Wednesday, April 14, 2010

W;t

Vivian’s character is written well. She is strong, almost to a fault; but incidentally she is debilitated with a disease the makes it difficult to keep up such a brave persona. She is essentially alone, finding comfort only in the words of her long time friend John Donne. One scene that really made me enjoy this play was the one where we flashback to Vivian’s past. It is her fifth birthday and she discovers the magic that books potentially possess. Though this scene is very brief it captures a moment that I believe anyone can relate to. A scene in which the audience can relate and see a softer side of Vivian exposes her humanity, something I believe Vivian struggles to see in the world, making her world of Donne more tolerable.

4 comments:

  1. I also felt the flashback to her childhood one saw a softer side of Vivian. From her former student we see that she was a difficult teacher with a very hard class but also for those students who stuck through the world of John Donne became barely understandable.

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  2. It's this soft side to Vivian that perhaps is the reason the play returns to reading another children's book near the end when it's read by her old professor. It's an interesting scene because she seems to reject the over analysis of her professor and discards complexity for a simpler read as if realizing that such abstractions aren't necessary, and are even a hindrance, as they prevent you from fully feeling simple emotions such as happiness and despair.

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  3. Her genuine personality is what was engaging throughout the play. she never seems to struggle with who she is, or wants to be. Her certainty of death is brave and motivating.

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  4. You would assume that you would hate Vivian because she has such a negative and pompous attitude, but for some reason, we are moved by her experience. Her character, in a strange way, is extremely likeable because we are so close to her situation.

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