In the following essay, Cooper explores Rabe's technique for presenting social criticism in Sticks and Bones
For David Rabe, the Vietnam war has been a source of artistic inspiration and creativity. His political and social consciousness, fused with his command of dramaturgy, produces taut expositions of the encounter between the American psyche and a war which assaulted some of the most traditional American values. His "Vietnam Trilogy" is clearly based on knowledge gained at first hand: he spent two years in Vietnam with a hospital support unit and later tried to return there as a war correspondent This personal experience of the war is central to Rabe's career A Fullbright Fellowship then enabled him to complete the first two plays of the Trilogy: The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Sticks and Bones
Rabe worked on.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 5,137 words. This
study guide contains 18,336 words (approx. 61 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Sticks and Bones Access Pass.
