the plays attack their points with a comedic aspect, but from different angles of comedy. In __Tulsa__ the comedy is a very upfront comedy. The main source is Tulsa, who does most of her comedy by being smarter than the rest of the people she meets. Comedy is mostly based on intelligence and a lack thereof in other characters like Clyde and his girlfriend Kelly Jo. The characters, particularly Tulsa, are aware that they’re being funny. They are aware that they’re making fun of others. __New Jersey__ gets its comedy from purely the audience’s understanding of what’s going on. It is almost purely from unawareness of what is going on, and from lack of caring about things that are typically considered necessary to have a emotional tie to. General lack of awareness is exemplified in the relationship of Et to his parents. Throughout the play Et makes very intelligent statements that his parents do not acknowledge or they repeatedly ask Hazel if he is making sense to her and then ignore her answers. This is comedic in that everyone seems unaware of anything actually happening in the family that might make sense. The other way that it provokes comedy is that the characters tend to give little or no thought to things that should matter. A good example is when Davey is going to light himself on fire and Ozzie’s only concern is the stain it will leave on the carpet. The comedy has many similar aspects however, despite their aforementioned differences. With both plays, the emphasis is on quick one-line jokes and not long, drawn out scenes with a funny undertone. In __New Jersey__, an example is when Et says something, such as when he’s talking about blindness, “Which one is worse, moral or physical blindness?” and then Ozzie says, “Let’s just not have either.” Her ignorance of his genius leaves humor in the place of substance. In __Tulsa__, the comedy also comes from the one liners like Tulsa’s at the very beginning when she’s trying to get a job and states that she’s overqualified and underpaid and just is waiting to get her a job that will let her go into her job just a little less in debt. The audience broke out in peals of laughter at her one line wonder. Finally, both plays touch on how families influence actions of their children, and there are many ways that both families influence the main characters in different ways. In __Tulsa__, her mother influences her actions to a large degree. She is the reason she is taking a road trip which changes the course of her life. In __New Jersey____,__ Davey does not listen to his parents, he even defies them by keeping his “Vietnamese” woman. There are many ways that the plays are similar in their influence of families on the main characters, Tulsa and Davey. One such way, is that even though they don’t believe in what their parents believe, they still care about their opinion, and therefore are at a constant struggle between the parents’ ways and their own thoughts. This ultimately effects their decisions in life. Tulsa, although she does not believe in everything her mother says, constantly argues with her mother’s image in her head, her ghost. Davey constantly argues with his parents about Liat. Ultimately they end up doing what their parents wanted however. Tulsa ends up taking her mom’s ashes to the old motel, and Davey ends up dating a non-Vietnamese woman. Although the plays are vastly different, on these issues there can be found similarities. __Tulsa__ is a very lighthearted play with subtle undertones of controversy, and __New Jersey__ is a dark play with a sadistic humor. Still, they are joined together with these three strings of themes. The plays are the same. The plays are different. The playwrights are intricate.