By: Winnie Mac
Hey guys! I hope you have finished the play by now (or at least near the end).We should have a good grasp on each characters' personality, so I think by now we should be able to discuss each character in a more... "detailed" manner.
Q: What do you guys think of Frank and Dora? Do you think they play a big role in Alan's life?
***Remember! Consider what each character says and experiences in the play.
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Character summary -
Alan (Svetlana)- There is a young 17 year old boy name Alan Strang who is the main character in this play. He is a mentally unstable teenage whose perception is in life is distorted. In the play it started off Alan stabbing 6 horses with a hoof pick, leaving them blind. While reading this play, I realized that Alan is anti-social. He does not have any friends, or anyone to interact with. When his parents dropped him off at the psychiatric hospital he was not very nice, nor polite. Alan's attitude is extreme. As you can tell in Act one his attitude reminds me of a 12 year old boy. He talks back, he does not want to listen, he does things his own way, and every time Dysart, which is the psychiatrist tries to ask him questions or to help him he gives him a total different answer. Alan thinks it is a game. He is not open to anyone, he keeps things to himself. Dysart as well tries to get close with him, tries to get Alan to open up. There is a quote on page 65, where it says "The normal is the good smile in a child's eyes-all right. It is also the dead stare in a million adults." I believe that this quote shows that when Dysart looks into Alan's eyes he does not see a happy smile where most children have. He sees evil in his eyes. He has an obsession with horses since his mother would teach him everything about horses because she as well is a fan. She would tell him stories straight from the bible and even teach him some drastic events. He is obsessed with religion and horses.
Dysart (Winnie) - Martin Dysart is the central character of the play. In the
storyline, we see that Dysart is retelling events that had previously happened
to him to the audience. Dysart is a middle-aged children’s psychiatrist who
deals with psychological disorders who has been asked to take Alan Strang as
his patient. Alan has committed a crime which no one, apart from Dysart, would
be able to help him process and overcome. As Dysart comes to understand the
crime Alan has committed, he starts to question his confidence and job.
Yes, i believe they do because the character Dora, is the one that taught Alan about Christianity,and ideas from the bible and in her attitude to sex. She is initially seen to be quite a loving figure. She constantly "feeds" him religion and loving horses, since she is a lover for horses coming from a upper-class family. But, her actions and words throughout the play create the impression that she believes she has done her best as a parent and that she cannot be blamed for Alan’s criminal behavior. So i believe that this creates an obvious irony, because many elements of Alan’s faith in Equus are directly derived from the bedtime and Bible stories that Dora has read to him as a child.
ReplyDeleteFor the character Frank, i believe he is also a part of Alan's life because Frank believes that Dora's biblical language is getting to Alan pretty badly, and that is why his criminal behavior is getting out of hand. He wants to protect his son and to get him to understand the way reality works and how to dismantle this imagination of horses as "gods". When Frank spoke to Alan about his secret he wanted Alan to understand that religion is not everything a man should have in life. He wanted Alan to understand "manhood".
Great analysis Svetlana! I 100% agree with your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add on to my question. Do you guys think that the Strang family is honest with each other? Point out which scenes where you think that they were being dishonest with each other.
ReplyDeleteI think not because, Frank did not tell his wife, Dora that he would go out at night to the movies to watch porn. That is in Act 2 page 92. Alan as well did not tell his father about Jill. Usually a son goes to the father and have the "talk", but Alan kept it to himself. Even though Alan has trouble socializing why do you guys think that Alan would not go to his dad for "girl advice"?
ReplyDeleteIt's not the fact that Alan doesn't go to Frank for advice but the fact that Frank hasn't been treating Alan as a son. He doesnt't respect Alan nor does he communicate with Alan he doesn't actually treat him as a son
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both, but Nora, his mother, was not there for Alan too. Alan could not talk to her whenever he had a problem (because of her religious ways). He had to hold all of his feelings in because he did not want to upset both of his parents. And since his parents both have different views in life, that made it even harder for him to confess.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with that I feel Nora did her role as a mother, she taught him the best he can of course at points she did spoil him a bit like when she let him let off with the neighbor to see the movie. She taught Alan about what sex is and so on but it's just that Alan kind of just took the whole thing in a different kind of view. Also I want to point out it's kind of ironic that Nora use to be a school teacher and in the end she wasn't able to lead him down the "right" and "normal" path.
ReplyDeleteSorry Jason, but i do not agree with your comment. i feel that Dora as a mother did not do her role because as a mother you are suppose to care and look out for your child. She took him to a psychiatric hospital and then started to say inappropriate comments. About her one and only child! A mother is suppose to direct them in the right path of life and help through life as well not teach them about the depths of religion and watch them suffer like Alan is. He doesnt even know it. He is not social, does not interact with other children, nothing. i feel Dora represented as a mother very poorly
ReplyDeleteone of the comments that she said was "the devil is coming..." referring to Alan.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's referring to Alan, more like going against him. Like the play said, Alan embraces religion through horses so when he did his sins, the guilt unfortunately took over him and caused his hallucinations. In addition, due to his awkward childhood while growing up, it did turn him into the psycho he is. And Dysart I think should only envy him a bit because though his mind has been through torture, it's not as boggled as Alan where conscience plays such a big role as to how he acts and reacts and not to mention, he is incredible sensitive.
ReplyDeleteAlan was to a point where it was out of the mother's reach I don't think Dora was able to do anything more other then leave him in other peoples hands. And also the way Dora was raised in a christian family I assume it wasn't a negative comment when she said "the devil is coming" but only the way she see's it because that's the only logical perspective she can see it as. On top of all this Alan is already 17 years old which can be consider an adult so it's only natural for Dora to
ReplyDeleteslowly give up over the long period of time she's been trying to lead him down the "righteous" path.
ReplyDeleteOut of both parents, I think Dora was the one who strongly raised Alan. Just look at how he turned out. The play says she reads him religious pieces and taught him about sex so I think his father didn't have as big of an impact on his life besides resenting him.
ReplyDeleteYes. Dora took the time to teach Alan about life. Despite the fact that it was all from a religious point of view, she did indeed gave the effort on raising her kid.
ReplyDelete