A Lie of the Mind (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Sam Shepard
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The 1980’s
- Setting: Oklahoma and Montana
- Genres: Drama, Psychological drama
- Subjects: 1970’s, Family or family life, North America or North Americans, Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Communication, Marriage, 1980’s, West, U.S., Domestic violence, Oklahoma, Reality, Honesty, Isolation
- Locales: Oklahoma, Montana
Characters Discussed
Jake, the violent and jealous husband of Beth. This combination of traits has kept him in trouble with the law and with his wife’s family. He has come to his brother, Frankie, for help after beating his wife—as he believes, to death—because of an affair he assumes Beth to have had while taking part in a community play. Jake tries to avoid responsibility for his actions by pretending to be insane, a ruse seen through by his sister Sally, who helped Jake use the same tactic to escape blame in the death of their father. Jake is not mentally stable, and...
[The entire page is 838 words long]
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