Dialogue Essay: Where Was College?

Yet, despite the fact that the bell could be helpful ad a redemption, one would say they are lying to each other just make it seem as they are “the one”. Every time the bell is rung, the two characters basically get another chance at love again. But when one of the characters change their answer, were they being truthful the first time or just changing their answer to fit the others personality? Bill had to change his answers quite a few times before Betty would accept his answer. For instance, Bill and Betty were talking about their education when a bell rung when Bill told her where he attended college.
“BETTY: Have you read it?
BILL: Yeah, I read it in college.
BETTY: Where was college?
BILL: I went to Oral Roberts University.
(bell)
BETTY: Where was college?
BILL: I was lying, I never really went to college. I just like to party
(bell)
BETTY: Where was college?
BILL: Harvard.”
Bill said he wanted to Oral Roberts
University. This could have been true because he has nothing to hide. He just met Betty a few moments ago. She obviously did not like his answer so the bell rung. When he changed his answer, she still didn’t like it. He admitted that he lied about going to college and then changed his answer. He then told her he went to Harvard. Which is a lie. If he did go to Harvard, he would have told her that from the moment when Betty asked. Why do we have to lie in order to go on a date with someone or just to get their number? The bell could also be an accommodation for a lie being told be a character.
David Ives choose to represent the bell as something, but it is for us to figure out why and what it means.
The reason we have the bell, is to inform us when the conversation is going to restore itself and why. If we did not have the bell and the conversations would restart, the audience would be in confusion for a while. Eventually, the audience would see the conversations restarting but not fully understand the reason why. Remarkably, the bell is there to distinguish why the conversation restarted and when one of the characters does not like an answer they received. David made this into a though experiment, having the thought of “what-if I said this?” or “what if I said that?”. Ives is telling the audience to never give up. Director Heather Kalonick agrees with this interpretation. She says "What Ives' plays come down to is making connections and communication, how we fail and succeed at it," in an article written about Ive’s All in the timing play. He played around with communication very differently during the play, especially with the
bell,
In the ending, the two characters hit it off and end up going to the movies. The last words they say are Betty and Bill saying “ waiter” at the same time. Seems as though they are on good terms and understand each other. They both had times to be redeemed and change their thoughts. That beautiful meaning of this play is to never give up and always have a great first impression.