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Hate to post twice in a day - but....
26 minutes. In depth character analysis from one line.
Fucking
One Line Analysis from A Summer Sublet
By Laurence Klavan
The one line I’ve chosen to take an in depth look at for this play is on page 104. The line is “And who is she to dictate anyway, the one with no proper judgment at this particular juncture.” This line is full of inferences that can be made about the character of Lloyd, having gotten to know him by reading the play. It can be said that he is interested in impressing somebody, that he is judgmental of other people, or even that he feels this way about himself.
Firstly, lets look at the obvious aspect of this line. He is referring to Mara, Bernice’s baby. This makes perfect sense - Mara is not capable of making any decisions, as her decision making skills are nowhere near developed. However, it is possible that Lloyd is speaking not only to Mara’s lack of judgment, but he is also showing that this is how he feels about women in trouble. He shows throughout the play that his attitude towards “damsels in distress” is that they are incapable of handling the problem themselves, and that they need a knight (Lloyd) to rescue them. With his anorexic girlfriend, he even said “By the end, I would have, you know, put a funnel on her face and force-fed her, as foolish as that may sound…” He has a need to be in control, for reasons unknown, and he fulfils this need by trying to solve the problems of other people. Even with Bernice, he constantly offers his assistance, and even goes to talk to Frank to further ascertain the degree to which Bernice’s life is in danger. Lloyd is living in an apartment, has no job, has just finished school - he’s in an unstable position. The easiest way for him to feel in control of his life is to take command of somebody else’s situation.
Another quick note about this line is the usage of abnormally large words - not something you’d find in casual conversation. It is possible that Lloyd is saying this sarcastically, and the fact that he’s saying it about an infant would increase the comedic effect. However, it seems more likely that Lloyd is trying too hard to impress Bernice. This behavior is also typical of young men just out of college - they are eager to display the knowledge they have acquired. I think Bernice picks up on this, and she tries to advise him on it in their conversation about getting older. The wisdom imparted by Bernice is lost on Lloyd, as he really isn’t even paying attention - his attention span is just another part of him that will become more mature as he ages.
The most in-depth inference I’ll make is that this line is indicative of the way Lloyd feels about himself. Looking at it this way, Lloyd is basically crying out for help. We’ve already established that he’s insecure about where he is “at this particular juncture.” Perhaps a part of him is trying to tell Bernice that as well as a girlfriend, he’s also looking for some semblance of a mother figure. Bernice plays this part just as well as the part of the clandestine lover from one floor down. In many ways, she already is an authority figure for Lloyd - she owns the building he lives in, she comes to fix his apartment when it is breaking down, even the simple fact that she is older, wiser, and bitter. These all make her attractive as a motherly figure for Lloyd. Though Lloyd puts up the façade of boasting about his knowledge, and attempting to control situations that are not his to control, he really feels alone and in need of support. This, again, is a typical place for a just-out-of-college young man to be.
Though it is just one line in a 26-page play, this one line can be taken apart and expanded upon to give a deep analysis of the character who delivers it. Even though this character is not a real person, one sentence that they say can be the topic of much discussion and revealing of character aspects. All the ideas here are consistent with the type of person Lloyd is displayed as during the course of the play, and if Lloyd WERE a real person, I’m sure his psychiatrist would tell you something very similar to what I’ve said in this essay.
26 minutes. In depth character analysis from one line.
Fucking
One Line Analysis from A Summer Sublet
By Laurence Klavan
The one line I’ve chosen to take an in depth look at for this play is on page 104. The line is “And who is she to dictate anyway, the one with no proper judgment at this particular juncture.” This line is full of inferences that can be made about the character of Lloyd, having gotten to know him by reading the play. It can be said that he is interested in impressing somebody, that he is judgmental of other people, or even that he feels this way about himself.
Firstly, lets look at the obvious aspect of this line. He is referring to Mara, Bernice’s baby. This makes perfect sense - Mara is not capable of making any decisions, as her decision making skills are nowhere near developed. However, it is possible that Lloyd is speaking not only to Mara’s lack of judgment, but he is also showing that this is how he feels about women in trouble. He shows throughout the play that his attitude towards “damsels in distress” is that they are incapable of handling the problem themselves, and that they need a knight (Lloyd) to rescue them. With his anorexic girlfriend, he even said “By the end, I would have, you know, put a funnel on her face and force-fed her, as foolish as that may sound…” He has a need to be in control, for reasons unknown, and he fulfils this need by trying to solve the problems of other people. Even with Bernice, he constantly offers his assistance, and even goes to talk to Frank to further ascertain the degree to which Bernice’s life is in danger. Lloyd is living in an apartment, has no job, has just finished school - he’s in an unstable position. The easiest way for him to feel in control of his life is to take command of somebody else’s situation.
Another quick note about this line is the usage of abnormally large words - not something you’d find in casual conversation. It is possible that Lloyd is saying this sarcastically, and the fact that he’s saying it about an infant would increase the comedic effect. However, it seems more likely that Lloyd is trying too hard to impress Bernice. This behavior is also typical of young men just out of college - they are eager to display the knowledge they have acquired. I think Bernice picks up on this, and she tries to advise him on it in their conversation about getting older. The wisdom imparted by Bernice is lost on Lloyd, as he really isn’t even paying attention - his attention span is just another part of him that will become more mature as he ages.
The most in-depth inference I’ll make is that this line is indicative of the way Lloyd feels about himself. Looking at it this way, Lloyd is basically crying out for help. We’ve already established that he’s insecure about where he is “at this particular juncture.” Perhaps a part of him is trying to tell Bernice that as well as a girlfriend, he’s also looking for some semblance of a mother figure. Bernice plays this part just as well as the part of the clandestine lover from one floor down. In many ways, she already is an authority figure for Lloyd - she owns the building he lives in, she comes to fix his apartment when it is breaking down, even the simple fact that she is older, wiser, and bitter. These all make her attractive as a motherly figure for Lloyd. Though Lloyd puts up the façade of boasting about his knowledge, and attempting to control situations that are not his to control, he really feels alone and in need of support. This, again, is a typical place for a just-out-of-college young man to be.
Though it is just one line in a 26-page play, this one line can be taken apart and expanded upon to give a deep analysis of the character who delivers it. Even though this character is not a real person, one sentence that they say can be the topic of much discussion and revealing of character aspects. All the ideas here are consistent with the type of person Lloyd is displayed as during the course of the play, and if Lloyd WERE a real person, I’m sure his psychiatrist would tell you something very similar to what I’ve said in this essay.