I believe a
major motif in Amy Herzog’s play 4000
Miles is the act of misunderstanding something. This is a reoccurring
pattern in the play, especially in regards to Leo and Vera. Vera is 91 years
old and uses a hearing aid, but quit a few times she forgets to wear it and
cannot hear what is being said. Vera also has trouble remembering simple words;
this sometimes makes it hard to understand what she is talking about. When she
cannot remember what something is called she says “whaddayacallit”, this is
defiantly a reoccurring word in the script.
Leo in my
opinion is the worst when it comes to misunderstanding things. Take for
instance his relationship with Bec. He thinks everything is great and they are
so much in love. Bec on the other hand feels that their relationship is
childish and not very serious. Leo also does not understand how his actions
affect others. His adoptive sister and he have made out and now she is in
therapy because of it. He responds to this by saying well I only used a little
tongue. This just shows how much he does not understand. The point could be
argued that Leo knows what he is doing and just does not care.
I am
certain that 4000 Miles is a play
about misunderstandings.
Chelsea brings up an interesting aspect of Leo's personality, the fact that he has difficulty understanding and connecting to people. Although it's true that he looks extremely insensitive at several points in the play, I think it's important to bring up the fact that he's just been through a traumatic experience. Post-watching your friend die, it makes sense that he'd be struggling with his own inner demons. When considering the fact that he has trouble understanding others, I think it's important to recognize the fact that he himself isn't mentally sound.
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