The Skin of Our Teeth -- by Thornton Wilder (1943)

Description

 Honestly, I have no idea where to begin with trying to summarize this play. Hands-down, it is the strangest play I've read so far in this project (and probably ever). Playbill.com succinctly describes the play: "The modern-looking Antrobus family and their seductive maid, Sabina, survive many ancient disasters, including the Ice Age, Noah's flood, war and famine, always able to start over and begin anew, in Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy." 

 What the summary does not prepare you for is the disorienting play-within-a-play structure (if structure can actually be discussed about this play). It does not ready you for talking mammoth and dinosaur puppets. It does not hint at the allegorical nature of the play--the family representing all mankind.  

 Once more, Wilder writes a play wherein the main themes and messages are somehow both explicit and puzzling. I am sure if I were a classical expert I could have picked up helpful allusions and tied together plot points so as to provide a nice little summary. But . . .    

 Main Characters
Mr. George Antrobus
Mrs. Maggie Antrobus
Sabina, Antrobus' maid
Henry/Cain, son of Antrobus'
Gladys, daughter of Antrobus'

Watch some clips of a recent production here.

Candid Reactions

  • When were projectors first used in the American theater?
  • What is going on? Why is the set being flown around? Why did Wilder indicate that Sabina dusts the underside of the chair, too?
  • Who is Sabina talking to? Oh, us. 
  • What a one-liner! Sabina says Henry has a chance of graduating "if they make the alphabet easier" (72). HA!!
  • Don't you just love it when a character literally tells you their life philosophy. That's one way to develop character . . .
  • Thanks for condemning the reader so clearly again, Wilder . . . WHAT DID WE DO TO YOU?
  • Wilder presents a controversial question here: What good is it to create when destruction is inevitable?  
  • Okay, so they are 4000 years old. I get it, Thornton, they represent capital "m" mankind. Mankind*
  • What an awkward end to an act: "Pass up your chairs, everybody. Save the human race" (93). I wonder what audience members even did. Could you imagine the lobby talk? 
  • This fortune teller is making me uncomfortable. 
  • Now, Sabina, THAT is a monologue feminists can get behind. 
  • The Noah allusion is blatant.
  • Why did he include this talk about actors getting food poisoning?
  • Peacetime doesn't appear so peaceful. 
  • Okay, why do all of these plays use the movie theater as an important establishment? The movies are a place for escape, and plays love using that as shorthand, I feel. 
  • And another strong monologue to uphold the "good fight" of mankind. Mankind*
  • What did I just read?
Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning

 1. Unconventional Material and Methods

As I have emphasized, this play approached discussing the human experience in strange ways.

2. Allusions

Although I did not catch them all, I did recognize some major allusions (Ice Age, Flood). These helped enhance the themes of the play.

Classroom Implications

Nope. Only in college honors should this be given time in the classroom.

Personal Takeaway

Wilder just loves to talk about mankind. *Mankind

Ranking

Dialogue
Characters
Plot/Conflict
Symbol/Literary Devices
Overall Enjoyment
TOTAL SCORE





5.0
0
Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character
Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity
Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping
Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story
Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1
Not consistently realistic (1)
Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity (1)
Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1)
Devices somewhat enhance story (1) 
Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1)
2
Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters
Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity  
Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!
Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation
Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiot's Delight -- by Robert E. Sherwood (1936)

Image
Description Idiot's Delight is Robert Sherwood's first of three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. The play starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne -- a pairing who has a Broadway theater named after them. The play is set at the Hotel Monte Gabriele in the Italian Alps near Switzerland and Austria. Keep in mind that the play is written in between WWI and WWII. The play takes place "in any imminent year" . . . Disturbing? I think so. The play centers on an assortment of international travelers who find themselves stuck in a hotel due to travel restrictions from a looming war. The individuals talk with each other and get to know each other. The play contains classic comedic hallmarks such as mistaken identities and a unification of a couple at the end. However, the play also contains a grim warning to the world: humans are capable of thoughtless evil.  Candid Reactions The Captain confesses, "I too, am a pawn" (16). This line is layered. It is both funny an...
Read more

Alison's House -- by Susan Glaspell (1931)

Image
Description I've reached a point in this project I both dreaded and anticipated with much joy. I am happy to say that I've been able to access these plays either through my own collection or from my local libraries. However, there are some plays that are simply not accessible in these libraries. It frustrates me that my timeline is now less in my control, but it excites me that interlibrary loan exists and can do the hard word for me! Susan Glaspell's Alison's House  is the first play I have had to receive via ILL. The 1931 play is based on Emily Dickinson's life. The play is set on New Year's Eve of 1899 at the Stanhope house . . . or Alison Stanhope's house . . . even though it wasn't her house . . . She did live there on the second floor in her private room. The family is preparing to leave the house and must determine what to do with the remains of her room. Several members of the family have differing opinions on what should be done. Do they pre...
Read more

Rankings

9.75 -- Fences by August Wilson ( 1987 ) 9.5 -- The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy (1965) 9.25 -- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (1955) 9.25 -- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn (1978) 9.25  --   Long Day's Journey into Night  by Eugene O'Neill  (1957) 9.25 -- Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007) 9.25 -- Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks ( 2002 ) 9.0 -- Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner (1993)   9.0  --  Anna Christie  by Eugene O'Neill  (1922) 9.0 -- Cost of Living by Martyna Majok ( 2018 ) 9.0 -- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949) 9.0 -- Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (2005) 9.0 --  The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) 9.0 -- 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (1983) 9.0 -- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes ( 2012 ) 8 .75 --  Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (1920) 8.75 -- How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel ( 1998 ) 8.75 -- ...
Read more