Consider the setting and its transformation in True West. What happens to the home? What do you think the fire, the heat, the collection of objects, and the overall mess reflect? Does it represent the internal conflict within the characters? Explain.

The desert is where Lee has come from and it is the place where the brother's father left for and has stayed. It represents a place where no growth can occur. It's barren and isolated. It is a place where Lee has chosen to live and where Austin wants to go as a symbol of having given up on his ability to make anything of himself in life.

The mess and destruction in the house serve as a symbol of the boys' mother's abandonment of her children.