Dreamsong 29 Analysis

Berryman sought solace from his father’s suicide, his own suicidal thoughts and his failed marriages. In Dreamsong ‘29’, Berryman writes;

“There sat down, once, a thing on Henry’s heart só heavy, if he had a hundred years & more… Henry could not make good”.

The “thing” on Henry’s heart, is an odd choice of word. It is a very general use of language, and on the surface it gives nothing away. However the “thing” is referring to the suicide of Berryman’s own father. This shows that Berryman never fully came to terms with his father’s death, and it also highlights the depression and loneliness that was felt by Berryman, and as a result by Henry. Despite Henry’s potential psychological issues, August Kleinzahler seems to have a profound lack
This almost inhumane act from George leaves the audience questioning why he felt the need to do it. There are two possible solutions that best fit with the rest of the play. The first is that George had warned Martha that if she mentioned the son, there would be consequences. She told Honey about him, and as a result George is punishing her in the only way he can see fit which is to kill the son. The other solution seems dark and almost sickening. This is the idea that George has found a way for him to get one up on Martha, as he knows this will ultimately destroy her. However the play’s ending suggests this isn’t his abiding motivation, more that he is simply fed up by living a life of illusion. By playing this game, George not only exposes how fragile Martha really is- making her seem a different character to the one we have become to know in the rest of the play- but also destroys her solace, and with that makes her vulnerable and fragile. The final line of the play is “I …am…George…I…am…” This is Martha stating she is “afraid of Virginia Woolf’, but is a hidden way of saying she is afraid of living a life without the protection of her