Reality vs. Perception

A major theme in this play is the distinction between a reality based in facts and a reality that has been created. Before the audience has ever heard that Charlotte has a Stasi file that may show her to be an informant, it is easy to believe her account of events. Once her compliance with the Stasi is discovered, however, her entire version of her life story is called into question.

The question is, does it matter? Wright hints at this quandary in his own confusion as to how he should portray Charlotte. He finally concludes that he must show her as she shows antiques - flaws and all - for the truth to emerge. For Charlotte, though, truth is in her stories. In the same way that she prefers the repetition and safety of records to the radio, she prefers her history to be the...