Kerschen is a freelance writer and part-time English instructor. In this essay, Kerschen examines the contradictions and the metamorphosis of Max Bergen.

The character of Maximilian Berber in Martin Sherman's play Bent not only carries the story, he is the story. Bent is about a wheeling-dealing homosexual, Max, whose promiscuity and drug use keep him in trouble. When the play opens, he is broke, behind on his rent, and unaware that he has seduced a Nazi storm trooper who is being hunted by the Gestapo. When SS soldiers raid their apartment, Max and his lover, Rudy, begin a life-and-death odyssey that will affect Max's very heart and soul.

There are so many contradiction in Max's behavior that the question arises as to whether the character is believable. However, people are complex creatures who are not always consistent in their behavior. The central conflict for Max is the...