Genre
Absurdist Drama, Chamber Play
Language
English
Setting and Context
A stage with a sandbox, time unknown
Narrator and Point of View
Grandma acts as a sort of narrator at times, but the audience is left to have their own perspective on the events.
Tone and Mood
Absurd, Dramatic, Existential
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Grandma. Antagonists are Mommy and Daddy.
Major Conflict
Mommy and Daddy bring Grandma to a sandbox in order to wait for her to die.
Climax
Grandma dies, Mommy feigns mourning and she and Daddy soon leave Grandma alone with the Young Man who is an actor playing the Angel of Death.
Foreshadowing
Understatement
Grandma clearly feels disrespected by her daughter and son-in-law, but insists, "I'm not complaining." She often assumes a wry, sarcastic tone to obscure her true feelings.
Allusions
Allusion to the fictive figure of the "Angel of Death."
Imagery
The lights going down on the stage along with the rumbling noises off-stage create the imagery signaling that death is on its way for Grandma.
Paradox
Grandma has died, but nothing changes other than the fact that she cannot move. She can still talk.
Parallelism
Grandma being placed in a sandbox in order for her to die parallels Mommy and Daddy putting her in a space beneath the stove in their town house in the city.
Personification
The Young Man is the personification of Death.
Use of Dramatic Devices
Grandma uses direct address to talk to the audience. Lighting and sound signify different narrative moments. Music underscores the proceedings. Footlights are used.
