Marsha Norman's first published essay, "Why Do Good Men Suffer"" (1964), written while she was in high school, was awarded first place in a local writing contest and subsequently published in the Kentucky English Bulletin. This early essay about Job suggests Norman's concern with the suffering of humans and an interest in philosophical issues and in man's struggles with faith and independence, themes she continues to develop in her plays. Yet, despite her talent and interest in writing, Norman never considered a career as a playwright, for she found few role models for such a career choice. She told Elizabeth Stone in 1983: "As a girl growing up in Kentucky, I had no models, no one like I am today. One of the great joys to me about my success is that no girl who grows up in Kentucky ever has to wonder about that again." Since the beginning of...