Assignment

Character of sandbox
Submitted to
Mam Rozina
Submitted by
Ayesha
Naima
Amira
Bisma
Through his one-act play The Sandbox, Edward Albee has extended the allegory;
his characters not only exist as symbols, but are more than vaguely aware of
themselves as such. As caricatures rather than characters, they maintain a
consciousness of their presence on stage as well as the stereotypical rules and
emotions they are meant to display. Specifically through Mommy and Daddy's
vacuous and immediate shifts to "appropriate" attitudes, Edward Albee issues his
value statement. In effect, Shakespeare's assessment that "All the world's a
stage,/And all men and women merely players" has been reanalyzed and extended
by Albee, culminating in a work which declares the conventional conception of
death as affected and contrived.

Almost deceiving in its straightforwardness is the opening note on Mommy and

Daddy and the "pre-senility and vacuity of their characters." Daddy's ensuing
questions as to what is to be done, and Mommy's resulting composed answers set
in motion the implication of an end-of-life ritual whose spiritual meaning has long
since passed away. At one point, Daddy asks Mommy if they should conduct a
conversation. Mommy responds, "Well, you can talk, if you want to...if you can
think of anything to say...if you can think of anything new." Daddy's rejoinder in
the negative establishes early on that his and Mommy's existences, and therefore
actions, are hackneyed, artificial, mundane, and devoid of any true, personal
meaning.

By the air of preparation which pervades the play, and by Grandma's death in the
end, a connection is made, and The Sand Box is duly noted as Albee's address on
custom surrounding the coming of life's passing. The creation of an W in which the
actors are aware of their presence of stage breaks ground for Albee's take on
society's engagement in role-playing. Requesting appropriate background music,
and making remarks on lighting, Albee's characters cannot escape discredit
regarding the genuine. Similarly, Albee greets the close advance of death with the
suitable stereotypes of sudden darkness, violin playing, "a violent off-stage
rumble," and Mommy's brief tears.
Inevitably, the sincerity of Mommy and Daddy has been cast in doubt and all
subsequent words and actions bear resemblance to conventions.

The Sandbox Character List

Grandma
The 86-year-old protagonist of the play and the mother of Mommy. Grandma
is simultaneously shrewd and childlike, often to the chagrin of her daughter. She
represents a rural ideal and raised her daughter on a farm before Mommy moved
her to the city. She is alternately sarcastic and warm, and has a special confidence
with the audience.

Mommy
Grandma's 55-year-old daughter, a domineering and outspoken person.
Mommy has very little respect for those around her, including her own mother, and
often tends towards cruelty. She operates under the delusion that she has cared well
for her mother and affects sadness at the prospect of her death, but quickly moves
on.

Daddy
The 60 -year-old wealthy husband of Mommy. Daddy is extremely passive and
does whatever Mommy asks of him, having very few opinions of his own.

The Young Man

A handsome stranger whom the family sees performing calisthenics near the
sandbox. It is revealed that he is in fact the Angel of Death, come to take Grandma
away. As Grandma discovers, he is an actor from Southern California, who dreams
of being in the movies. While he is very attractive, he is not all that bright or
skilled as an actor.

The Musician
An unnamed character who doesn’t speak. The Musician accompanies the
family to the beach, playing music when asked, although it is not specified what
kind.