초록 열기/닫기 버튼
In Curse of the Starving Class(1977) the condition of the Tate family is used as a metaphor for the human condition itself. Lack of any real conduct or understanding is the substance of Shepard's American family. Weston and Ella have been planning to sell the family property. In this family there is little support offered by one person to another. Each individual is primarily concerned with his or her own dream. All the dreams of escape of the Tates are doomed to fail. In Act 3 Weston cleans himself up and talks about renewing his family life. He transforms entirely as he strips off his old clothes and changes into new ones. Since he comes to know that they are bound by blood, he realizes that there can be acceptance and transcendence with all its conflicts. After Wesley dons of his father's discarded clothes, he also goes through a ritual of rebirth. He now accepts his responsibility and right as the oldest son in the Tates. Conflicts in the play are closely related to the way of life as culture. There are three categories of family culture in this play. First, culture has physical things such as house, kitchen and refrigerator. Second, culture is connected to behavior and life pattern such as the Tate family's escaping and returning. Third, culture is interrelated to thoughts and values of the Tates' identity. These three categories are interconnected to one another in forming the characters' way of life.
