2 Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present
his dentures. Students interested in exploring Shepard’s life might examine
biographical details included in the play. Students should be sure to consider
how Shepard uses biographical details to highlight and advance larger themes
about American identity.
- Bottoms notes a similarity between True West and the “dirty realism” of fiction
by writers like Raymond Carver, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Tobias Wolff. The
shared characteristics “include a tendency to describe trivial and mundane
details with minute precision, and to focus on apparently inconsequential
narratives, tales of minor, often rather grubby incidents in the lives of ordi-
nary Americans.” In addition, “a very sparse, unadorned approach to plot
and dialogue” results in stories that “are conspicuously devoid of strong or
heroic characters.” Students interested in studying the plot and style of True
West might trace these elements in the play, arguing for or against Bottoms’s
observations.
- Critics have noted Shepard’s seeming obsession with all things “West”—
horses, cowboys, stories about traveling westward. Clearly at the heart of True
West is a question about the nature of the “true west.” As Wade writes, “The
text provides a range of candidates, from the world of Kirk Douglas cowboy
pictures, to the smog-soaked sprawl of Los Angeles, to the desolate aridity of
the Mojave.” Students might find it profitable to examine elements of these
different versions of the West and the characters with which they are associ-
ated in the play. In addition, one might argue whether Shepard promotes a
particular vision of the West. Another way to approach the Western theme is
to examine its connection to notions about America as the land of “freedom,
opportunity, and limitless open land” (Wade). How do Shepard’s representa-
tions of the West call into question the American dream? How are different
versions of the American dream and the West evoked by Austin’s material
success and Lee’s physical mobility and freedom? Why is it important to rec-
ognize multiple versions of these ideals? Most critics address the appearance
of these themes in True West; most helpful to students would be Marranca,
Mottram, Wade, and Westgate.
- In the beginning of True West Lee and Austin are presented as opposites so
that when Austin tells his brother that Saul “thinks we’re the same person,” the
observation seems ironic. As the play progresses, however, each brother adopts
the characteristics of the other. Shepard has said that he “wanted to write a
play about double nature... one that wouldn’t be symbolic or metaphorical or
any of that stuff. I just wanted to give a taste of what it feels like to be two-
sided. It’s a real thing, double nature” (quoted in Shewey). Students might use
Shepard’s comments as the starting point for an analysis of Lee and Austin
that considers how they represent two sides of the same person. Indeed, as the
play progresses, we see each brother transform into the other. As you review
the play, pay particular attention to which characteristics are evoked by Aus-
tin and by Lee at the beginning and then at the middle and end of the play.
How does their inability to synthesize seemingly opposite characteristics lead
to problems between the brothers? How might a synthesis of qualities lead
to a resolution between the brothers? Alternately, you might wish to explore
