Cosi; Its Not Only Lewis That Learns, but the Others Also Do.
People quite often change through their experiences, as evident with a few characters in Louis Nowra’s play Cosi. The major character is, of course, Lewis Riley who is one of a few we observe who is very much different at the beginning than the end of the play as it can be said that he learns a great deal during the course of the play as the lessons he receives are of both personal and professional nature. Although the lessons Lewis learned are influential for the change of another through the course of the play, Henry, who suffers some form of social phobia, which may be linked with his severe stutter. Henry starts to overcome his stutter towards the end as he began to open up from his respect of his own father, who fought in the Korean War. Though not everyone changed through the experiences of the play Cosi as some remained the same.
When we first see Lewis in Act 1, scene 1 he is hesitant and unsure whether he is doing the right thing to guide a group of patients in a mental institution to direct a play, ‘This is an unusual position for me... I directed some plays at university… and, well... this is my first year out’. At this point it is obvious his motives are clear. ‘I need the money’ he tells Lucy his girlfriend. He also believes firmly in anti-Vietnam protest movement. Lewis lacked confidence and his indecisiveness is present in his very first line ‘I don’t know’. Not long after this Justin the social worker mistakes him for a patient in the asylum, indicating how uncertain and hesitant Lewis’s identity is. Once Justin figured out who he was, Lewis was a disappointment to him who ‘was expecting someone older’. The Turning point for Lewis is when Nick visits and upsets henry where Lewis makes an active choice to support Henry and the rest of the patients instead of his rather insensitive friend Nick. Lewis begins to feel attached to them as evident by Act 2, scene 2, after Lewis declined to go with her to the moratorium meeting.Lucy says‘Working with
When we first see Lewis in Act 1, scene 1 he is hesitant and unsure whether he is doing the right thing to guide a group of patients in a mental institution to direct a play, ‘This is an unusual position for me... I directed some plays at university… and, well... this is my first year out’. At this point it is obvious his motives are clear. ‘I need the money’ he tells Lucy his girlfriend. He also believes firmly in anti-Vietnam protest movement. Lewis lacked confidence and his indecisiveness is present in his very first line ‘I don’t know’. Not long after this Justin the social worker mistakes him for a patient in the asylum, indicating how uncertain and hesitant Lewis’s identity is. Once Justin figured out who he was, Lewis was a disappointment to him who ‘was expecting someone older’. The Turning point for Lewis is when Nick visits and upsets henry where Lewis makes an active choice to support Henry and the rest of the patients instead of his rather insensitive friend Nick. Lewis begins to feel attached to them as evident by Act 2, scene 2, after Lewis declined to go with her to the moratorium meeting.Lucy says‘Working with