Characters
Hippie Boy
Hippie Boy is standing on the sidewalk in front of a department store when a stick nearly hits him. Initially, he is angry at whoever threw the stick, but as the play unfolds, he develops a complex attachment to it. The stick starts to remind him of himself, creating both a connection and a sense of repulsion. He feels that he resembles the stick and believes it somehow understands him.
At first, Hippie Boy is reluctant to let go of the stick, but eventually, he sells it to the Man from Hell. He tells the Man from Hell that his reason for selling the stick is precisely because he doesn't want to part with it. Hippie Boy symbolizes the alter ego or opposite of the Man from Hell, embodying rebellious youth and making decisions driven by emotions.
Hippie Girl
Hippie Girl is paired with Hippie Boy, similar to how the Woman from Hell is paired with the Man from Hell. She often takes a subordinate role to Hippie Boy, who at one point calls her stupid and at another tells her to be quiet, to which she does not respond. She is more emotionally connected to the little boy on top of the department store, while Hippie Boy only expresses anger towards him, claiming he hates kids. She also attempts to explain Hippie Boy's behavior to the older couple, reinforcing his thoughts by telling the Man and Woman from Hell that the younger generation feels alienated. At one moment in the play, Hippie Girl asks Hippie Boy for a kiss, which he declines. After this rejection, she stands up for herself, telling him he doesn't need to act superior. She then asks him to scratch her back with the stick, which he does reluctantly. When Hippie Boy becomes distressed over his likeness to the stick, Hippie Girl offers consolation, demonstrating her emotional bond with him.
Man from Hell
Man from Hell collaborates with Woman from Hell, addressing cases where individuals seem to transform into objects, apparently upon their death. He emphasizes logical thinking and appears to mentor the woman, who is still learning. In his interactions with the hippies, he takes on a parental or authoritative role. However, when Woman from Hell suggests giving Stick to a young boy, Man from Hell remains emotionally indifferent. He embodies logic and discipline, maintaining a detachment from those he interacts with. The only glimpse of warmth in his demeanor is when he contacts headquarters to relay a message to his wife. At the conclusion of the play, Man from Hell faces the audience, expressing his hope that they don’t perceive him as impolite for stating that they are all sticks. “It’s just the simple truth,” he asserts, “the truth as I see it.” Man from Hell symbolizes bureaucracy and the status quo.
Stick
Stick is the man who plummets from the roof, leaving his son above, as he transforms into a stick. He is on the brink of death. He shows his feelings when he thinks about his son, who is calling out to him from the top of the department store. Most of his remarks are emotional. He listens to the conversations between Man and Woman from Hell, as well as Hippie Boy and Hippie Girl. As he hears their dialogue, he reacts with emotion. He is puzzled about why he has turned into a stick or even why he fell from the roof. When Man from Hell suggests that Stick was content, Stick questions this, insisting he never felt content.
When Stick is discarded into the wet gutter, he...
(This entire section contains 908 words.)
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remarks that he would be surprised if he didn’t catch a cold, indicating he doesn’t fully comprehend his situation: first, that he has become a stick; and second, that he is dying. He also questions his state when his son almost discovers him in his new stick form. The stick wonders, “There was nothing I could have done anyway, was there?” Woman from Hell describes a stick as something utilized by people for specific purposes. In response to this, Stick reflects, “That’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s true of everybody.”
Stick symbolizes individuals who become too inflexible, trapped in certain life patterns, unable to break free. Stuck in this manner, they might as well be dead, as they no longer engage with life from a fresh perspective.
Woman from Hell
The role of Woman from Hell is to unemotionally document instances where people transform into objects. As she is still in training, she occasionally needs reminders about her responsibilities. Unlike her partner and mentor, Man from Hell, who is guided by pure logic, Woman from Hell often becomes emotionally attached to those she observes. She feels compassion for the man who has become a stick and sympathizes with his son. She regrets tossing the stick into the gutter and wishes to give it to the young boy. When Man from Hell questions their existence, suggesting they might be merely the dreams of dying individuals, Woman from Hell remarks, "If those are dreams, they are horrible nightmares." Toward the end of the play, Woman from Hell attempts to console Stick by noting an audience full of sticks, assuring him he is not alone. "You’ve lots of friends," she tells him. Woman from Hell symbolizes the development of bureaucracy, as she records details while maintaining compassionate connections with the subjects of her studies.