The Tooth of Crime (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Sam Shepard
- First Published: 1974
- Type of Plot: Musical; allegory
- Time of Work: The future
- Setting: United States
- Principal Characters: Hoss, Becky Lou, Star-Man, Galactic Jack, Referee, Cheyenne, Doc, Crow
- Genres: Drama
- Subjects: United States or Americans
- Locales: United States
The Play
The Tooth of Crime begins with Hoss, a Star Marker, singing a rock song, “The Way Things Are.” Images of self-doubt, numbing deadness, betrayal, and the loss of heroes are introduced in the song as “dark, heavy lurking Rock and Roll” reinforces the ominous threat of graphic violence which looms constantly throughout the play. Hoss’s song introduces his troubled quest and establishes his hope of becoming firmly established at the peak of the American mythos of stardom. “Sometimes in the blackest night I can see a little light,” he sings. “That’s...
[The entire page is 2802 words long]
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