Brighton Beach Memoirs Essay Example

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a semi-autobiographical play that was created by Neil Simon. The play is a comedy that depicts the life of a Jewish working-class family that is situated in Brooklyn at a time there is a great depression. This play may have been intended for the general audience. However, the play has a special appeal to youthful adults as it is seen that four of the seven characters in the play are in their teens and each of them is dealing with problems that are unique to the others in the play. All that the four characters i.e. Nora, Laurie, Stanley, and Eugene are going through in the play is relatable to what the audience of the same age face. The play is seen to show how there can be unity in the face of adversities, as the tension in the family makes the member grow closer and how family set up paints the picture of the great depression and how tension unity was achieved amidst tension.

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Neil Simon brings out the problems that the characters are going quite vividly. Eugene roles in the play are two-way, at one time the character is seen as a protagonist, at the teens he has in his hands' problems that are associated with this and at another time he is seen as an observer and it is through this observation that he can write his play. (Broderick, 2013). One portion of the storyline is seen to focus on Jerome's family which is on the verge of breaking down as a result of financial pressure and personal issues while the other is based on Eugene that views himself as a scapegoat and one that is facing problems as a result of his puberty. The play presents so many instances of tension that could have been seen to cause the tearing of the family. Blanche is seen as partial to Laurie and utilizes her supposed illnesses as an excuse to spoil her, Nora, on the other hand, is not having an easy time accepting the death of his father. Kate outburst at Blanches is aimed at making him pay attention to Eugene who is also sharing his set of issues. The older young individual at home also has issues in that they impatient to be independent. Nora, for instance, wants to be independent and not depend on Jerome's family. Stanley also wants to be independent and does not like being asked to account for every penny that he spends.

This play is seen as not just a hollow comedy as it has an inspiration aspect to it as the many adversities lead to the characters to draw closer. Jerome's family is crowded in their small house in Brighton Beach, and it is facing tension that threatens to break the family away. These aspects indicate the significance of family and how they take advantage of the limited resources that they have around them, Eugene is seen as a dreamer in the family and this trait can be said to offer hope for the survival of the family as one. The fact that he is in his early teenage year's means that he is experiencing bodily changes that occur during puberty and is also gaining new responsibilities at the home. It is seen that due to the tension in the home Eugene may result in standing up as the man of the house. The adult of the Jerome family strives to cater to the family needs during the great depression. (Holak, 2014). Jerome is seen to overwork despite having a heart condition while Kate the main female character is seen to resolve the many problems of the other character even though she needs help herself. The many problems in the family create a lot of tension and comedy is seen as what keeps the family moving. Rather than allowing the adversities to drive them apart then they make them closer.

Brighton Beach Memoir makes use of several dramatic styles that provides the audience with better literal and metaphorical interpretation of the play. At the beginning of the play, Neil Simon establishes that brings out the ideal perception of family life at a past time in the United States. The outer parts of the wood-frames house, as well as the interior furnishing, bring out the picture of the common class American family at the end times of the Great Depression. The fact that the character goes a long way to bring out the environment is paramount to the audience's understanding of the entire play. The house and the characters are seen as a metaphoric microcosm of the earth in those times. The characters are seen to offer a representation of the countries of the universe, as they are in the fight to ensure their destinies in an unstable universe. The families in the play are seen to stand for the macro-culture of the world in the 1930's. Through the families' normal livelihood activities, the audience is given the opportunity to see tension arise amongst the different members. The family relationship is increasingly strained with new difficulties arising as the play unfolds in the family; this is seen to represent the tension that stood at the period before the World War 2, and how the unity of the nation amidst the tension aided in their survival during the great depression.

Conclusion

This play is seen to have made use of the family set up to bring out a great story of triumph over tribulation, despite the great tension and issues that are faced by individuals in the family they somehow find a way to hold and stay united, this is also seen to be metaphorical representation of nation during the great depression and how their unity amidst tension ensured survival.

References

Broderick, M. (2013). Matthew Broderick. The Jennifer Grey Handbook-Everything you need to know about Jennifer Grey, 57.

Holak, S. L. (2014). From Brighton beach to blogs: Exploring food-related nostalgia in the Russian diaspora. Consumption Markets & Culture, 17(2), 185-207.