The Petrified Forest: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Petrified Forest: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate dynamics among a diverse cast of characters set against the backdrop of Gramp Maple's Black Mesa Bar-B-Q in eastern Arizona. Gramp Maple, a self-proclaimed pioneer and the restaurant’s owner, has a complex relationship with Duke Mantee, a prison escapee who embodies the rugged individualism Gramp admires. Jason Maple, Gramp's disillusioned son and a World War I veteran, struggles with purpose after his wife leaves him and their daughter, Gabby. Gabby, yearning for a life beyond the desert, dreams of France and navigates her feelings towards Alan Squier, an intellectual hitchhiker who shares her poetic aspirations. Meanwhile, Mantee's presence disrupts the lives of other characters, including the affluent Mr. Chisholm and his wife, who find themselves entangled in Mantee's desperate escape plan. The interactions among these characters highlight themes of longing, identity, and the contrasting ideals of freedom and societal norms, creating a rich tapestry of human experience in a confined setting. Through these major characters, the narrative delves into the complexities of aspiration and the pursuit of meaning in a challenging landscape.
The Petrified Forest: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Robert E. Sherwood
First published: 1935
Genre: Play
Locale: The eastern Arizona desert
Plot: Melodrama
Time: The early 1930's
Gramp Maple, the owner of the Black Mesa Bar-B-Q in eastern Arizona, near the New Mexico border. He is a dinosaur of a man, a self-styled pioneer who has lived past the age of pioneers. Gramp runs the restaurant with the help of his son, his granddaughter, and Boze Hertzlinger, who works for him. Gramp relates to Duke Mantee, an escapee from prison who lands in the Black Mesa. He looks on Duke as the kind of pioneer he would like to be and probably, despite his boasts, has never been.
Jason Maple, Gramp's son, an American Legionnaire who has spent his entire life in the desert, except for the time he served in the Army during World War I. He married a French woman, and they produced a child, Gabby. Jason's wife moved to the desert with him but, unable to stand the isolation of eastern Arizona, returned quickly to France and re-married. She left their daughter with Jason, who has little sense of purpose in life. He reflects the stereotyped patriotic jingoism typically attributed to Legionnaires.
Gabrielle (Gabby) Maple, Jason's daughter and Gramp's granddaughter, roughly twenty years old. She works in the Black Mesa but spends her life dreaming about France, reading the works of François Villon, affecting the vocabulary of a stevedore, and wishing she were in Paris. Gabby has no real memory of her mother but keeps alive an illusion of what she must have been like.
Boze Hertzlinger, a teenage boy who works at the barbecue and has romantic inclinations toward Gabby, whose fondness for poetry he utterly fails to understand. Although Gabby sometimes leads him on, they have no realistic expectation of a future together.
Alan Squier, an intelligent, sophisticated hitchhiker who appears at the Black Mesa down on his luck and unable to pay for his meal. He and Gabby are on the same intellectual wavelength. They talk about poetry and the things that matter to Gabby, who gives Alan a silver dollar and arranges for him to ride to Phoenix with a banker and his wife who are heading in that direction. Alan, who is convinced that he has no real future, concludes that he can serve humanity best by dying and leaving his five-thousand-dollar insurance policy to Gabby so that she can get away from the Black Mesa. He writes Gabby in as beneficiary of the policy, then makes a compact with Duke Mantee to shoot him.
Mr. Chisholm, an affluent banker from the East who stops at the restaurant on his way west. He, his wife, their chauffeur, and Alan Squier leave to continue to Phoenix, only to have their car stolen by Duke Mantee, who is heading for the Mexican border. They all end up back in the Black Mesa.
Mrs. Chisholm, Chisholm's long-suffering wife, who finds Duke Mantee much more attractive than her stuffy husband. After getting tipsy, she says so in no uncertain terms.
Joseph, the Chisholms' black chauffeur.
Duke Mantee, an interesting, individualistic killer who is being hunted after his escape from prison. He comes close to living up to Gramp's definition of a pioneer, and the two of them get along well despite the tenseness of the situation. Mantee gets along with everyone in the Black Mesa except Boze, whose middle-class notions of right and wrong will not permit him to judge Duke as an individual.
Ruby, Jackie, and Pyle, all henchmen of Duke Mantee who are helping him to escape.
Paula, the Mexican cook, one of the few people with whom Gabby can talk about her real feelings.
Two telegraph linemen, who are eating at the barbecue when the action opens. Through their conversation, they allow Gramp to reveal his pioneering spirit.
Herb, a friendly cowboy who comes into the Black Mesa to eat.
An American Legion commander, a Legionnaire, the sheriff, and two deputies, all introduced to show the blood-thirsty mentality of those who are pursuing Duke Mantee.