What struck me, about the way this play was presented, was the overall sense that this culture was normal and accepted by the characters. There is an obvious theme of avoiding pain by running to alcohol. Through reading and processing the story, I found a sense of appreciation for the life I have. The story shows a compelling indication of what can happen when we move away from structure and order to chaos and war. The fact that our ancestors were willing to live and die for our country so that we can be free, paved the way to build community and a place to call home. It pains me to read about the suffering that takes place and know that this is still happening in the world today. I am not ignorant to think that it cannot be happening in America, but it is not widely known to the point that we accept this as a way of life.
(I’m sorry, I need a refresher’s course on Trinity’s online library, because I could not find articles available after 2012. However, I did find a great article elsewhere that helped me reflect, and even, understand the play differently.) The title of the article, by Jenny Rodrigues, peaked my interest as I was searching for a story about redemption. The article, “Florida woman helps secure release of man who shot her in face as teen 25 years ago”, is about a 13-year-old (Manuel) who shot a 28-year-old (Baigrie) in the jaw and robbed her and her friend for a $20 bill, as part of a gang initiation. Two years after the incident, Manuel called Baigrie to apologize and simply called the act “a mistake”. Baigrie was conflicted because, even though she was mad, she also understood that Manuel was young. She decided to forgive Manuel and became the biggest advocate for his release. Baigrie went on to emphasize how important it is to forgive others and how it really helps propel the healing process. In contrast to Ruined, I see this story offering a sense of closure and healing. During the play, Salima is brutally killed. In her last dying words, she says, “You will not fight your battles on my body anymore.” Though these words are powerful, they are also grave, dark, and broken. These are the words of a girl who had no hope, and from them, we can infer that she is glad to die to finally find rest. She has no opportunity to find real peace through forgiveness. Reading the article, it was amazing to see the redemption Baigrie and Manuel both had through the incident. Baigrie was able to overcome resentment through forgiveness and Manuel was able to repent for his actions and find peace with with his victim.
Other than the fact that this situation is uncommon, I think this story was influenced by Baigrie’s boldness. She did something that others would never dare to do, find peace amidst adversity. She was shot for $20 and a spot in a gang that will likely offer little to no reward. However, instead of remaining furious and confused, she forgave Manuel and became peaceful and content. I think the writer’s agenda was to inspire people to see things from the “bird’s eye view”; and overall to fight for peace. Baigrie mentioned that she was able to come to terms with what happened when she recognized how young Manuel was. She understood that he was lost and looking for a sense of belonging. However, she also mentioned that she found peace and healing through the act of forgiveness. I think that Baigrie’s story can help inspire others to see that either their situation is not as bad as they thought (as Baigrie’s story is more intense than most), or that they can find healing in the situation that they are currently in (bitterness due to a lack of forgiveness). I think Nottage’s motivation for writing Ruined was similar in the way that it was informative, but different in how it went about doing so. Through her story, there is an awareness of atrocities that were taking place and likely are still taking place. Through the lack of sympathy we see throughout the play, we are inspired to see things from other people’s perspectives; not because we’ve been shown how to do so, but because we’ve seen how sad circumstances can be in a world that fails to do so.
I think that these works help inspire others to take ahold of opportunities to do the uncommon in the fight for peace. These stories help show that we do not find peace by running from our adversity, but rather by facing adversity head-on. These men were using the bar/brothel to avoid their problems, but in reality, they were actually running from finding peace. These stories also instill a voice of reason while providing a snapshot into the lives of oppressed women. This should help the audience recognize the repercussions of their actions and how their decisions can impact other people. According to Enjoyment, “Ruined and others by women playwrights were mostly developed in the not-for-profit theatre and then staged on Broadway or Off-Broadway and throughout the United States.” This is a positive impact on society, as the stories opened the doors for women to be accepted as successful playwrights. This is a progressive impact as it provides opportunities for equality, and also doubles our chances to read/experience a story that conveys a message that is beautiful.
