True West (play)

• Austin; successful screenwriter
• Lee; his brother, Tramp
• Her mother
• Saul Kimmer

True West is a play by American author Sam Shepard, which was published in 1981 by Faber & Faber.

It discusses two aspects of American Dreams ( freedom and prosperity ) and the problems that bring them with you. The book is in some federal countries (eg North Rhine -Westphalia, Baden- Württemberg and Saarland), one of the required reading in grade 12/13 in preparation for the Central High School in Subject: English.

Form

The drama is divided into two acts. The first act includes scenes 1 to 4, the second act the scenes 5 through 9 all 9 scenes in the kitchen of the house of Austin and Lee's mother.

Action

The drama is about the development of two brothers named Lee and Austin, which could not be be dissimilar in their characteristics. While Austin is a successful screenwriter who is the center of life, a home and a family and live a carefree life due to a strong financial background, his brother Lee is a small criminal vagabond who has specialized in the thieves craft and thus his livelihood denies.

The mother of the two brothers is at the beginning of the drama in Alaska on vacation. She has her son Austin applied to take care of her more conservative furnished house and pour their beloved plants. Lee was only 3 months in the desert road and has the " old man " ( Lee and Austin's father) visited, who decided a long time ago for the exile and seclusion. He comes to his mother's house to break into the property of the rich neighbors. Whether the parents are now divorced or just live separately from each other, is not clear from the piece.

The drama begins with Austin sitting at notebook and typewriter and in his project, a script for a historical film, works. He has been a long time working on it and has already met for this reason over several months with a producer named Saul Kimmer, who pretends to be quite enthusiastic about his project. Lee, who makes a drunken impression of the entire first act, is also present and talks to Austin. But both will talk over one another rather, a real communication takes place. Lee sees it at that, to provoke his brother with pejorative questions, answers and statements; Austin goes but not very sure, since he is Lee apparently inferior and physically afraid of him has. He speaks in a more elevated language, whereas Lee used a more vulgar, partially offensive slang. Due to the continuous provocations and the contrasts between the two brothers it comes incessantly to battle, which still continues to escalate over the course of the play. To be able to talk in peace with Saul Kimmer about the business, are Austin Lee, for he is ashamed of, his car keys and makes him a Time to which this should be back. During the meeting, but Lee seems premature and with a stolen TV from the neighborhood in his hands. He caught Saul - initially through skill, later by harassing - in a discussion. Lee and Saul, discovering their common love for golf and arrange to meet at once to a morning game. Furthermore, Lee tries to convince him of his specially devised story. Saul at first seems disinterested, but on Lee's insistence he promises to read through the rough course of action as soon as Austin has written this. So Austin is involuntarily Lees writer. In golf, meetings ( a so-called " Off-Stage Scene", which can be also described as a turning point here ) it creates Lee finally, the producers to convince them of his cluttered stereotypes history and to oblige him by a bet to production. Since Lee but is not a gifted writer, Austin will bring the story to paper. He finds the story but too simple, almost "stupid" and therefore rejects from. Then Saul breaks his covenant with Austin and drops its history.

The protagonists of change then in the exact opposite direction. Austin gets drunk now and continuously insulted his brother in an unusual for him language level. To prove Lee that he is also able to steal, he now pulls itself through the neighborhood and steals all the toaster. Lee tries himself as a writer at the typewriter, but can not think straight and relies on Austin as a writer. Always Austin to prepare and write Lee's thoughts, Lee should take Austin for it with in the desert and show him how to live there ( about ), because a life in the desert seems (at least on time): To meet the two of them a deal to have been Austin's dream. As a result, Austin and Lee have only the script in the head and neglecting the house and the plants of the mother totally keep the apartment into a " dumping ground " degenerates. In the final scene, Lee and Austin formulate just a passage of history, as the mother who has previously come back from their holiday shows up. Lee changes his behavior in a flash, is again insulting to Austin and want to leave immediately ( and by the way take some silver cutlery and porcelain) the house; He says that you must move the deal, but it is clear that he intends not comply with his part of the agreement. Austin is so very angry and strangled Lee with the telephone cable; the mother of them seems unimpressed, their concern is much more their now dead plants. She leaves the house to stay later at a motel. Finally, Lee is on the ground and pretends to be dead, whereupon Austin solves the cable and - apparently dazed - attempts to contact his brother. This does not move - Austin wants to leave the house, but suddenly Lee jumps up and blocked the exit. The story ends here, with the confrontation between the two brothers in front of the house in the background of the desert.

Special

What is striking about the piece is the confrontation with the American Dream. With the leitmotifs "From rags to riches " and the freedom of the Wild West, it shows the development of two brothers who, acting as typical representatives of the relevant aspects of the American Dream, on the one hand limitless freedom and independence and on the other hand, social advancement and professional success, but the life of each other's dream and envy each other. Other important aspects are related to the venue and the surrounding area. The environment is described in detail, and the chirping of crickets and the howling of coyotes, as a symbol of wild nature, can be found in the whole play back repeatedly.

The piece was among others in a co - production of the National Theatre de Luxembourg, the Ruhr Festival Recklinghausen and the Renaisssace - Theater in Berlin in 2008 Oktay Özdemir ( Lee) and Eralp Uzun (Austin ) listed. The two Turkish-born actor do it here portray contemporary references to life in Berlin- Kreuzberg.