Summary
Beginning
The Man Who Turned into a Stick is a brief, single-act play. The setting is a bustling city street in front of a department store during the height of summer. On stage are two characters, Hippie Boy and Hippie Girl. According to Abe's script directions, the hippie pair might be depicted sniffing glue. Suddenly, a stick drops from above. This stick is both a real object and an actor portraying the man who has become a stick. Abe specifies that the actor should handle the real stick as it falls. Entering from stage-left is Man from Hell, while Woman from Hell enters from stage-right.
Hippie Boy is shocked when he realizes how narrowly he avoided being struck by the falling stick and remarks on the dangers of simply standing on the sidewalk. Man from Hell and Woman from Hell recite poetic lines about fate, noting that another man has transformed into a stick, while Hippie Girl philosophically contemplates the event, almost as if she's reading from a Buddhist scripture. "Which do you suppose is the accident—when something hits you or when it misses?" she inquires. Man from Hell and Woman from Hell then proceed with their poetic verses.
Hippie Boy picks up the stick and starts tapping out a rhythm. Hippie Girl attempts to identify the song that matches the rhythm. She then looks up and spots a child on the rooftop of the department store (where, in Japan, there is often a playground). Both Hippie Girl and Hippie Boy surmise that the boy threw the stick, with Hippie Girl thinking it was an accident and Hippie Boy suspecting the child aimed to see if he could hit someone. At this moment, Stick speaks for the first time. Through these lines, the audience learns that the stick is the boy's father and that the boy is calling out to him.
Middle
Man from Hell and Woman from Hell continue their poetic dialogue until they meet at center stage. They begin to interrogate Hippie Boy and Hippie Girl about the stick, wanting to know where the hippies found it. The hippies, in turn, question whether the man and woman are police officers. The man and woman assure them they are not with the police and request that the hippies hand over the stick.
Hippie Boy clearly distrusts the man and woman, calling them liars and accusing them of throwing the stick at him. He believes they now want to cover up the evidence. Hippie Girl steps in, reminding him of the child on the roof. Woman from Hell confirms that there was indeed a child on the roof calling for his father. When Man from Hell tries to explain their need for the stick and seeks the hippies' understanding, Hippie Boy responds, “I don’t understand nothing.” Hippie Girl clarifies that Hippie Boy is highlighting the generational divide and adds, “We’re alienated.”
As The Man Who Turned into a Stick laments his situation, the hippies and Man and Woman from Hell engage in a brief philosophical conversation about life goals. Man from Hell inquires about Hippie Boy's intentions for the stick, to which he replies that he is “not interested in aims.” Hippie Girl adds, “Aims are out of date.” Man from Hell argues that if aims are outdated, there is no reason for Hippie Boy to keep the stick. After repeatedly addressing the theme of ambition to the point of confusion, Man from Hell concludes that it is “bad for your health to want something that doesn’t really exist.”
The hippies become sidetracked. To refocus them on the stick, Man...
(This entire section contains 1237 words.)
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from Hell offers them money for it. Hippie Boy declines, saying, “Me and this stick, we understand each other.”
The hippie couple then discusses Hippie Girl’s sister, who has passed away. At the end of their conversation, Hippie Girl becomes puzzled, stating, “Everything is wrapped in riddles.” Man from Hell interrupts, bringing the topic back to the stick. Woman from Hell, who had briefly exited, returns and urges Man from Hell to hurry because the child is approaching. She also reveals that the child saw his father turn into a stick and informed the department store officials, though no one believes him. Upon hearing this, the stick begins a monologue, contemplating its fall and questioning why it transformed. At the monologue's conclusion, Hippie Boy suddenly drops the stick and looks at it with alarm, claiming, “It twitched, like a dying fish.”
The Woman from Hell notices a young child in the crowd and informs the Man from Hell that the child is approaching. Stick, talking to himself, mentions that he can hear his son's footsteps. Meanwhile, Hippie Boy remains fearful of the stick, noting its resemblance to him. Feeling uneasy, he eventually offers to sell the stick to the Man from Hell for five dollars. Before leaving the stage with his money, Hippie Boy explains that the only reason he's selling the stick is that he doesn't want to sell it. He then remarks, "That's a contradiction of circumstances. Do you follow me?" Hippie Girl echoes, "It's the generation gap," and both hippies exit the stage.
End
Following this, the Woman from Hell and the Man from Hell discuss the procedures and rules that govern their investigation of another person who has transformed into a stick. They document the incident and update their headquarters in Hell with their findings. When the Woman from Hell admits she feels pity for the stick, the Man from Hell reminds her that "sympathy has no place in our profession."
While recording the event, the man and woman engage in a philosophical discussion. The Man describes the stick as capable and loyal. "In short," he states, "the stick is the root and source of all tools." He further comments, "A stick remains a stick, no matter how it is used... You might almost say that the etymology of the word faithful is a stick." When the Woman from Hell mentions it's her first time seeing a specimen as a stick, the Man from Hell points out that they never preserve stick specimens because they are so prevalent. He continues, noting that over the past thirty years, the percentage of people turning into sticks, compared to other objects, has increased. "I understand that in extreme cases," he adds, "98.4 percent of all those who die in a given month turn into sticks."
The Woman again feels a connection to the stick when the Man instructs her to discard it. She wonders if it has any feelings and considers giving it to the young boy so he can reflect on his father's fate. However, the Man, dismissing her concerns, laughs at the idea of the son reflecting. He asserts that the child, like his father, is content, which is why the father became a stick.
The Man and Woman from Hell gradually exit the stage, heading towards another event where someone transforms into a stick. Meanwhile, Stick launches into a new monologue, with the Man and Woman from Hell visible only as silhouettes behind a curtain. They resume their poetic dialogue as Stick contemplates the recent events.
Stick questions their assumptions about his contentment. The Man from Hell emerges from behind the curtain and remarks that there is "a whole forest of sticks" in the audience. The Woman from Hell approaches Stick and reassures him that he is not alone.
