Airplane
Right off the bat, metaphor is engaged in the opening lines of the play. The familiar comparison with a bird in flight is used to describe a jet plane.
“Penetrating the hovering sky
a bird
silver
slivering
winging
across Pacific water”
The La Brea Tar Pits
The famous Los Angeles tourist attraction of tar pits from an ancient earth holding secrets of millennia deep within their ooze is given symbolic status as a place of serenity for the mother to come to for contemplation. It is actually a case of metaphor encased in metaphor in a way that replicates its geographical reality:
“In the concrete jungle gray of the city
A hiccup of unexpected green
A park
And in front of a black black pond”
The Wonderland Mall
Wonderland is actually the name of a mega-mall. The father is an architect, and the mall represents the zenith of career (before tragedy strikes.) But in his mind—a mind that once dreamed of building towers reaching to the heavens—the peak of his career is merely a reminder of the failure of his ambitions:
“it’s cold
there
in the shadow of the man
you thought you were meant to be”
The Dreams Denied
The dreams that are denied rather than merely deferred of the architect are also situated in metaphorical form. He views his career not merely as construction work nor even as art, but as a process far more primal and creative:
“I want to birth
tomorrow’s concert halls
cathedrals museums skyscrapers monuments”
Like Father, Like Son
The son is chastised by his mother for pursuing “sissy subjects” like art and literature. He dyes his hair blonde. He wants to be an actor. He tries his hand at screenwriting. And it is there that he finally, at least, finds a connection to his dad:
“You know what’s weird, George?
This screenwriting stuff is—
It’s like what my dad used to do
as an architect”
