The role of play in human development and learning

Play: Aspects

The use of language and allusions in the land of the living dead: "In Freakish Times"

Although the play "In Freakish Times" by Lesli-Jo Morizono revolves around a simple exchange between a young and an old woman, the two women use heighted dialogue in a manner that suggests a Biblical or medieval setting such as: "the infected were covered with festering red sores that made the body hot as if a fire burned within them." The quasi-magical realist play evolves through a series of contrasts between the present day of the audience and an imagined future. The language of the play suggests that because of the flooding of the earth, and the increased in temperature of the atmosphere, the world has become harsh and inhospitable. Global warming, produced because of technological innovation, has transported humankind back to a far earlier, superstitious era of plagues and imagined devils.

The old woman describes a horrific plague similar to the one that had overtaken the nation of 'Euro' (clearly Europe) many years ago. The allusions of the characters suggest that remnants of present day, such as Donald Trump's book still exist, but exactly how they existed is lost. Allusions also locate the setting as far in the future: "His books and cans of Spam were the few things the devil did not devour," said the woman, indicating how a primitive view of science and the world has returned to the human consciousness, after the apocalypse and how the original context of everyday objects has been distorted.

The young woman is taken from her grave alive, still whole, as if she has been preserved, although the old woman calls her the undead. What this means is unclear because of the oblique nature of both women's dialogue. The contrast between the character's style of language and the contemporary references are the first clue to the audience members that something has gone horribly wrong, although it is unclear what that is. The impact of global warming only gradually is revealed as the narrative evolves. The old woman speaks of the land "growing hotter" and "night becoming day" in the 21st century, suggesting the symptoms of global warming that are likely familiar to the audience. Morizono's skillful use of old and new metaphors is further underlined the old woman's reference to living within a whale during her young life, like Jonah. The young woman is later smeared in whale blubber, like some sort of ancient ceremony before she supposed to be eaten, and when the old woman describes how people are consumed during a feast her description has a ritualistic quality.

The play's title "In Freakish Times" refers to the 'freakish' nature of modern existence -- where even fingers have mutated. The old woman expresses surprise that the young woman has five fingers. The young woman's normalcy stands in contrast with the older woman's animalistic, hog-like sniffing and grunts and modern day people's willing embrace of cannibalism, an indication of how the world has devolved. The old woman's superstitions, lack of medical and scientific knowledge, and talk of the devil with medieval language highlights the fragility of human civilization. Thanksgiving, science, and living in a time of plenty has become a myth, not a believable reality.

The freakish and horrific nature of the world becomes even clearer as the old woman begins to prepare to eat the younger woman, telling her that "bruised meat is tough" so she should not walk too quickly. The old woman seems to have no sense that eating humans is wrong, although she does remark that during feast times everyone speaks of an earlier age when there was no need to eat the dead. She seems to hardly believe such a time existed. She fantasizes about her own mother, who would not have rejected her, just like the young woman dreams about her child, whom she has half-forgotten until prompted by the old woman. But these times of compassion are located into the realm of 'what if,' until the final revelation at the end of the play.

The freakish nature of the modern world seems to have infected even the way the young woman sees herself -- she calls herself 'dead' because the old woman refers to her as 'dead' even though she is clearly alive. She passively submits to the idea that she will be eaten, unflinchingly asking how she will be cooked, and what will be served with her 'feast.' In the context of the play, it is uncertain if the young woman is really dead or simply does not care if she is eaten or not, even though she has been preserved for many years. The old woman, who calls her dead, seemingly tries to convince herself of the young woman's demise, even though she is having a conversation with her future dinner. In the new, destroyed earth, the barrier between what is dead and alive has become uncertain and permeable.

What is clear is the freakish reversal of the new, ugly world: the old woman will consume the younger woman, and people are eaten alive for food. No one has any understanding of the past: Spam is foraged for like wild roots and berries, no one remembers what canning is like, and Donald Trump is revered as a god, simply because his image has survived. The contrast between pop culture and real tragedy provides the bitter humor of the piece. It also clearly marks the play as a commentary on the 21st century, and underlines the effects of how the actions of the present (ignoring global warming) have produced the conditions of the dystopian future.

The ultimate horror comes at the end of the play when it is clear that the old woman is the young woman's daughter, and that she has nearly -- or will -- eat her own mother. However, even within the horrifying gesture, there is hope. The "hunger" the old woman feels for her mother is a natural hunger, the hunger of a child for its mother, no matter what her age. The young woman feels misery at the loss of the daughter she never knew. And like all mothers, she wants to nourish her young daughter, and offers the old woman her heart to be eaten, even before their relationship becomes clear.