Kaufman and Hart’s 1936 drama You Can’t Take It With You, produced by Wright State University on October 7, 2017 under the direction of Joe Deer, centered itself on the eccentricity of the Vanderhof family. Under one roof alone, this family encountered unexpected visits from not only their daughter Alice’s fiancée Tony’s family, but also from the government, looking to collect twenty-four years in back taxes. In conjunction with the story, the design effectively and equally captivated the audience. The use of lighting, costumes, and set design clarified the relationships between characters and altogether worked well together. Jennifer Watson’s lighting gave contrast and focus, which clarified the Grandpa’s role as the focus of the story and head of the household. The warm and cool light streaming in through the windows and doorways during transitions was an effective use of …show more content…
As a whole, the family wore pieces appropriate for the late thirties, when the play took place. The members of the family primarily wore neutral, off tones of colors. In contrast, the only two individuals who wore more pure, bright colors were Alice and Grandpa. As established earlier, Grandpa was the main proprietor of the household so even further emphasis was placed on him. On the other hand, Alice was not like the rest of her unconventional family and the choice of bright colors like red, yellow, and blue for Alice made her stand out from the rest of her neutrally clad family. Additionally, while members of the family like Alice’s mother wore heavy clothing like wool skirts, Alice wore light dresses like the light blue dress worn in Act 1. Zimmerman’s designs gave life to each character, accentuating not only their individual personalities, but also gave a further sense of realism, which added to the experience of the show as a
Clothing that is worn by the actors during the play can be a reflection of the characters personalities. Nick, Lucy, Lewis and Julie all seem to be in normal clothing, reflecting the fact they are relatively normal, and don’t show signs of extreme ‘Madness.’ Ruth wears simple, old, and neat clothes that reflect her OCD, and the colours and patterns that Roy wears reflect his crazy and upbeat personality. Meanwhile, Henry wears business-like outfits that you would expect to see a lawyer wear. This helps to inf...
The quilts play an important role in depicting symbolism of heritage because they signify Dee’s family origins. For instance, Dees’ significant family members all have pieces of their fabric sown on to the quilts as a remembrance of who they were and their importance in the family. Nevertheless, Dee is overlooking important facets of her family history because she does not see the quilts her ancestors made as valuable, hand-made, pieces of fabric that should be passed down and taken care of to keep their history alive. As Mama stated, “In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty years and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell’s paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the civil war.” (1129). Despite her family’s history, Dee continues to misinterpret the...
The costuming in Edward Scissorhands was very thought out and was used to develop the characters, as well as the story. For example, the townspeople who took in Edward seemed to be regular people in a regular town. The people wore bright colored clothing with colorful accesories as well. The women wore bright clothing, either dresses or a pair of leggings, with bright makeup as well. The men wore casual work clothes, and all of this gives of a normal vibe to the town as if nothing out of the ordinary happens in it. Another example of the clothing in the film is when Peg (Avon lady) sees Edward for the first time. This moment can make the audience start to compare the moods that both characters give off. Edward lived in a dark, gloomy place
The play depicts the feelings and thoughts of the people of their time. Their feelings are different then what we see today in our lives. The family had to deal with poverty and racism. Not having enough money and always being put down because of the color of their skin held them back from having a lot of self-respect and dignity. I think that Mama was the one who had the most pride and held the family together.
In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
Most families have some piece of jewelry, furniture, or other symbolic collectible that is passed through many generations. These things often remind a person of a beloved grandparent or great-grandparent and are seen as priceless. In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the family heirloom, a couple of hand sewn quilts, represents the family members' emotions concerning their heritage. Dee, the older sister, wants to hang the quilts on a wall and view her culture from a distance. In fact she even seems ashamed of her family situation.
The play has an example of the technique of foreshadowing when Ruth faints. This foreshadows her later announcement of her pregnancy. The unchangeable setting is considered as a motif. Although the actions that affect the family happen outside. Yet the audience never goes out of the Youngers house. Mama goes out to buy a house, Walter goes to drink and Bennie goes for dates. All these actions are not shown, but the characters go out and come back to tell what they did. By keeping the actions in their apartment only, this reinforces the idea that the family is trapped in their small house and their life is not changing. Hansberry also uses the look of the apartment to convey the situation of the family that they are worn out of this life. Especially when Hansberry says that the furniture is placed to cover worn spots in the rug (loos40).
In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is written in manner to inspire the reader to show them how deep some family traditions can go. Walker, in her writings, tend to talk about issues that she had experienced in her life, and being an African American, she has learned the value of certain things in her life that her parents and grandparents had taught her. The quilt is so important to Dee because it is something that tells a story of the previous generation; the quilt actually consists of pieces of material that the family once used. The issue of the quilt also sets the mood for the story. It helps the reader to understand the deep rooted power simple things can have when it comes to family relations. All this helps explains
Alice Walker combines the importance of time and place in Everyday Use. The story occurs in 1960’s during the African-American Civil Rights Movement. This was the time when African-Americans struggle with prejudice and poverty. They desire to maintain their minimal gain during the World War II and to define their personal identities as well as their heritage. The argument over family quilts takes place at the Deep South, where there are many African Americans, which match perfectly with the lifestyle the characters have in the story.
Symbols are displayed in both stories; the quilts in “Everyday Use” symbolize the memories of Mama’s family. The quilts are made of pieces of old clothing from Mama’s family. Each piece of the quilt represents that person and who they were. They are passed on to future generations along with stories of the ancestors’ past. The quilts represent pride of their ancestors’ struggles, where they came from and the fight to preserve their individuality. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie acknowledge their heritage from memories of their family members. Dee bases her heritage off ...
...rn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece . . . that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War" (Walker, 65). These quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. A concept in which Dee, could just not possibly understand. Mama then grasps the quilts out of Dee’s clutch and places them on Maggie’s lap, for Maggie knows that the quilts are personal and emotional rather than by any means financial (p.66). These quilts are for “Everyday Use.”
The quilts were pieced together by Mama, Grandma Dee, and Big Dee symbolizing a long line of relatives. The quilts made from scraps of dresses worn by Grandma Dee, Grandpa Jarrell’s Paisley shirts, and Great Grandpa Ezra’s Civil War uniform represented the family heritage and values, and had been promised to Mama to Maggie when she married. However, Dee does not understand the love put into the making of the quilts, neither does she understand the significance of the quilts as part of her family heritage. It is evident she does not understand the significance of the quilt, having been offered one when went away to college declaring them “as old-fashioned” and “out of style”. She does not care about the value of the quilts to her family, rather she sees it as a work of art, valuable as an African heritage but not as a family heirloom. She wants the quilts because they are handmade, not stitched with around the borders. She tells Mama, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!... She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use… But, they’re priceless!.. Maggie would put them on her the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!” (317). The quilt signifies the family pride and history, which is important to Mama. She makes the decision to give the quilt to Maggie who will appreciate it more than Dee, to whom she says, “God knows I been saving ‘em for long enough with
Yet, Alice is portrayed as a strong-willed and logical character in Wonderland. According to Hughes, “women were considered physically weaker, yet morally superior to men, which meant that they were best suited to the domestic sphere” (Hughes 1). Alice disproves this by being strong and convincing herself not to cry at the beginning of the novel (Carroll 19). Her constant crying exemplifies her frailty as a child and woman, but making herself stop is not something usually seen in Victorian society. To showcase women’s frailty and inferiority to men, Victorian fashions included “long skirts and blouses that emphasized a small waist, ample bosom, and inaccessibility” (Fisher 3). It is known that women also wore corsets during this time as well, which Alice refuses to wear in addition to stockings in the film version of Alice in Wonderland (Burton, Alice in
You Can’t Take It With You You Can’t Take It With You is a chaotic, whimsical play that centers on the madcap Vanderhof family in 1936. In the Vanderhof house, there is always someone writing a play, dancing, playing the xylophone, or setting off illegal firecrackers. Grandpa Vanderhof; the family patriarch, believes in not working hard, but instead having fun and enjoying life to the fullest; no questions asked. While enjoying the carefree, no boundaries lifestyle; the Vanderhof home encounter some conservative guests, a run in with the police, and a visit from the IRS.