Prompt 10: Detroit

The element of ambiguity pops up constantly from the moment Ben and Mary meet their neighbors, "Kenny and Sharon", to when they discover their real and unfortunate identities. Kenny and Sharon were a good time, and filled the empty friendless place in Ben and Mary's relationship. Therefore, Ben and Mary actively overlook a multitude of questionable instances that hint toward the fact that Kenny and Sharon are not who they said they are. They claim to have met in rehab, which is questioned at the end of scene 3 when they tell a story about "Hotlanta" that doesn't add up to their alleged timeline. They portray themselves as recovering drug addicts that are trying to start fresh and clean up their lives. However, through the way that they live and behave, often drinking beers and having no furniture after months of "progress", we find this hard to believe. D'Amour gives more apparent hints as the play goes on. For instance, when the women are out camping and Kenny continually talks bad about himself, "I'm and asshole, it's too late for me", we can assume there is something he is not telling us; something that will justify why he feels the way he does. D'Amour also works with the elements of dramatic irony, and bold checks of reality. An example of dramatic irony comes about toward the end of scene 6. The audience is aware of Kenny and Ben's deceitful plans to get drunk and indulge in immoral behavior with strippers. When Sharon and Mary arrive without warning, they assume their husbands missed them terribly, and believe they intended to watch soccer, which we know is a lie. Examples of "reality checks" are often made from Kenny and Sharon when they mention old habits "her problem was really freebasing heroin anyway". These comments are played out as jokes after they notice the shock and concern in Ben and Mary. Ambiguity, dramatic irony, and reality checks all contribute to the plot as it is written to abruptly twist right before the conclusion, leaving the audience feeling conflicted and fooled. After reading the play and experiencing the shock of the falling action, I feel that ambiguity is the most prominent and important element used by D'Amour as her objective would not have been achieved without the use of such.