The journey in Elephant's Graveyard begins with the awe and wonder of the circus. The magic that is created for a moment in time captivates people to dream. But the journey shifts to self-serving justice that has the appearance of rightness, but in the end leaves everyone more flawed for their participation in the act of killing Mary.
Brant creates a play that demands a particular rhythm in order to bring out the emotional quality within it. Form, then is central to substance in a play that relies heavily on the ensemble to work with one another to create the whole. And, this is the point of the play, it is each individual in the town and circus that creates the whole of the horror that is to come just as they create the magic and wonder of the big top coming to town.
The final monologues from Brant's characters embody the themes of America, our short memories at the horrors we have perpetrated upon one another, our need for progress above anything else including our humanity, money as a driving force above all else, shame and a need for repentance all are absorbed through the words of the characters sharing their point of view on the events of Mary's death. These speeches hammer in the reality that this was a real happening in Erwin, Tennessee which is a most important chord that must be hit without overtly being pushed, and Brant does this in a way that demands we remember.
