Neighborhood 3

I see plays as being different than stories because plays dive straight into context usually and stories give a strong background before they begin the actual story line. On the surface, Haley's play is very different than other play's I've read however the subliminal message and use of an alternate reality are two common themes in a lot of writing. The use of a virtual reality by the author is definitely a unique (and modern) touch. I'm pretty sure that  this  is the first piece of writing I'm reading that deals with a virtual reality.

I believe that this play can be relate-able to many teens, especially here in the U.S.. I can see that maybe some teens will be interested in reading this and it will in turn open the door for them towards more Literature.

On a deeper level, I see that Haley is expressing some real life internal struggles in this play. It's set in suburbia which speaks volumes. Many teens (or adults) who live in suburbia try to escape their monotonous life there through video games and unfortunately sometimes through drug use. The boredom that ensues for a teen in a suburban lifestyle is expressed in the writing style of Neighborhood 3. To begin, part 1,  walkthrough, has no rhythm to the words. The sentences do not begin with capital letters and the context of this piece is bland. By bland I mean that here we are described the neighborhood very generally, we do not see anything exciting, we do not feel anything exciting, and we do not see any people. There is barely a subject of interest here and I believe this reflects life in suburbia.

The dialogue also reflects the points I stated above. There is minimal capitalization, minimal goal context, and the use of dialogue I believe allows the reader to ping-pong back and forth between the characters. This ping-pong use of dialogue again reflects the repetitive lifestyle of these characters. Haley also adds silence and dullness into the dialogue when she inserts "..." numerous times.

I find it odd that on page 11, Trevor states: "That's the last time I had it/when I was over here/my mom doesn't buy/ Chocolate Milk.". Here 'i' is not capitalized but 'Chocolate Milk' is. Perhaps this also mirrors the characters feeling of internal un-importance.

Drugs are mentioned when Mikaela asks Trevor if he wants Vicodin very casually. As the news and media has shown to be true, drug use (soft drugs, hard core drugs, and prescription drugs) is almost an epidemic in suburban towns. Here Haley is speaking volumes because this casual offering of drugs and life style of drug use is something that is very casual and trivial in suburban areas. Later on, Leslie mentions that her daughter might had had anorexia and Steve admits he also had to force his daughter to eat. They express these family issues so casually that in reality it is worrisome. Self harm (through drug use, bodily harm, etc) is not something to be taken lightly however many suburban towns are aware of it yet don't acknowledge it. Here I believe Haley is expressing all of this and mimicking the suburban tone in the nonchalant mentioning of these bigger issues.