Essay Questions

What is the symbolism of the character Muddy Townsperson?

Muddy Townsperson is described as a haunted widow by George Brant. At the end of the play she gives a speech about how she breathed in after Mary was killed in order to find sanctified air, but found none. She finishes her speech by saying she still has mud on her shoes. The symbolism of her character is that the stain of this horrific event has yet to be washed away. Erwin is stilled covered in the mud of their actions, of their tortuous killing of Mary.

What is the symbolism of the Hungry Townsperson leaving a bag of peanuts on the stage for the audience?

In the Hungry Townsperson's final speech he says that maybe the reason elephants have such long memories is that they eat so many peanuts. He has been eating peanuts the entire play and only reveals this as his motive for having them at the end. His eating them is significant because the people of Erwin easily forget the horrors they've perpetrated such as hanging the black boys, and now they carry on and do it to an animal. The point is that no one is learning nor attempting to learn from the wrongs of their past.

How does Brant use imagery to evoke the necessary scenery for the play?

Brant does not show the young man's head being crushed nor Mary being hanged by the crane in his production. However, he uses the townie's and the carnie's feelings about the events in order to evoke a response from the audience that has them partnering with the play by creating their own horror of what may have happened if they were there. This imagery creates a one to one relationship with the audience and draws them further into the story.