For this lesson I’ve been asked to write about the themes expressed in the play “The Drawer Boy” by Michael Healey. I believe this play is about endurance. It shows how to heal and conceal the sacrifices that lasting friendship sometimes may require and the things people use to ease the pain and hurt of their wounded lives which is universal because everyone can relate to having to make sacrifices and withstand hardships in any relationship they might have with someone. Throughout this essay I will prove how my theory of what this novel stands for ties in with the characters and how it is developed in the play.
To start off, the play is about two farmers- Morgan and Angus- who are about the age of 50 and are childhood friends. Morgan takes care of Angus whose brain is damaged because of a war incident. Because of this injury Angus has short term memory. Miles is a young man whose profession is acting and writing and is part of a group who are learning about farming by living with farmers and assembling what they learn into a play. Miles overhears Morgan telling Angus a bedtime story about their past.
As the play goes on, more and more is revealed about what really happened as Miles unconsciously tugs at the loose threads that have woven the two friends so close together and doesn’t realize his curiosity will have a very big impact on their lives. Soon enough the hidden-truths and secrets are exposed little by little. As Miles turns the story he overheard into a drama on stage, Angus and Morgan come to watch the rehearsal. The play has a profound impact on Angus lost memory and begins to open up the world he could not remember.
As the memories return he becomes literally starved for the truth, consumed with the desire to put all the pieces back together that Morgan kept away from him. This is where I believe the plays significance takes place. Although Angus does remember one minute from the next, Morgan tells him a story every night about what happened to him and their past. He tells him a comforting story about how both him and Angus grew up and went to war, fell in love, and how the love of their lives died in a car incident although some of it isn’t true.
Morgan lied to Angus about the conditions under which Angus suffered mental disability during World War II and about how both lost their fiancees but he did it with no wrong intentions. He did things in a way he thought was best. Healey shows that keeping secrets will eventually be revealed in the end and when it is, you have a choice to either tell the truth or keep lying. Because of Miles’ role throughout the book, Morgan comes to a point where he has to make that choice. But before he told the truth he was clever in the way he carried on in life with Angus.
What would you do if you had a friend who lost their memory due to an accident? Would you just leave their life because they might never remember all of the memories you shared with them and even who they were or would you be there for them and help them through it? After the accident Angus needs a true friend and Morgan steps up to the plate. Morgan takes care of Angus and has created a life with him on this farm. I believe that this alone would be very hard to do. Can you imagine having to take care of not only a friend but a farm as well?
It shows how loyal he is just by feeling that he must take care of him. I believe what Morgan did was not only sacrificial of his way of living but a very noble act. He stuck by Angus’ side and continued on their friendship. He is loyal and understanding of the situation. The theme of endurance and sacrifice is clearly shown throughout the novel. From the beginning, we can see that Morgan tries to find strategies to help Angus manage his problems. Morgan’s character shows sacrifice and endures the hardships in his relationship with Angus. He tries his best and is very loyal and wants to make sue Angus is okay.
