The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
Henry David Thoreau |
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The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a two-act American
Writing in
Plot
The play does not present events in chronological order; rather, the play features Thoreau remembering earlier parts of his life, not necessarily in the order they occurred. The play opens with Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his old age, recalling the memories of his friend, Henry. The play quickly shifts to Henry's current time in jail because he refused to pay the tax to support the war, where he meets Bailey, a homeless man falsely accused of arson. After meeting Bailey, Thoreau reflects on his recent past. Henry teaches Bailey to spell his name.
Henry, who would have graduated from
Soon after, John dies from blood poisoning caused by a shaving cut, and Henry tries to cope with the loss.
Characters
- Henry David Thoreau
- Henry is the main person of the play. The play is based on his early life. He is a somewhat radical Transcendentalist and refuses to pay a tax, due to his opposition to the Mexican–American War. His unorthodox beliefs are not very well accepted by the city of Concord.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Emerson (referred to in the script as Waldo) appears, for most of the play, middle-aged. At this time, Emerson has already become famous and is a very recognizable feature. He and Henry become good friends, despite a few differences of opinion.
- Lydian Emerson
- Lydian is the wife of Waldo. There is some attraction between her and Henry, but nothing results of it due to their mutual respect for her husband.
- Deacon Ball
- Deacon Ball is a respected and stern teacher, who believes strongly in corporal punishment and believes Thoreau should do so, which Thoreau refuses.
- John Thoreau
- John is Henry's older brother, who shares many of the beliefs of Henry. He falls in love with Ellen, but then dies from blood poisoning soon after Ellen admits she does not love him.
- Ellen Sewell
- Ellen is the brief object of affection of both John and Henry, but is unable to marry John because of her father's disapproval of Transcendentalism.
- Bailey
- Thoreau's cellmate when he is locked up in the Concord jail. Thoreau teaches Bailey how to write his name and inspires Bailey to live a full life after he is released from prison.
- Edward Emerson
- Ralph Waldo Emerson's son, who becomes friends with Thoreau when the Emersons hire Thoreau as a handyman.
- Mother Thoreau
- Thoreau's mother, who has to deal with Thoreau and his backward-thinking mind. Throughout the novel, she is displeased with Thoreau's insistence on nonconformity.
- Sam Staples
- A man who works for the government in Corcord. Is the man who takes Thoreau to prison, but offers to pay his taxes for him.
- Henry Williams
- Williams is a runaway slave on his way to Canada. He is killed in his effort to make it to the border. His death has a profound effect on Thoreau, indicating the underlying motivations behind Thoreau's civil disobedience.
Production history
The play was first produced at the Ohio State University, opening on April 21, 1969, and directed by Dr. Roy Bowen.[2] It received its professional debut at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 1970.[3] The play gained widespread popularity when it was written, with over 75 productions in its first year.[1] It was the fourth most frequently-produced full-length play in the a survey of college productions in the 1970–1971 season, with 243 performances in 36 productions.[4] It retained its prominence in the following season, ranking fifth in the same survey, with 158 performances in 27 productions.[5] The play was retired for about 10 or 15 years after its final production was performed at Bradley University in 1971. Hal B. Wallis optioned the film rights, for which Lawrence and Lee wrote a screenplay, but the movie was never made.[6] [7]
References
- ^ a b c Taubman, Howard (1970-12-23), "On Stage, Thoreau Speaks to Today", New York Times, p. 16
- ISBN 0-8090-1223-5
- ^ Funke, Lewis (1970-10-18), "News of the Rialto: Thoreauly Modern", New York Times, p. D1
- JSTOR 3205900
- JSTOR 3205695
- ^ "Wallis Acquires the Rights For a Movie on Thoreau", New York Times, p. 32, 1970-07-29
- ^ "Hal B. Wallis". IMDb. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
Further reading
- Pitcock, Scott (2001), The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail: Teacher's Guide (PDF), Hill & Wang, ISBN 0-8090-7366-8, retrieved 2010-01-04
- Brittain, Michael J. (1972), Producing and directing Lawrence & Lee's The night Thoreau spent in jail [thesis], Kent State University
- Jopson, John Charles (1997) "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail: Director's Note"