Why Is Home Burial Important

I believe that historical context has little to do with Shephard’s writing of Buried Child. Although he was speaking more specifically about a family in the 1970’s, his writing can be applied to all times. The deterioration of the nuclear family is not new, it is only more prominent as time goes on. Relationships in the poem Home Burial and the short story Land of the Living prove that there is no significant difference between the destruction of traditional family values both in modern times and in the past.
The poem Home Burial, by Robert Frost, was written in the early nineteen hundreds. The poem shows a dysfunctional couple, who are grieving the loss of a child. The woman is showing her grief in typical ways of depression and anxiety about the loss of her baby. Her husband seems unfazed by the event, and continues on with his life as usual. His coolness to the situation leads her to believe he doesn’t care, and they argue before she finally leaves the house. Their relationship is almost identical to those seen today. The poem parallels the modern reading Land of the Living, by Sam Shephard, in a few ways. In both readings, the wife challenges the man and then denies his knowledge. In Home Burial, this means
I do not believe the differences in the family dynamics are caused by the era the play is set in. This play could take place at any point in time and still accurately show how an event like what the family went through can destroy relationships. Part of what makes Shephard’s play so enjoyable today is how people can relate to this disturbing family. Whether it be Dodge having to accept his wife’s infidelity or Bradley’s wish to become the man of the house, each character has some aspect that makes them somehow relatable to people. The play is timeless, and likely will continue to show the reality of the “average” American family for years to