International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

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January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

ATTRACTION OF OPPOSITES IN NEIL SIMON’S PLAYS

Nalini Madala S.D.M. Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala Vijayawada e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The paper attempts to analyze the opposing personalities in the selected plays of Neil Simon. Further, it examines the mechanics of attraction, repulsion and reconciliation among opposite personalities in Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, They're Playing Our Song, The odd couple and The Sunshine Boys. In Barefoot in the Park and They're Playing Our Song, the incongruous characters within opposite sexes encounter with attraction, repulsion and reunion and their endings conclude with renewal of the relationships. But, in The Odd Couple and The Sunshine Boys, Simon depicts absolutely mismatched characters within the same sex and their uncompromising behaviors make them impossible to sustain relationships.

Keywords: attraction, opposing personalities, repulsion, reunion.

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January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

Introduction

This paper attempts to study the opposing personalities in the selected plays of Neil Simon. It also analyses the mechanics of attraction, repulsion and reconciliation among opposite personalities in Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, They're Playing Our Song, The odd couple and The Sunshine Boys.

Neil Simon is considered to be one of the finest writers of comedy in American literary history. His plays always demonstrate average people with real life settings and situations. Most of his characters are antithetical in nature and behavior. And these opposites not only attract, but also repel and some of them later compromise with each other. He creates persons that do not go together normally and places them next to each other bringing about antagonistic expression. Many of his plays deal with opposing personalities with conflict being a string used to keep the plot and characters together. These opposing personalities initially like each other but later exasperate, resulting in escalating conflict. In some characters, he brings in reconciliation to end the conflict with the renewal of relationships. But, some characters suffer incompatibility with their rigid, dogmatic and inflexible behavioral patterns which make them impossible to live together. He constructs humans with absolutely mismatched traits, tucking them in real life situations where by clash and humor rein in throughout the play. Here, this paper attempts to examine the opposing personalities in the above selected plays.

Normally, the conflict arises in marriage relationships, and Simon’s comedies portray these struggles with plots of marital difficulties or fading love, sometimes leading to separation or divorce. In Barefoot in the Park and They’re Playing Our Song, the contradictory personalities with their differing attitudes and traits are paired together. Naturally, they are in clash with each other that damages their relationships. However, they finally realize the fact that successful relationships are built upon compromise and tolerance. In these plays, the devices of attraction, repulsion and reunion are perfectly used within opposite sexes and their endings conclude with renewal of the relationships highlighting the need of compatibility and compromise. But, in The Odd Couple and The Sunshine Boys, Simon depicts incongruous characters within the same sex

and their uncompromising behaviors make them impossible to stay together. 3 Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

In Barefoot in the Park, the protagonists Corie and Paul appear to be complete opposites in personality and obviously attract each other. But, Simon creates conflict between Corie’s enthusiastic carefree approach to life and Paul’s buttoned-up conservatism with all sensibilities. From the very First Act, readers can understand that these two are very different characters that have very divergent set of ideas and values. However, Paul and Corie are very much in love illustrating the magnetic law of attraction.

Corie is a thorough romantic young woman who likes to prolong her honeymoon as much as possible. She is an eccentric, adventuresome, and impulsive woman. She is a free spirit whose idea of fun is doing something wild, insane and crazy. Corie enjoys walking barefoot in the park in the winter, eating exotic food, and thinking of outrageous pranks to play on her neighbors. Paul, on the other hand, is practical, conventional, conservative and formal. He is understanding and a no-nonsense lawyer who has just started his career. He is so formal that Corie wonders whether he wears a tie in bed before their marriage. In her view, her husband has no spirit of adventure and is too proper and dignified to know how to enjoy life. She accuses of him ‘close to being perfect’ and expects him to be a little more colorful and flamboyant.

Corie and Paul slowly begin to disagree with each other within one week of their wedded life and the rift between them quickly widens. “It’s suddenly very clear that you and I have absolutely nothing in common,” (p.178) she exclaims. Paul expects her to behave with little common sense, understanding and emotional maturity. However, she finds him boring in less than a week and feels hopeless. Their whole marriage seems to be sailing in turbulent waters and the pair is heading in different directions. The readers feel that the two of them are completely incompatible and that the future of their love nest is destined to be a disaster.

As the repulsion reins high, Corie calls Paul a coward and unbearable, and asks him to leave the apartment. Paul wonders at her hysterical temperament as she seeks divorce even before receiving their marriage license. As she still insists on separation, disgusted Paul walks off in the freezing weather.

Simon introduces another odd couple, Corie’s mother Mrs. Banks and Victor Velasco. The

relationship between Corie and her mother also involves a clash of very distinct personalities. 4

Like Paul, Mrs. Banks is conservative and cautious. She doesn’t “jump into life” (p.131); she Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

looks first just like Paul. Victor Velasco, however, resembles the free-spirited Corie. He is adventuresome and impulsive; doing whatever gives him the most pleasure in life. At fifty-eight, Velasco enjoys outdoors, skiing and mountain climbing and likes to cook exotic food. Corie fixes a blind date between them which is marred by a variety of mishaps. The tension suddenly erupts when Corie finds that her mother is missing. However, Corie returns to Paul, fearing the worst about her mother.

It seems as if every relationship in the play is self-destructive as not only Paul and Corie, but also Mrs. Banks and Velasco are quite opposing personalities. The compatibility problems of the newlyweds, and Mrs. Banks and Velasco seem to be mounting unless the personalities give up something for the sake of unity. Thus, persuaded by her mother’s advice, “give up a little of you for him. Don’t make everything a game”(p.207), Corie rushes for Paul. She is astonished to find that Paul is completely drunk. She becomes even more flabbergasted at the outrageous way her husband is behaving. Against his usual and unruffled nature, he retorts her back in equal measure. When Corie enquires about his lack of socks, Paul answers “I've been walking barefoot in the goddam park.” (p.209) Frightened by her husband’s bizarre behavior, Corie suddenly realizes that she wants “the old Paul back” (p.211), that she needs him to take care of her, and that she loves him for being strong and dependable. However, Corie has recognized the error of her impulsive and intrusive behavior and the need for forethought, while Paul has shed some of his inhibitions and managed to ‘let loose’ for his personal life. However, all the hidden events have been revealed, and the divergent aspects of the all four characters’ personalities that lead to complications are realized. The play ends happily as Paul and Corie have both demonstrated an ability and willingness to compromise and win back their love and relationship. Thus, here the opposites attract, repel, compromise and again attract each other. Simon’s another play, They're Playing Our Song also exemplifies the male and female lead roles - Sonia and Vernon, with differing personalities. Sonia is an upcoming lyricist with a peculiar behavior. She appears to be a quirky, indecisive and struggles with self imposed problems. She speaks her mind without thinking of consequences, wears bewilderingly weird clothing, very disorderly and never maintains time. 5 Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

She collaborates with Vernon, a famous composer who has two Grammies and an Academy Award to his credit. While Vernon is aloof, punctual and focused, Sonia is disorganized and distracted. She is late when she comes to meet Vernon for the first time. She never bothers about the time, while Vernon is so prompt and counts on every minute. Though they have personality conflicts, they decide to team up. Sonia is so out spoken that in their first meeting itself she tells him about herself and bluntly asks him about he being engaged three times.

Though Vernon is annoyed by her late arrivals, not keeping appointments and her weird dressing manner, he likes her lyrics. Thus, opposites start attracting each other. Vernon with his high standards likes her and feels nervous to play music before her and the same with Sonia. He finds very difficult to cope with her as she is emotional rather than rational. His pulse rate increases as long as she is in his room.

The main cause of rift between the pair is Sonia’s boyfriend Leon, whom she wants to stay away. But, she is too indecisive to take control of her life and allows Leon to mess up her life. Though she does not like him, she often visits him. She keeps on oscillating between Leon and Vernon. When Vernon suggests going to dinner, she talks about Leon again and again. Vexed with her indecisiveness, Vernon retorts that whether he has to reserve a seat for Leon also. Though Vernon is very tolerant, it becomes impossible for him to bear with her behaviour as she always seems to care for Leon. Further, Vernon is irritated by her breakups and immediate makeovers with Leon.

Later, she moves to Vernon’s house as Leon is back living at her apartment. Sonia and Vernon's romance and collaboration seems successful for a while, but the relationship begins to crumble because of her inability to send her ex-boyfriend away. Though Vernon greatly respects her feelings, never questions her blunt and incoherent style, she has really tested his endurance levels.

Now the opposites exasperate each other.Though Vernon loves her, he is quiet upset by her relationship with Leon. Sonia asks Vernon to be patient with her and says, “If not, lets’ say goodbye now. I can’t go through another one of those lingering five-year breakups”. (p.198)

6 They breakup as Vernon says he lacks patience and understanding for her, and feels so uncompetitive with her. Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

A few months later, while Vernon is in a hospital after an accident, Sonia visits him. Later, both have separately come to the realization that, despite their differences, they love each other and therefore want to reunion. However, Sonia’s personality shifts from a quirky, indecisive and confusing character to a balanced one. She claims, she has “gone through some changes” (p.211) culminating into a composed lyricist. But, Simon never explains how she suddenly develops such stability. And the play ends as they are able to build a compatible living by reestablishing their relationships through transformation and reconciliation. In the above two plays, he gives happy endings by using the dynamics of attraction, repulsion and reunion among the characters.

Simon creates another set of odd and antithetical characters who are men in his play, The Odd Couple. The protagonists, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, become friends and roommates after their divorces. Simon keeps these two distinctive personalities together - the obsessively fastidious Felix and horribly messy Oscar and generates both conflict and comedy at their heights.

It doesn’t take long for the readers to accurately predict how each of these mismatched roommates will react in any particular scene, since a messy person is coupled with a very neat person, and the result is a lot of conflict about how the room must be maintained for they rarely slip out of character.

The beginning of Act I, Oscar’s apartment with its fine furnishings is described as “without the touch and care of a woman... .” The apartment is filled with “Dirty dishes, discarded clothes, old news-papers, empty bottles, glasses filled and unfilled, opened and unopened laundry packages, mail and disarrayed furniture abound.” (p.217) But it is Felix’s ‘touch and care’ makes the apartment not only clean but ‘spotless and sterile.’

Felix is an eccentric, picky, fussy, hypochondriac and a crybaby with a habit of awful cleanliness. It seems Felix suffers from self pity and obsessive compulsive disorder. This makes him debilitating to lead a normal life. Though he is an excellent cook and house keeper, his nit- picking behavior makes him intolerable. He wants everything to be perfect or done in a specific

way. Therefore, when he wants to commit suicide, he sends a ‘suicide telegram’ to his wife as a 7

precautionary measure. Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

On the other hand, Oscar is rather carefree and careless personality. Though he is quite shabby and disorganized, he is understanding, sympathetic and allows Felix to share his apartment. He is such a messy character that he does not even know where his kitchen is until Felix shows him. He does not know the difference between a spoon and ladle. He too has been separated from family just like Felix, but maintains healthier ego and tries to change and rearrange his life. He accepts facts and does not want to spend the rest of life crying over the past issues. When Felix feels that he is ‘nothing’ without his family, Oscar tries to instill courage saying that he is something, a person with flesh and bones. Oscar empathizes with him that they all have faults and Felix needs few changes. But Felix is weak and powerless to change. He infuriates Oscar by saying nothing will change him because “We are what we are”.

These two mismatched friends with conflicting temperaments, habits and lifestyles attempt to co- exist in a small apartment. After deciding to live together, they go together for a while as Felix cooks and arranges nicely despite Oscar’s slovenliness. But, the trouble starts in earnest resulting in conflict, and nobody wants to compromise. They find it difficult to live together and realize that they are highly incompatible within the same sex.

Though Oscar calls Felix a ‘pest’, he cares for him. But, unable to bear with the irritating habits of ‘Mr. Clean’, he warns Felix, if he wants to continue living in his apartment, he must stay in his room. But the inflexible and indignant Felix, continues to exasperate Oscar even for trivial things. Ultimately, in desperation, Oscar bursts out:

“For six months I lived alone in this apartment. All alone in eight months. I was dejected, despondent and disgusted. Then you moved in – my dearest and closest friend. And after three months of close, personal contact – I am about to have a nervous breakdown! Do me a favor. Move into the kitchen. Live with your pots, your pans, your ladle and your meat thermometer. When you want to come out, ring a bell and I’ll run into the bedroom. ... I’m asking you nicely, Felix - as a friend. Stay out of my way!” (p.290)

Now, the opposites repel strongly at each other. The divergent aspects of the characters' personalities and deep rooted habits become a threat to a harmonious life. They start hating each

other and cannot withstand other’s presence with escalating clashes. Here it is clearly seen the 8

importance of ‘letting go’ attitude as that is the only solution to bring them back to their Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

friendship. If Felix is able to give up something of his obsession or if Oscar is able to ignore his friend’s disgusting behavior, they will surely be able to build a compatible living. All they need is a little compromising and letting loose approach which is impossible for them to achieve.

Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, also deals with another set of conflicting personalities, Willie Clark and Al Lewis. These old men in above seventies, suffer from inevitable disorders pertaining to aging. But, still despite their problems, both of them are always at loggerheads. Simon places these incompatible characters together with a fun filled prolonged battle weaving around them.

Willie Clark and Al Lewis are professionally known as the Sunshine Boys, a one-time Vaudevillian team. Al and Willie, successful on stage, they are headliners for forty three years until Al abruptly decides to retire. Over the course of forty-odd years, they not only grow to hate each other but never speak to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act.

Willie is an obstinate loner, impatient, agitated, dominating, forgetful (he never remembers how to unlock his front door), dependent on his nephew Ben, but struggles badly to be independent and act. But, he remembers every single detail of Al. He is predetermined and adamant with fixed opinions. Ignoring his age and reality, he does not want to retire. Further he is quick in quarrel and jealous of Al.

On the contrary, Al is relatively wiser and soft natured. He seems to be gentle, calm, taciturn, docile and slightly senile. He is sensible enough to accept aging by retiring gracefully from their glorious showbiz. But he is like a cat waiting patiently to pounce back or to deliver a sharp one- liner when he is provoked by Willie. These highly mismatched personalities are a perfect match on stage as they are most brilliantly successful pair for forty three years. Later, Al has settled contentedly into his twilight years, living in a country side at New Jersey with his daughter’s family. But, restless Willie is still hounding his agent cum nephew Ben, to get him work. The stubborn Willie, who is not ready for retirement, hates the wiser Al for breaking up the pair when he is opted to leave show business. Whatever the cause of their rift, the two men have a genius for exasperating one another by exchanging rapid-fire zingers that ripples laughter.

9 As the CBS is presenting a nostalgic tribute, they want Al and Willie to reunite and perform a TV comedy special. The only problem is that the two men, who are together professionally for Page

January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

forty three years, cannot stand each other. At least, Willie can’t stand Al, even for a brief reunion over a period of twelve years. It seems Willie always provokes the soft natured Al until he becomes aggressive and takes head-on. Simon's depicts these antithetical personalities with obstinacy, childishness, ego and professional rivalry and places the two bad tempered and argumentative actors into the same room for a rehearsal, and their differences of opinion make the play’s best part.

However, the old men are together for forty three years despite their differences and finally, both seem to be inseparable by being decided to settle at the Old Actors’ Home. Willie and Al may be characters; but, in their arguments and their mix of dependence and open hostility, they resemble many old couples.

Simon has the bright idea of putting two opposite personalities together in a relationship- like Paul and Corie in a marital relationship; Sonia and Vernon, in romantic relationship; like Oscar and Felix, friends and roommates; like Willi and Al, actors and inseparable stage partners, in the above plays. He depicts a cycle where the opposites initially attract, and then exasperate each other and finally compromise. As long as this cycle moves with all three components i.e attraction, repulsion and reunion, the play has a happy ending by retaining relationships. Thus, Barefoot in the Park and They're Playing Our Song maintain the complete cycle by fulfilling all the three phases. Simon conveys happy endings by finally nurturing compatibility and compromise between the male and female characters. Whereas the lead roles in The Sunshine Boys and The Odd Couple are men and remain rigid and inflexible and break the succession of cycle without reaching compromise. They resist each other and spend so much of energy and time to collide with each other. They get aggravated in that process losing peace and harmony. These two plays show the possibility of what may happen if neither person compromises. They also illustrate that sometimes behavioral patterns cannot be broken, and to make them compromise is to beg frustration.

Thus, by creating the juxtaposition of personalities, Simon has not only achieved highly successful and effective screenwriting, but also become America's most prize winning and popular dramatist. 10

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January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1 International Journal of The Frontiers of English Literature and The Patterns of ELT ISSN : 2320 - 2505

References:

 Simon, Neil. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF NEIL SIMON: Vol.1. With an introduction by Neil Simon. Plume edition, pub: Penguin books, New York, 1986. ISBN: 978-0-452-25870-9.  Simon, Neil. THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG, THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF NEIL SIMON: Vol.3. Pub: Random House, First Edition 1992, ISBN- 978-0-679-40889-5.  Simon, Neil. THE ODD COUPLE, THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF NEIL SIMON: Vol.1. With an introduction by Neil Simon. Plume edition, pub: Penguin books, New York, 1986. ISBN: 978-0-452-25870-9.  Simon, Neil. THE SUNSHINE BOYS, THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF NEIL SIMON: Vol.2. With an introduction by Neil Simon. Plume edition, pub: Penguin books, New York,1986. ISBN: 978-0-452-26358-1.

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January 2014 www.englishjournal.mgit.ac.in Volume 2, Issue 1