Buried Child -- by Sam Shepard (1979)

Description
Before Tracy Letts shocked audiences with the completely corrupt Weston family, Sam Shepard terrorized audiences with a family of his own. This family has no last name. The family shouldn't have a last name because it is not unified and the members cannot always identify each other. The heads of the family are Halie and Dodge. They have two living children, Tilden and Bradley. Bradley has an amputated leg. Tilden has one living child, Vince, who returns to the family home to reunite with his family. Vince brings his girlfriend, Shelly, who is appalled by the behaviors of the family. Family secrets are revealed through the course of the play. Please watch this clip for a full, clear summary of the play.

The play was performed on Broadway in 1979 and returned in 1996. In 2016, it was revived off-Broadway with Ed Harris and Amy Madigan at the helm. I can't imagine how wonderful it was. It received enough acclaim to transfer to the West End.

Candid Reactions

• These names are wonderful. "Dodge" implies his behavior. "Tilden" has a playful reminiscence to the phrase "until then" -- appropriate for his behavior, too. 
• I love how Dodge hides the bottle under a cushion. This action develops Dodge's character in several ways. 
• I wonder exactly what Shepard was up to when he has Dodge replying to Halie in the first act when she is out of the room. What is he implying that Dodge is never loud enough or that Halie is never present enough?
• The theme of denial is woven smoothly. The denial of whiskey adds on to the denial of the corn. 
• Dodge is a realist, yet he lives in denial. 
• I bet you can hear a pin drop when Dodge asserts, "My flesh and blood's buried in the back yard" (77). 
• The end of Act One feels like you are witnessing both a curse and a sacred act. 
• Tilden stares at Vince like Dodge stares at the TV. 
• Okay, this family is sick. 
• Dodge becomes intimidating throughout the story. 
• The failure for the family to recognize each other is perhaps the biggest statement of the play. 
• How does Father Dewis get one of the best lines of the play? He says, "Well, you can hardly blame them for not fulfilling your hallucination" (121). 
• The number of ultimatums at the end of the play is insane. 
• Dodge's blunt recollection is chilling: "I killed it. I drowned it. Just like the runt of a litter. Just drowned it" (124). 
• Vince certainly turned a corner . . .
• Vince's statement at the end of the play is somehow cathartic because he recognizes exactly what is going on: "Everything dissolved" (130).
• How terrifying is that ending???  

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. American Family Don'ts and Don'ts
Shepard's tale might not seem moralistic or as straightforward as an Aesop fable, but it does teach lessons. Buried Child is a warning sign of what can happen when reality is denied and distorted. When families choose to live with un-aired laundry, the relationships start to stink up. The role of Shelly is essential in the play to remind the family that their relationships are abnormal. The role of the priest suggests that the world does not contain true leaders in the midst of decaying relationships.

2. Language Expert
Sam Shepard has a masterful ability to create repetitive actions, scenes, motifs. His attention to symbolic language is almost unparalleled. He draws upon archetypes to evoke an audience response of familiarity and curiosity. He creates riddles for the audience; he does not spoon-feed messages.

Classroom Implications
I really think this play could be wonderful for AP high school students. Of course the topic of incest would be alarming, but there is no graphic description or action. I believe the narrative structure, theme-building, and symbolism would be perfectly challenging for the students to wrestle.

Personal Takeaway
Dysfunctional families seem to be the focus of many plays.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 8.5
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	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity (1.5)	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points	Devices somewhat enhance story	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1.5)
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (1.75)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping! (1.75)	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation (2)	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically