The Skin of Our Teeth is a refreshing change from the plays we have recently read. I think it is safe to assume that it is not like any other play we have read in our high school career. The Skin of Our Teeth is a delightful change from the predictable themes found in Shakespeare's King Lear; which include violence, betrayal and an old man that lacks common sense. Once you read one Shakespearean play, they all begin to sound the same. After reading Lear, I am able to enjoy The Skin of Our Teeth's original comedic approach immensely. I appreciate the way Wilder address existentialism, a subject that could be considered serious with humor and entertainment. Wilder makes allusions to biblical characters like Adam, Eve and Moses. The Antrobus' celebrate their FIVE THOUSANDTH wedding anniversary. He throws in a dinosaur and a mammoth for what seems like no real reason. These features alone lead me to think what is the point of this play? What is the purpose of the incorporation of these ancient animals? Why is morality important? So I guess this is the affect Wilder wanted his play to have on the audience. Sabina said a line that stuck out that I think we all can connect with, "I don't know why my life's always being interrupted- just when everything's going fine!" In the play Sabina is referring to a flood ruining her affair with Antrobus; however, in life we feel that as soon as our life is going well and we are happy there's always a thought that it is too good to be true and it will be ruined soon enough. I think this play exhibits the idea that we never truly know what's to come or what's the purpose of life.
I agree with you, Ashley. Initially, I thought I was going to hate this play. I tend to dislike books that are over the top or ridiculous. However, I really enjoyed it. I actually laugh at the jokes too. Even though the actors tell the audience that everything is stupid and we should not analyze what they are saying, I find myself thinking anyway. As for your question about morality, I think the play is trying to show that when people lose their morals and become careless, they are creating a chaotic society. With chaos comes paranoia. During each act, there is a new type of disaster that is going to end the world, and everyone thinks they are going to die. In a way, this relates to our society today. People think that the world will end in 2012. Our society is certainly out of control because we are in the middle of war, and people in the Middle East are constantly killing and rebelling. Global Warming is happening at this moment. The Skin Of Our Teeth actually has a message. A lack of morals and chaos comes with consequences in our environment.
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