True West (Identities and Issues in Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Sam Shepard
- First Published: 1981
- Genres: Realism, Drama, Mythological literature
- Subjects: 1980’s, Los Angeles, Brothers, Reality, Creative process, Filmmaking or filmmakers, Suburban life, Westerns
- Locales: Los Angeles, CA
The Work
True West is set in a suburban kitchen east of Los Angeles, although its title evokes myths of the American frontier. According to legend, the West once offered opportunities for freedom and character-building adventure, but now such an environment and such possibilities are elusive. The new West, where coyotes devour cocker spaniels in suburban backyards, retains the menace of the old West but little of its potential for heroic self-discovery.
The protagonists in this paved-over but still savage territory are two brothers reminiscent of Cain and Abel....
[The entire page is 637 words long]
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