Amy Herzog's "After the Revolution"

HI.

IT’S SHANNON.

Yup. Still doing that opening.

This week is a treat. One of the best female writers of the last decade with smart, interesting, non-cliche, totally kickass young female characters: Amy Herzog. Her plays are intelligent, political, about growing up and finding your identity with or without your family. If you don’t know her yet, go out and read her. She’s amazing. This is one of two plays that centers around the family of Joe Joseph, though the two don’t line up perfectly. They have overlapping characters, but not completely… it’s kind of odd. People say that this is the “prequel” in a way, that Herzog wrote this one and was like “wait, no I can totally do this better” and then wrote the second, but I personally like this one better (maybe because I like it when the lead protagonist is an awesome kickass female… or because I’m sucker for plays that feature daddy issues. Who knows.)

ANYWAY I now present:

AFTER THE REVOLUTION

by Amy Herzog

The story centers around Emma, an ivy-league law student graduating from college, heading a high-power fund for the release of a political prisoner with her boyfriend Miguel; a fund named for her grandfather, Joe Joseph, a Communist blacklisted in the 50s for his outspoken views. Her family is as follows: Vera, her grandmother and Joe’s second wife (Communist), Robbie, her father (Communist), Mel, his second wife (Communist), Leo, Emma’s uncle Robbie’s brother (Communist, but not as outspoken), and Jess, Emma’s older sister and a recovering drug addict (apolitical). A history book about the blacklist that named Joe is released, and Emma discovers the family secret: Joe Joseph, who she has been advocating through her fund as an innocent man, actually was spying for the Soviets from his government position prior to being blacklisted. This comes as a shock to Emma, especially since everyone in her family, except her, seemed to know. Hurt, angry, and offended, Emma ignores her father, ostracizes Miguel, and abandons her work on the fund. She finally confronts and forgives her father, renounces her grandfather as a spy, and steps down from leadership of the fund.

We’re (of course) looking at
EMMA

This monologue is Emma’s confrontation with her father. I think I’ve made sense of most of her points in the summary, except for number 10. Mel, Emma’s stepmother, calls her and tells her this story: When Mel and Robbie first started dating, Mel became politically active and was arrested at a rally which, for a young Midwestern Mel, was pretty significant. The next night she met Joe Joseph and Vera for the first time, and was prepared to be proud of her experience, but Robbie never even brought it up. At the end of the night, she asked why he hadn’t spoken up for her and Robbie said, “The Communist Party doesn’t approve of the cause you went to jail for.” He wasn’t willing to be proud of her because he was afraid of disagreeing with his father’s politics. Mel assures Emma that she is proud of what Emma is doing in standing up for her beliefs despite her father’s opinions.

Annnnd… that’s pretty much it!

It’s that moment where you first disagree with your dad, and really let him have it.
Oof.

Here’s the piece!

EMMA: I want to make sure I don’t forget anything. (Robbie nods, perhaps sits, readies himself to listen. Emma refers to her list.) I guess I didn’t put these in a very sensible order.

ROBBIE: That’s okay. Whatever order you want is okay. I’m glad we’re doing this.

EMMA: Um. The first thing I have written down is that I don’t like the way you talk about the guys I date. I don’t like it when you speak Spanish in relation to them, I don’t like when you brag to your friends that I only date Latino men. I don’t understand why that should be a point a pride to you.

ROBBIE: Sweetheart, no matter who you date it’s a point of pride to me, everything you do is a point of pride to me.

EMMA: I recognize the truth of that, on one hand, and you should recognize the truth of what I said.

ROBBIE: I just --

EMMA: Dad, that’s just the first one. (he accepts this and listens.)

The second one. I’m skipping that one for now.

Oh. Number three is really small. It’s that when I was little you made me call my walkman a ‘walkperson.’ I don’t know why I… [included that]

Um. Number four (shakily) Is that you didn’t tell me grandpa Joe was a spy.

Number five is that you raise me to believe the revolution was coming and everything would be different even though you knew that was not true.

Number six is that it took you so long to realize Jess needed help. Because individual suffering has no place in Marxist philosophy.

Number seven is that you always rewarded me for my politics, and for working so hard, but never for just taking a break. And thinking. And being doubtful. And being sad.

Number eight is that I’m sorry.

Number nine. Um. I wrote again that you didn’t tell me grandpa Joe was a spy, I guess I forgot I had written that already.

And number ten (trouble reading it through tears?) Oh. Is that after Mel was in jail for civil disobedience in the eighties you didn’t tell Joe you were proud of her. (she puts down the piece of paper)

ROBBIE: (a deeply painful but real attempt to joke) That’s it?

EMMA: I don’t expect you to respond to all of it right away.

So there you have it! The second play of this series that I talked about is called 4000 Miles and there’s a really good scene in it between Leo and Bec (Who’s a lot like Emma in this play), so if you like this and are looking for a scene, I highly recommend that one. And as always, if you decide to give this piece a go (read the play first and), please comment below with a link of it! We’d love to see your interpretation!

This has been

SOMEONE MONO-BLOGGING

and again,

I’M SHANNON

ENJOY!