Play Analysis – Sure Thing by David Ivis
Play Analysis – Sure Thing by David Ivis
The Setting of “Sure Thing” by David Ivis is important in terms of setting the mood as well as the context for the play’s main conflict. “Sure Thing” is set in a café where the the two main characters, Bill and Betty, awkwardly encounter one another. During their encounter, a ring of a bell continues to disrupt their connection. Despite the ringing bell, or because of the ringing bell, the two characters are able to establish a connection. The fact that they are ultimately able to establish a connection suggests many thing about relationships, such as that timing can play a major role in either beginning or not beginning a relationship. For instance, the bell (and the bell’s timing) suggests that Bill’s responses to Betty’s questions may have been different, if the timing created by the bell’s interruptions had been different.
As the “date” progresses, a series of quick and calculated questions and challenges are posed to each character in order to discover the other’s weaknesses. The text of the play is comprised of short and sharp lines that are quickly exchanged between Bill and Betty with the intention of getting to know one another. Basically, the conflicts throughout the play are in the form of man vs. man as well as man vs. self. However, the conflict in “Sure Thing” is a bit different than in other stories, in that it can be so easily altered by the ringing of a bell. Since the play has to do with human relationships, the man vs. self conflict arises upon the question of meeting another person you are clearly interested in. One, there is the struggle between oneself and the fear of making a mistake. There is a struggle between oneself and one’s perceptions of the conventions of dating. Also, there is a struggle between oneself and the other (between Bill and Betty). Here, it seems clear that the author chose the names Bill and Betty to represent the overall conflict that plagues the average person in terms of
The Setting of “Sure Thing” by David Ivis is important in terms of setting the mood as well as the context for the play’s main conflict. “Sure Thing” is set in a café where the the two main characters, Bill and Betty, awkwardly encounter one another. During their encounter, a ring of a bell continues to disrupt their connection. Despite the ringing bell, or because of the ringing bell, the two characters are able to establish a connection. The fact that they are ultimately able to establish a connection suggests many thing about relationships, such as that timing can play a major role in either beginning or not beginning a relationship. For instance, the bell (and the bell’s timing) suggests that Bill’s responses to Betty’s questions may have been different, if the timing created by the bell’s interruptions had been different.
As the “date” progresses, a series of quick and calculated questions and challenges are posed to each character in order to discover the other’s weaknesses. The text of the play is comprised of short and sharp lines that are quickly exchanged between Bill and Betty with the intention of getting to know one another. Basically, the conflicts throughout the play are in the form of man vs. man as well as man vs. self. However, the conflict in “Sure Thing” is a bit different than in other stories, in that it can be so easily altered by the ringing of a bell. Since the play has to do with human relationships, the man vs. self conflict arises upon the question of meeting another person you are clearly interested in. One, there is the struggle between oneself and the fear of making a mistake. There is a struggle between oneself and one’s perceptions of the conventions of dating. Also, there is a struggle between oneself and the other (between Bill and Betty). Here, it seems clear that the author chose the names Bill and Betty to represent the overall conflict that plagues the average person in terms of