Esay on the Captivating Performance of Eccentricities of a Nightingale

The Eccentricities of Nightingale are a play written in 1964 by Tennessee Williams. The play talks about the story of a young woman, Alma Winemiller who struggles to find what she is and what she wants. Her odyssey is met with criticism and resistance from people in her town including her father. Along with her journey she falls in love with a young man named John, however, Johns mother warns him not to get involved with Alma. She bases her reasons for the odd behavior and the events that have happened in her family. People in Glorious Hill ridicule her saying that she is getting mad like her mother. While watching this play, several themes capture the attention of the audience.

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The Eccentricities of a Nightingale explore the theme of love explicitly. The primary character in the play is Alma, who is in love with their family physician John Buchanan. Alma and John goes to watch a movie in the New Years Eve, but Alma arranges for a hotel room with the aim of seducing John that night. As the events unfold the subject of rejection is outlined with Alma being the victim of rejection. Johns mother knows that Alma is in love with her son, but she warns her son no to get involved with Alma because she has strange behavior. John is not in the position to fall in love with Alma, and he makes it known to her. Her father too rejects the kind of interest she has in terms of music and intellect. He is shown in the play continuously reprimanding her about her interests. He sometimes thinks that his daughter has inherited her mothers sickness.

Alma is the most interesting character in the performance. She is aware of the ridicule and scorn of the people around her. For example, when she feeds birds in the town square, people say she is mad. However, none of these matters to her, she is determined to find her path and dreams. She goes to extra lengths to achieve all she wants, she shows this when she tries to seduce John after the movie. She is a character who faces a lot of problems and illness, but those are just stumbling blocks in her path. Women in the society face a lot of resistance when they try to pursue their dreams. Especially around the time, the play was written women and independence were never mentioned in the same sentence. This was the case of Alma, and the failed love experiences made it so emotional while watching the performance. She is so amusing, and her character touches the emotions of the audience in a sympathetic way. The play delivers beyond expectations in terms of plot, the themes explored, and the characters.

William has also used symbolism to emphasize his ideas in the Eccentricities of the Nightingale. The summer to winter seasons has been used to show the different sides of Almas personality. It means that she can be warm and cold while the transition from one season to the other shows the life of Alma. She is a young woman filled with life, dreams, and expectations of her future, however, time changes her dreams and makes her live her life as an outsider labeled as eccentric. The cavaliers plume in the play symbolizes freedom, one that completely disregards the control of the society. The cavaliers plan also symbolizes Almas life; she follows her dreams and does not take to heart what the society wants from her.

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale are a fascinating playful, showing the different aspect of life and love, with a rather sad ending.