Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited: Dialogue of Life and Death (A Review of the Chicago Production)

     In Dianne Luce's article, "Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited: Dialogue of Life and Death (A Review of the Chicago Production)," she reviews the Chicago Production of the play, McCarthy's influence on the production, and also the play itself.

Actors in the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre Production in Chicago

I found the commentary on McCarthy's relationship with the production as the most interesting part of the article. It is easy to forget sometimes that authors do not just hand over their work to be performed as a play or produced as a movie without having some say in that performance (Check out this article about author's feelings after having their books turned into movies: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/hollywood-ate-my-novel-novelists-reveal-what-its-like-to-have-their-book-turned-into-a-movie-6940772.html). For example, in the scene where Black cooks dinner for White, McCarthy had originally scripted the cooking to take place off-stage in order to allow for an intermission. However, the director for the Steppenwolf production thought that an intermission would interrupt the drama and therefore let the play continue for the full-length of time (similar to the movie). Interestingly enough, our class watched the movie with a kind of intermission as the movie was split between two different class days. I wonder if our perception and conversation about the movie would have changed if we had watched it in its entirety at one time.
     Luce also discusses the significance of the title "The Sunset Limited." She says that "to ride the Sunset Limited is to take the final journey, to die, to ride west of everything." I think the last description is most interesting, "to ride west of everything." Although "The Sunset Limited" takes place in New York, in reality the Sunset Limited is an Amtrak train that rides West from Louisiana to California. Luce seems to be suggesting that the traveling west of the real train is also symbolic of White's decision to commit suicide.

Triad Stage Production of The Sunset Limite below:

   

Primacy in the Sunset Limited

     Cormac McCarthy's play and subsequent movie The Sunset Limited offers a snapshot of a pivotal moment in the lives of the two main characters (and only characters for that matter), White and Black. In the scene that makes up the entire plot White has just attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a train called the Sunset Limited and is now sitting at the kitchen table of the man who pulled him out of the way, Black. What ensues is a long dialogue about God, religion, and the purpose of life (if there is one).
     On the related note of life and its purpose, I recommend Nick Hornby's How to Be Good, like The Sunset Limited it is not necessarily "satisfying," but it does raise questions about what "we" want out of life and how to get it (if we even can). This quote from Hornby's book seems very related and pertinent to White's dilemma:

“You don't ask people with knives in their stomachs what would make them happy; happiness is no longer the point. It's all about survival; it's all about whether you pull the knife out and bleed to death or keep it in...” 

     It seems to me that White chose his fate, he would rather "bleed to death" than keep the knife in that is making his life unbearable. He would rather commit suicide than suffer for the rest of his life. It was Black's intervention, saving his life, that either temporarily or permanently prevented his suicide. 

     I found the idea of "primacy" incredibly interesting in both the film and play. What do we put first and why? How does that effect our life? Does a certain order dictate whether your life is purposeful? For example, what if I valued material wealth above all other things? I would cut down rainforests, fire thousands of employees, cheat and trick consumers, etc. etc. in order to gain the thing that I wanted. However, what if I valued charity above all else? I may spend every extra penny not spent on necessities giving to the poor and donating to children's hospitals. In this case it does seem as if one life is better than the other, but what happens in those middle areas? Where the primacy of life gets muddled and we are not sure what should go first. What about religion, Black's perspective? Shouldn't God and devotion to Him, in that case, be the ultimate priority? 

It seems strange to compare "Black" and "White." The two terms typically signify a "right" or "wrong" way, with no room for a gray area. However, the play and film seem to end stuck in grayness.