Coral Away Essay Essay Example

Coral Away Essay Paper The play Away by Michael Gow shoes the character of Coral to be in need of change in her distinctive world. Discuss how this applies to the play. Michael Gow’s play â€Å"Away† presents Coral as a character that is in urgent need to undergo profound change. At the introduction of the play, Coral is introduced to the audience as an emotionally unstable and isolated character. Through the use of stage directions, â€Å"Coral doesn’t respond†, it is clear that Coral is in her own distinctive world and alienated from society unable to deal with the real world. However, at the conclusion of the play, Coral is presented to be no longer absorbed in her own grief by being able to finally accept her son’s death and express her emotions with her husband, Roy. In the first Act, Scene 2, it is revealed that her son has passed away by Gwen stating, â€Å"She looks awful, poor woman, her son, you know†. After the death of her son, Coral has become â€Å"away† from herself and beginning to lose touch from reality. Coral is unable to participate in social circumstances as seen when Gwen tries to start a conversation as to which â€Å"Coral stares at her for a moment and then looks away†. We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Away Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Away Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Away Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This shows her ignorance and how she’s lost in her own world unable to realise anyone else. Through the soliloquy Corals unstable condition is emphasized through her speech showing that she is unable to cope consumed in a world of grief and misery. Within this monologue she makes a direct quote to her son, â€Å"Is it better for them to die like that? † referring to her young, innocent and perfect son. Corals soliloquy reveals her isolation and confusion by stating, â€Å"What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? This rhetorical question is repeated and expresses her world of grief finding it hard to cope. In Scene Three, Roy compares Coral to her behaviour â€Å"like a ghost†, wandering around â€Å"with that smile staring into the distance, not seeing anyone, ignoring people†. Coral replies, â€Å"But I’m not ignoring them. I can’t think of anything to say† highlighting her detachment and difficulty with communicating with others. Ro y speaks to Coral, â€Å"come back to reality†, to which Coral replies, â€Å"I mightn’t like it there. This dialogue shoes she is stuck in her own distinctive world and is scared that she will be unable to function in the ‘real world’ and therefore emotionally distances herself from society to ensure that other people are unable to see and share in her suffering. This emotional stress and inability to communicate and express her emotions with other, has caused a significant strain on Coral and her husband Roys marriage. Roy expresses, â€Å"Will you allow me that? Could you let me in on the sadness just a little? Through the use of these rhetorical questions the desperation and urgency of Roy’s tone conveys that while they are both suffering equally, Coral is trying to deal with the death individually blocking out all human contact including her husband. Coral states â€Å"It’s everywhere, isn’t it? In the air we breathe? † s howing that she is unable to escape her sadness and that grief has taken over her distinctive world. â€Å"We need a break. We need change†, through this statement is shown that Coral understands that change is necessary and that she cannot keep separating herself from reality. It expresses her determination towards change by using short and precise sentences. Coral explains to Roy, â€Å"We need a break. A rest. Rest and recreation. Let’s just get away†. The short sentences represent the anxiety to go â€Å"away† presenting the need for change and the need for time to escape their world full of â€Å"death, war [and] loss† that she is unable to escape from. The repetition of â€Å"We need a† acknowledges the fact that Coral is prioritising and accepting change. Roy tells Coral to be â€Å"like a human being† contrasting to the way she is now, reinforcing the fact that Coral has lost touch with reality and slipped into her own world. In Act 3, Scene 1, Coral and Roy decide to go on a holiday â€Å"away† in which they both hope will bring them time to change and bring happiness from the recent death of their son. At the beginning of the scene, we view Coral engaging in conversation with Leonie, another resident at the Hotel. The dialogue reveals a conversation that is unstable and awkward. Coral starts to become overpowering and questioning by asking, â€Å"Isn’t hard making contact with other people in this kind of place? Everyone’s enjoying themselves but, I don’t know, I feel it’s a bit forced, do you feel that? Are you really enjoying yourself? Or are you only pretending. To please your husband, perhaps? † The stage directions allow the audience to see that Leonie is â€Å"almost in tears† and asks â€Å"Why are you staring like that? † Coral ignores her questions and remarks and continues to question the woman. Corals language is cliche and proves she is still not coping. Coral starts to scare Leonie where she says â€Å"Let me go, please, I want to go† reinforcing Corals inability to make contact and communicate with other people and her lack of social skills. Rather than talking to the woman she starts to override the conversation and become overwhelming revealing her isolation and alienation. Coral continues to ignore the woman’s pleads to leave and Leonie begins to â€Å"struggle† and starts â€Å"crying† sobbing, â€Å"I want to go in. I’m hungry. Let me go†. This shows Coral is unable to concentrate on her own issues and decides to force herself upon someone else’s problems in order to take away her own pain. Coral then meets another important character named Rick. Rick uses short sentences and informal, simple language â€Å"A bit, I s’pose† showing his youthfulness and comfort around Coral. Through the conversation, Corals intuitiveness is revealed since she suddenly knows â€Å"so many people† and starts explaining everyone’s problems and issues other than her own. She states â€Å"there’s a couple who are both very ill and not telling each other† and â€Å"quite a few marriages on the rocks† and the fact that she explains â€Å"I know most of them, I think. † In Act 3, Scene 3, due to Coral being in her own self-absorbed world, she is unable to pick up on the flirtatious comments from Rick when he tells Coral, â€Å"But I get excited when I know it’s time to see you again†. Rick starts to talk about stopping communication with Coral, to which she replies â€Å"You’re still alive. You’re still alive and talking and laughing†. Coral has found a similarity between Rick and her son but unlike her son, Rick was able to escape conscription. Coral pulls Rick into the darkness and speaks, â€Å"Talk to me say something laugh† finding condolence in Rick due to him reminding her of her son. She explains to Roy, â€Å"We’re all here together† showing she’s in her own world viewing Rick as the missing piece to her family. Repetition of â€Å"You sent him away† is screamed by Coral to Roy emphasizing Rick’s comparison to her son and her inability to cope with the death of her son. Roy explains, â€Å"Look at you. Look at me† presenting them as two different individuals unable to communicate and work together through their loss. Roys shock treatment threat causes Coral to run away to find herself and sort things out. Coral finds herself in disguise on a beach. The beach is symbolic of healing and transformation to happen and seen as a stage of recovery for Coral. Coral’s healing process is accomplished through the help of Tom’s empathy. Tom reveals to the audience that â€Å"I told her a thing or two that helped† and that â€Å"She’s been talking to people she said. She doesn’t feel any different to anyone else anymore†. It is assumed Tom revealed his illness to Coral and has allowed Coral to let go of being self absorbed and understand that other people are going through situations just as horrible. In Act 4, Scene 2, Coral asks Tom, â€Å"You’re not feeling sick or anything? Tired? † showing Coral is starting to look beyond her own grief and care for others. Corals greatest change comes in the form of the use of a play within a play. Coral plays the part of a mermaid in a play performed by Coral and Tom called, ‘The Stranger on the Shore’. This is used to express Tom and Corals personal lives and is especially significant for Corals transformation and healing. By playing a mermaid from human form it reinforces her alienation and isolation from human form while following her son. Tom, represented as a ghost symbolizing her son, requests â€Å"You must return to your own world and your own people† and in response, Coral tells him, â€Å"I cannot walk, I am afraid† which suggests her fear towards the change. At first she is hesitant until Tom assists Coral in walking and then in the â€Å"American accent† used she says metaphorically, â€Å"I’m walking, I’m walking†, then in her own voice she says, â€Å"I’m walking, I’m walking, I’m walking†. The transition from Coral speaking with an American accent then suddenly to her own voice, presents the change in her character and Corals ability to move back into reality. The repetition of â€Å"I’m walking† enhances the change in Coral and how she has healed. Throughout the journey â€Å"away† Coral was able to undergo profound change and let go of dwelling in the past grieving over the loss of her son. Coral and Roy are reconciled through the gesture of the collecting sea shells where the use of stage directions pronounce, â€Å"Roy leans towards them and buries his face in the shells in Corals hands†. This acknowledges Corals ask for forgiveness for the past discretions and her acceptance to change in their lives. Coral welcomes Roy into her distinctive world to heal and unify together. Through this reconciliation they are able to now work through the grief together in contrast to the past and let go of her attachment of son and concentrate on a fresh perspective and healing.