The play Blackbird is about a woman who gets raped when she is 12 years old, and years later, her finally confronting the man who did it. Throughout the play we as readers learn more and more about their relationship and what happened, especially in court. One secret is the fact of Una actually going to Ray (a.k.a. Peter) and talking to him about this incident. It is not very clear. The main secret I believe is in the way that the play is written. David Harrower leaves sentences unfinished. It's like the characters are in mid-sentence and he just cuts into a different topic completely.
"Ray: The people who
who helped you.
Your
Una: I stopped seeing them years ago.
Theey're not there for ever." (pg. 13)
At times, Harrower also has the characters speaking, but at certian points, he just cuts it off and starts a new topic, sometimes finishing the thought the next time the character speaks, and sometimes just leaving it the way that it was.
"Una: But, Jesus.
Trevelyan.
Did you
God, no
That's
To
To the manor born.
The silver spoon.
It's
from a phone book at random?
Were yyou delirious?
Did
delusions of of granduer?......" (pg. 13)
Passages such as the one above do not particularly make sense because the thoughts are cut off and they don't relate to eachother either. There are never really too many explinations about what is going on either. Just the conversations between Una and Ray which leaves the reader in the blue. I feel as though Harrower left sentences and passages kind of choppy if you would, to let the reader interpret it in their own way. He gives leeway on what is going on and what the situation revolves around but never too many exact details. I feel this secret is kept from the reader so that they can almost interpret it in their own way, or even to leave some suspicion to the story. As it is, the lawyers and family and friends all don't know exactly what happened either. Una and Ray are the only ones who know every last detail. I'm not really sure this secret is the most important one, but I definately think it would have helped along the way to give more guidence and understanding to the play.
3 comments:
I agree with Carissa's post--particulary on the way Harrower leaves all dialouge very choppy and incomplete.
I feel one of the biggest secrets kept from the readers is Una and Ray's actual and complete thoughts. In the very beginning, sentences and thoughts are very incomplete, for example on pg.1
"Una: Shock.
Ray: Of course.
Yes.
Now
Una: And
Ray: Wait.
Una: You were busy.
Ray: Yes.
Una: They
Ray: I am stil busy....
As one can see, it clearly represents incomplete thoughts leaving the reader quite confused. The short dialect keeps a lot of secrets from the reader--also considering it's a very abrupt starting play.
Towards the end, as more secrets and knowledge are given to the reader, it's almost as the sentences become more complete. On page 80:
"Ray: You were lonely. Before you met me. WHEN you met me. You were alone. You were a lonley child. Your parents left you to yourself. You never sad it but
when I held you in my arms I could feel it. I see now. I thought you wer strong. You're not. Neither am I.
I did think about you. I do think about you.
Una: What do you think? Do you think about me then?
Ray: Yes. Yes, I do. It's all I have."
This is one of the last pages in the book and it shows more or less complete sentences from Una and Ray.
Basically as secrets revealed, more dialouge occured.
I agree with the conclusions made by Emily and Carissa. First off the reader is thrown into a situation just like "The Road" where we have no idea what is going on and what happened prior. This combined with the choppy narration and the unfinished statements makes the reader think of what the author is trying to say. The whole play foreshadows the fact that the end is a cliff hanger and also leaves the reader wondering. The secerets throughout the story allow the reader to get inside the narrators head and try and understand the characters.
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