John Thomas Montague
Dr. Holmes
ENC1102
16 Jan. 2012
Human Behavior in Durang’s ‘Wanda’s Visit” Who doesn’t enjoy being happy? Every human strives to accomplish this feat in one way or another throughout life. Whether it is getting married, having children, and growing old with the one you love, or living a single life, running around being free from the old ball and chain.
Christopher Durang depicts how humans are an unhappy species through Jim, Marsha, and
Wanda in the play “Wanda’s Visit,” along with showing a variety of other emotions humans are capable of possessing. Durang compares two different lifestyles, both leading to a not quite so happy ending. Jim and Marsha are a middle aged, attractive couple that has been together for 13 years.
They have reached a point in life where they have seemingly reached a plateau and cannot climb any higher. It seems as though they are looking for something new and exciting in order to move on to this next level in their relationship. In the play it mentions that Jim tried to get drunk at their 13th wedding anniversary in order to spark up some new feelings, but instead ended up falling asleep early with his still bland marriage. Happiness seems to be lacking, yet the two are at this point in their life which they assumed would be the happiest they could ever be. After
Wanda stirred up their relationship quite a bit and was gone, Jim and Marsha joined an aerobics class and sought out a marriage counselor to continue looking for some type of joy in their relationship. Still they wished they could find happiness. Scatter brained Wanda winds up coming to town to visit her old high school fling, Jim.
After arriving, Jim soon finds that Wanda as well, is not happy in her own life. Wanda led a life of promiscuity and self loathing after their old high school days, looking for