Crimes Of The Heart
Crimes of the Heart
The play, "Crimes of the Heart," written by Beth Henley, is
brilliantly charming, and Henley is completely deserving of her
Pulitzer-Prize for this piece. My father suggested I read this play because she says that I am very much like one of the main characters Lenny McGrath, and she said that I would be able to relate to many parts of the story.
I found that the beginning of the play was somewhat slow
and not very uplifting, but as the play progressed, I found it to be heart-warming, intriguing, and overall very entertaining.
Henley, being from the South herself, wrote many of her plays in a small southern town setting. The intended meaning of this play is one that can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the reader, but what I believe to be the meaning, that the author was trying to send across, was to simply share the story of three sisters, who no matter how far misunderstandings, quarrels, or rages stretch the bonds between them,
the sisters always bounce back to the core of their family which is love. Though they go through many hardships, including sibling conflicts, personal problems and the inevitable death of their grandfather, through everything, family proves to be a very important key factor in their difficult lives. The bond formed between the members of your own family is one of the most "solid" things in life, and in turn should always be something you can count on.
The plays' title "Crimes of the Heart," relates directly to the play in many key ways that Henley makes evident as the play progresses. The three sisters, all lead very separate lives and are very individual in their characters and personalities but all, in one way or another, commit "crimes of the heart." But I believe that the title is derived directly from Babe's situation. She has the most problems, from an abusive husband, to trying to find love in a secret relationship with a
15 year old...
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