As I read Act III of The Skin of Our Teeth, I tried to make sense of the war, the family
conflict, and the hours of philosophers and planets. I think the war is portrayed
to show that war and violence will always exist; war existed in ancient times,
and it is still prevalent today. Will we ever reach a state of
peace? This question is particularly pertinent to today, as I’ve seen
several people express their thoughts on violence following the Boston Marathon
explosions. Individuals are asking themselves when violence and terror
will stop, but will it ever cease? I think it will always exist because it is a
tendency of human nature that cannot be removed. The elements of mankind remain
the same throughout history, especially in regards to the potential for good
and evil.
The war is then juxtaposed with philosophers
representing different hours of the night. I think this conveys that
intelligence and ideas are always around us, just as the planets comprise the
galaxy; even if we cannot see them, they are there, just like freely floating
ideas. Mankind will always advance itself in knowledge and discovery, but
not always in a way to improve its nature and savage tendencies of war.
On page 107, Sabina says, “That’s all we do—always beginning
again! Over and over again. Always beginning again,” demonstrating the cyclical
nature of the play. Although every generation seems different from the
next because of advancements in knowledge and technology, have individuals truly
changed throughout history? Are there any differences in human nature? Will
individuals always be the same at the core? Perhaps the Antrobuses have lived
for five thousand years to show that they could represent any individual in
history in their attitudes and sentiments. Is this a dark truth Wilder intended to convey?
I agree with you that the war is meant to show that violence will always exist. Although some people believe that there will be complete peace in the world one day, I do not think that can ever be possible. You mentioned that violence is a tendency of human nature and I believe that is true. War and violence will not stop because society wants it to. No matter what time period it is people will always have disagreements. It is not natural for everyone to agree on every issue, and that is what makes every person unique.
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that times have changed and society has, and will, continue to make changes, people will always be the same at the core when it comes to disagreeing. I believe this is the reason why the Antrobuses have lived for five thousand years. The length of their life allows Wilder to express that violence is not simply a problem with the current generation, but with all generations. This shows that from ancient times to the present the issue of war and violence has and will always be present.