Characters in Sticks and Bones
by David Rabe (1972)

Characters

  • What does the fact that the central characters are named for the Nelson family on TV do to our sense of who they are? In what ways is each character an archetype (or stereotype) of a certain familial/ societal role?
  • Pick one of the four central family members and look through the play to establish what their personal history is. What were the crucial events of their past? How did these events shape them?
  • What the function of Father Donald in the play?
  • What is the reality level of Zung? Why is she introduced in the play? What function does she serve?
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