THEA 122 Close Analysis
Lovelock’s Dream Run

Perceptions about people’s identities are becoming an increasingly important part of society and are being challenged. Whether we like it or not, people make assumptions on each other based on clothing, the way we walk, the way we talk, our skin colour, and anything that the subconscious picks up. People are aware of this and so try to show themselves in a more desirable light, which can be very deceptive. In David Geary’s play Lovelock’s Dream Run assumptions are made throughout and there is constant thought as to how others are viewing each other. In scene 10, pages 41-43, Geary is making us see that people try so hard to show themselves in a different light that they might be very different from first thought. People make assumptions based on appearances, yet these appearances can often be misleading, thus it is difficult to distinguish the appearance from the reality of what truly lies underneath it all.
Leni Riefenstahl was a famous German film director. She helped create many propaganda films for Hitler during his time in power. The films she created support Hitler’s regime and presented a biased view of Hitler’s “true Aryan” (Geary 27) race that he created (Hinton 80). During the scene, Leni is taking photographs of Jack Lovelock, the 1500m 1936 Berlin Olympic Champion, using him for his appearance (which is very Aryan) to help their cause. We know this because previously in the play Hitler was upset that Jack wasn’t a German but justified it by saying that “at least he looks the part” (Geary 22) meaning that Hitler believes that he can take advantage of Jack for his own benefit and the benefit of his cause. Identities are very personal. The lighting helps demonstrate this idea as it is very bright and is described as “blasting” Jack when he is being photographed. This lighting creates the idea that they are literally trying to show Jack in a different light and he is being manipulated by them and is unable to control how they are letting others view him. Leni’s constant commands throughout the photo-shoot show that she is in control and is dictating how people are going to view his image. Howard, the main character, acts as Leni. It is an important aspect to note that Howard (acting as Leni) is trying to manipulate his idol, Jack, in the hope that his hero will stand up to him and do the right thing. Since Howard is still young and naïve he is yet to understand the difficulties involved with trying to present yourself as whom you are, without any gimmicks or ulterior motives. Appearance vs reality is one of the major themes throughout literature and history. It is very appropriate in this play because it focuses around Hitler and his regime. He built up an appearance of his regime (which ironically is based on outward appearances) using people like Jack as ‘poster boys’ for it. Hitler made his way into power by manipulating people and giving them false ideas about him and his plans for power. Therefore, we learn that people’s identities and outward appearances may be different to the reality of what is truly there, thus the appearances must be treated wearily.
One of the main themes within the play is the difference between fantasy and reality. A significant amount of the play is the school boys acting out Howard’s fantasies, which always involve Jack Lovelock. The transitions between fantasies and realities are an important aspect of the play because several of them display how Howard is viewed within his school, Timaru Boys’ High School. One of these transitions is in this scene and it focuses on the assumptions about Howard that are made from his class mates. The fantasy about Jack ends with all of the boys found in “compromising positions” with his classmates looking in and assuming that he is a homosexual. There is a silence that follows which emphasises the classmates’ reactions and the fact that he doesn’t fit the typical mould of a Timaru Boys’ High boy. The silence is further understood because we as an audience have prior knowledge that he is in fact a homosexual and so the compromising position is further heightened due to this. However, Howard’s classmates don’t actually know him very well and are just making assumptions about him based on the fact that he prefers to spend his lunchtimes in the drama room instead of on the rugby field. By having Howard as the main character, Geary helps us understand that when people make assumptions about others they change the way in which they interact with them and treat them. Not only can appearances be very different from what is truly there, but people only judge you on the external appearances. Therefore, the importance of building an identity and maintaining this is critical for how others treat you and how you want to be perceived by them
Perceptions about identities don’t just apply on an individual level. For instance, within Timaru Boys’ High there are students that maintain a certain idea around what they want their school to look like from an outsider’s perspective. Timaru Boys’ High has several students that bully others into conforming to the mould of the school that they have helped create. The students within the school want it to be displayed as one that is successful in sport, not as homosexuals that spend lunchtimes practising drama performances, like Howard does. Pike is very aggressive towards Howard and constantly reinforces that “Howeird” (Geary 38), as he calls him, doesn’t fit in at the school. Pike says “I want to see you playing sport” to Howard, implying that what Pike wants is more important than what Howard wants and since he is older and has more control within the school then Howard has to follow his orders. It is not only the students that drive to maintain such a built up reputation for the school; it is reinforced by the teachers. Later on in the play, the Head of school is concerned with the image that Howard and Nick are creating for the school. When they cause trouble, he stresses that the matter is “handled within the school” (Geary 71) so that the news doesn’t get around, ruining the reputation of the school. School identities are such an important part of society even today. Most schools have a school uniform that creates a sense of unity and conformity to the school rules. Within the play, all the boys are dressed in school uniforms. Geary made this conscious choice for many reasons but also to reinforce the idea that they want to maintain a certain school identity and reputation.
Everyone has an identity. Geary helps us understand that the importance of this identity is not what we think of it but how others around us view it. These identities don’t just apply to those on an individual level, but also to a cause or a place. The true internal identity can differ dramatically to that of the external one, and therefore caution must be taken when presuming things about people or places. Our presumptions about these identities cannot be stopped and they are, just like the forever recurring song ‘These Foolish Things’ says they are; “ties that bind us” (Geary 11).

Bibliography
Geary, David. Lovelock’s Dream Run. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1993.
Hinton, David B. The films of Leni Riefenstahl . Maryland: Scarecrow Publishing Inc., 2000.