The Shadow Box Themes

The Shadow Box Themes

Death and Dying

The perspectives on death offered by three terminally ill patients define the plot of The ShadowBox. Voices of the patients and family members alike illuminate many aspects of death. Each character gives the audience a glimpse of death and dying that is different from the next. Those experiences—whether it be those of a concerned husband, fearful wife, or angry patient—come together to give the work a richness and depth unattainable inconsideration of any one experience.

Joe's emotional efforts are spent trying to help his wife, Maggie, accept his approaching death, rather than on his own grief. Maggie is reluctant to face Joe's condition, refusing at first to enter the cottage, and then to acknowledge he will never be returning home, "Don't believe what they tell you. What do they know?" Mark,...
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