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The Shape of Things

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The Shape of Things
The Shape of Things Essay

“Love is whatever you betray, betrayal can only happen if you love” (John le Carre). The play The Shape of Things by Neil Labute reminded me of this quote by John le Carre because of the reality in life and reality in the play. Beginning in a museum located in a small town, Adam was a shy student working at the historical facility and a conversation sparked up between him and a girl named Evelyn. As the play went on, Evelyn became so important to Adam that he simply did whatever she suggested to him such as changing his hair, changing his clothes, and even changing his friends, Philip and Jenny. The relationship between Adam and Evelyn was mysterious, intriguing, and hot. It made Adam so interested and he thought she was perfect, however when Evelyn came around other people, such as Adam’s close friends Philip and Jenny, her flaws seemed to be more obvious. While being oblivious to the flaws, Adam fell head over heels for her and proposed to her as well. Not long after, Evelyn had a large art exhibit to present, a project that she had been working on for a while, to others and as she did revealed everything about her and Adam’s relationship. She told others how Adam was her art project through the way she created a new person. She influenced his appearance and saw absolutely nothing wrong with what she did. Evelyn had stated how she never once asked or told him to do anything; she just made suggestions, therefore not doing anything wrong. Throughout the play, Evelyn had a way of manipulation over Adam. Without telling Adam exactly what to do, she would suggest it instead. Evelyn would make comments and suggestions such as “no you’re definitely cute, but you shouldn’t style it so much. Your hair. Just let it go…”(Neil, pg. 12), when she wanted him to change his hair. She would also say things like “its cosmetic, not corrective…it’s no big deal. I promise,”(Neil, pg. 63) when she wanted him to go into surgery and get his nose

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