Harvey -- by Mary Chase (1945)

Description
A few weeks back, I told my mother that I was intrigued by one of the plays I had just picked up for this project.

"What's it called?" she asked.
"Harvey," I replied.
"Oh, yeah. The one about the rabbit," she said.
"Yeah, have you read it?"
"No, I just know of it."

My dad, who is renowned for not having seen a ton of movies, claims that he has seen the old movie version of the play.

Why is this play, of all the plays I've read, more familiar with my parents? Why would it gather more attention.

I'm going out on a limb right now -- and this may sound juvenile -- but it could be because the play is downright absurd. According to Playbill.com, the play is about "A harmless, alcoholic middle-aged man [who] drives his sister crazy by insisting that his friendship with an invisible white rabbit is real." More specifically, the rabbit is named Harvey. Harvey is a pooka, technically. Is the pooka real or just an illusion created out of a mental illness or alcoholism? Hard to tell. The play is at once hilarious and frightening. Elwood is the man who sees Harvey, but his sister, Veta, admits she sees Harvey sometimes. The plot picks up when Veta goes to admit her brother to a psych ward, but she is admitted instead. The remainder of the play centers on the attempts to heal Elwood and discover who Harvey really is. As Elwood defines the origins of Harvey, the play takes on a deeper meaning. 

The play has been most recently revived in 2012 with Jim Parsons at the helm. When I found that out, I couldn't help but read the text in his voice. I bet the play was wildly entertaining. Carol Kane was in it, too. Clips are view-able here. This is a play I would love to see one day. 

Candid Reactions

• I wonder how difficult it is to play the role of Elwood. The line, "[Harvey] says he would have known you anywhere" could be interpreted so many different ways (11).
• Wow, Myrtle has some extremely pent up emotions about Elwood . . 
• Whoa, I wasn't expecting Veta to say she sees Harvey too -- does she mean that she envisions him or really sees him? 
• Dr. Chumley's view of psychiatry is worth noting. He says, "The function of a psychiatrist is to tell the difference between those who are reasonable, and those who merely talk and act reasonably" (41).
• Okay, that portrait gag is spooky. Or funny. I don't know. 
• Elwood has some magnificent monologues at the end of the play. Elwood claims, "And [Harvey] is bigger than anything they offer me. There's a little bit of envy in the best of us -- too bad, isn't it" (69). 
• A whole paper could be written on what Harvey represents. 
• I don't know why my heartstrings were pulled when Elwood prospects, "Maybe that's why I always had such hopes for it" (70). 
• Oh, shoot . . . he is real? What's going on?
• I am a little stunned that the play ends like that.  

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Psychology/Psychiatry
The play tackles the concept of mental illness in a comedic, yet sobering (pun intended) way. Although the play is not a didactic sermon on the need for a strong mental health field, it does advocate for people to address those with mental illness with tenderness and recognition of shared humanity.

2. Search for Truth
The entire plot centers on confusion over who is truly "insane." Objective truth vs. subjective truth is explored in the play -- how thought-provoking. As all good art should do, this play forces the audience to reconsider reality.

Classroom Implications
I definitely think that this text would baffle students. There could be significant buy-in. It kind of reminds me of one of my favorite childhood reads, The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman. I would recommend the play to students in high school who are interested in psychology and sociology.

Personal Takeaway
Great writers take risks.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 7.25
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 (1.5)	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points	Devices somewhat enhance story (1)	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1.25)
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75)	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	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically