Conflict
" We have to stay here and save Pop's life." (Simon 26)
In the beginning, Jay had this mentality. Neither Jay nor Arty wanted to spend four months (that stretched to over a year) with their Grandmother inside the very home their father once lived. Their father, Eddie, needed to pay off the debt as a result of their mother's doctor bills that battled cancer but lost. He told his sons that he needed to pay back this man, he even brought of the idea of death to prove the importance of this job. He left to travel the states working. The sons stood alone in a house with their stern grandmother and quirky Aunt Bella. There always remained conflict in the house, which would seem the main conflict of the play. They always argued about minor things. In the end, readers see the real identities of everyone. Jay and Arty realize that the time spent with their grandmother shaped them into men and overcome obstacles. They will carry those memories into adulthood. Uncle Louie continues to work as a 'henchman' with his crafty ways but his trip home proved worth it. He reunited with his sister and mother and saw his nephews. The visit helped him reconnect the relationship with his family. Aunt Bella always argued with her mother about her state of being. Aunt Bella projected her outrage of the fact that her mother thought she had crazy qualities. She just wanted a family and to have a normal life away from the house where all things seemed unfair. The real turn of events happened when Grandma let out her battle within. She thought about her past many times and of her children that had died. She created conflict between her family not necessarily meaning to. She believed in the values she taught and her stern methods. Becoming a complete family seemed the conflict between everyone and their understanding of a functional family, but in the end their relationships began to finally mesh together.
Author: Annemarie C.