After watching Man in the Ring, there was one thing in particular that wasn't wrapped up in a nice bow for me: Benny's family.
Prior to his death, we meet Benny's wife, and hear the story of their unexpected pregnancy. After that, however, we don't meet Benny Jr. until the very end of the play.
For those, like myself, who were not familiar with the story prior to the production, this leaves many questions. Did Emile ever try to get in touch with the Paret family before he slipped further into his dementia? Or did they ever contact him?
Of course, since Benny "The Kid" Paret isn't the protagonist of this play, it is perfectly sensible that the plot doesn't focus more on him. However, that's probably the best part about this play: it covers so much, yet leaves us wondering more.
While a lot of details about the Paret family aren´t stated outright, a lot of information can be inferred from the way both Emile and the media react to Benny´s death. It´s strongly implied that Emile unintentionally killed Benny as a result of him being unable to express his true identity instead of hiding under the facade of a masculine, tough boxer However, I do agree with you that Benny isn´t the focus of the play, nor should he be; the play is ultimately about Emile coming to terms with his past and facing the consequences of the present.
ReplyDeleteIf the play had focused more on how the media or Benny’s family reacted to what Emile did, it would no longer be Emile's story alone. I agree that Emile unintentionally killed Benny, which becomes increasingly evident in the fact that it haunts him for so many years to come. However, that is not my focus. Similar to other comments, I think the introduction of Benny’s wife very briefly, and Benny Jr. at the end of the play, were tossed in to provide character background for Benny, but left the audience wondering. Whether or not I think it should’ve been included, I’m not sure.
DeleteAlso, one thing I find most intriguing about the play and its circular structure is that we don’t really know if meeting Benny Jr. was enough to provide Emile closure. As we discussed with the actors in the question and answer session, we cannot define this as a complete dramatic action, because we know that Emile’s dementia will never get better. With that in mind, do we really know that he can come to terms with his past?
DeleteI agree that it was strange that we don't meet Benny Jr. until the end of the play. Honestly, in my mind, the introduction of the character just seemed forced and unnecessary. I feel that it was overall just too confusing (especially because it was the same actor) and would have been much easier if they didn't include him.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. Benny Jr. in the end seemed rather abrupt and he didn't have many "meaty" lines. Meaning, I feel that in his position, meeting the man who killed his father, there would be more for him to say. Although, maybe accepting Emile's apology and respectfully honoring their visit was enough.
ReplyDeleteI agree! The way Benny Jr. interacted with Emile made me wonder if he had wanted to ever meet Emile at all. It would be incredibly difficult to face the man that killed your father, (unintentionally or not), but it could have provided sufficient closure for Benny Jr.
DeleteAlthough the meeting was abrupt, I think that his lack of "meaty" lines made sense in the situation. Benny Jr. was still fairly young and Emile was the one who wanted to talk so he probably felt obligated to meet with him but not bare his soul. I also feel that, yes, Emile killed his father but Benny Jr. hadn't even been born yet (not actually sure on that one) and he can obviously see that Emile has severe dementia so having a deep conversation might have felt pointless to him.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the way the scene was portrayed, the lack of heavy conversation does make some sense, especially given Emile's mental state at that point in time. My question is, if Benny Jr. had felt that meeting Emile would provide no closure for him whatsoever, why would he bother going?
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