Curse of the Starving Class Chapter Summary & Analysis | Act 1

Act 1 Summary

Act 1 opens in the kitchen of farmhouse. On stage is a table with mismatched chairs and faded curtains hung to suggest a window. There is a working refrigerator and a small gas stove. There is a pile of wood debris, suggesting a broken door. Wesley, dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, tosses the debris into a wheelbarrow and Ella, Wesley's mother, enters. She wears a bathrobe and curlers in her hair. Ella winds an alarm clock and watches Wesley. She finally tells him that he shouldn't be cleaning up the mess because his father Weston did it and it should be Weston's responsibility.

Weston left after breaking down the door and he has not returned. Wesley continues cleaning up the mess and Ella puts the clock on the stove. Wesley asks if she called the cops the night before and she says yes because she felt her life was...
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