Crimes of the Heart by Beth He
Crimes of the Heart by Beth HeThe play, �Crimes of the Heart,� written by Beth Henley, is
brilliantly charming, and Henley is completely deserving of her
Pulitzer-Prize for this piece. My mother suggested I read this play
because she says that I am very much like one of the main characters
Lenny Magrath, and she said that I would be able to relate to many parts
of the story. I found that the beginning of the play was somewhat slow
and not very uplifting, but as the play progressed, I found it to be
heart-warming, intriguing, and overall very entertaining.
Henley, being from the South herself, wrote many of her plays in a
small southern town setting. The intended meaning of this play is one
that can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the reader, but what
I believe to be the meaning, that the author was trying to send across,
was to simply share the story of three sisters, who no matter how far
misunderstandings, quarrels, or rages stretch the bonds between them,
the sisters always bounce back to the core of their family which is
love. Though they go through many hardships, including sibling
conflicts, personal problems and the inevitable death of their
grandfather, through everything, family proves to be a very important
key factor in their difficult lives. The bonds formed between the
members of your own family is one of the most �solid� things in life,
and in turn should always be something you can count on.
The plays� title �Crimes of the Heart,� relates directly to the
play in many key ways that Henley makes evident as the play progresses.
The three sisters, all lead very separate lives and are very individual
in their characters and personalities but all, in one way or another,
commit �crimes of the heart.� But I believe that the title is derived
directly from Babe�s situation. She has the most problems, from an
abusive husband, to trying to find love in a secret relationship with a
15 year old black boy named Willie Jay. When her husband, Zachary
Botrelle, discovers this relationship, Babe attempts to kill him and is
placed on trial for this attempted homicide. The title is thus derived.
However, it is also, I believe, a crime not to follow your heart's
desires. The play had allot of meaning, to me in particular, because
I in a way, am like Lenny, the eldest sister. I am, as she is, the glue
in the family. I am the one who helps and puts forth much effort to
keep the family bonds strong. My brother is going through a difficult
battle with a brain tumor, and through these unimaginable and
unexplainably hard times that my family is experiencing, I have had to
be the emotionally strong one, pulling my parents together for my little
brothers� sake. Having to watch my parents come apart and lose it in
front of me, the two people who are �supposed� to keep us, the children,
from falling apart, and be strong for us, has been a an experience which
has tested my emotional and physical limits. I am not bitter towards
them in any way, but it has been a burden that...
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