The Crack Walker Book review

The crack walker is a book that explores the psyche of the people living outside the normal society. The characters in the book do terrible things, and they also have terrible things that are done to them. The crack walker is about people who are living at the margins. This people are drunk, violent, and they thrive on relationships that are toxic. Some people tend to struggle with mental disabilities. This is a play that is disturbing and has graphic exploration of the urban desperation (Cody, G 2007). It also tends to pull no punches of people who are living in this world. There are some of the characters who are able to escape the trouble of living in this in of situation. However, according to the author of the play, there are people who are not able to escape from these circumstances. They get doomed and then end up repeating them cycle of exploitation, abuse, and suffering.

This is a story that centers on Teresa who is mentally challenged and does not have a home, but loves simple things such as sweets and TV. Alan, Teresa’s boyfriend are no better off, but a little brighter and tries to keep his job and trying to avoid trouble. This two relies on the kindness of their friends Sandy and Joe for a place where they can sleep. The characters in the story try to work their ways out in the issues and realities of the day that consist of sexual abuse, raising family, mental illness, abandonment, domestic abuse, and other issues. Sandy and Joe are a couple who are more enlightened, and he is a drunken woman beater. This is a character that is an indication of how low down there is social development in the story.

There is low social development in the play. Joe who is a drunk and a woman beater do not describe the process of human energies and activities. In social development human are supposed to achieve greater results by utilization of their human potential (Cody, G 2007). Social development tends to enhance the success of people. A person is able to be creative in ensuring that all their actions are for the better of their development. They should try and avoid from being associated with activities such as sexual abuse and alcoholism. When developing socially, it is necessary to do things that they love and know are for the better of something rather than pretending of being something that one is not. Sandy and Teresa are characters in the story who have tried hard to ensure that they create a good image to the public. They even enjoy it when they are complimented so that they can be acceptable in the society. This people try hard to ensure that they free themselves from unfavorable surface.

The characters in the story highlight the way that self is constructed. All through the story have various figures that are deeply concerned with the perception of others. The characters focus a lot on the perception of others it is as if their perceptions and opinions are what give them their identities. By being extremely interested in what others are thinking about them is an indication that they are vulnerable to the judgment of other people. These characters have fear of resistance to being unfavorably characterized. In regards to Teresa, the reader is presented with a person who is trying to change herself in a favorable manner, but from a farfetched aspect of her by Alan (Cody, G 2007).

When Teresa who is mentally challenged accuses Joe, Sandy’s husband of rape, it is not clear whether she is telling the truth or not. When Sandy decides to confront Joe with the accusation, he is furious and cannot believe that his wife can think that he is a rapist just because a retard woman said that. Joe does not get furious for being accused of being a rapist but because of his wife believing on what Teresa, the mentally challenged woman had said. This is an indication of how low social development exists among this people in them society. They care more about the perception of others towards them rather than what their behaviors are.

Some of the powerful images portrayed in the play are Alan’s difficulty in coming to terms with his sexuality and the reluctance of accepting fatherhood. Murdering his son constitutes the emotional climax in the story. This shows the reverse if the initial desire of the character of wanting to conform to the values in the society. These are some of the difficulties that people normally go through when they are trying to conform to values (Cody, G 2007). There are values that some people are not able to conform to; thus, ending up acting contrary to what is expected. In order to develop socially, there are several parties that are involved. However, there are people who are not able to conform to some values like others.

This might be because of psychological difficulties. Some of the words that are used in the conversations between these characters are abusive, but they appear not to care on what they say to each other. They do not see the wrong in using such words like “fuck” to each other (Cody, G 2007). This is a phrase, which is used frequently in the conversation between Joe and Sandra. Through murdering the child, Alan shows an act of poor social development. Social development involves actions that are taken so that to build positive outcomes and help in preventing negative outcomes. Negative action is an action like murder. This is an action that results to negative outcomes. Teresa and Alan also try hard to ensure that they become good parents to their child. They do this by proving how good one is in ensuring that the child does not cry. They tend to speak good words to the child so that to prove to each other that they are good parents (Cody, G 2007).

The crack walker is a story that is trying to bring the reader into the world of people who are less fortunate. The play portrays to the reader the life that the less fortunate normally live. The struggle that this people go through when they are trying to live normal lives. There are many social realities that people who are less fortunate undergo. The characters have several class struggles and some psychic distress when they attempt to confront and appease their actions and desires (Cody, G 2007). The life that the characters are living is extremely different from the one that other people in the society are living. There are certain challenges, which are involved in their lives that they try hard to hind from the public.

Reference

Cody, G (2007). The Columbian encyclopedia of modern drama Columbia University Press

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