Domestic Turmoil and Cultural Disintegration in Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind.

Abstract

Sam Shepard’s family plays portray the disintegration of the American household, where love, unity, and communication collapse under emotional strain. His plays unveil the failure of the American Dream, portraying middle-class families burdened by economic hardship, moral decay, and disillusionment. His A Lie of the Mind pictures domestic turmoil and cultural disintegration, one of the major causes obstructing the American Dream. The study examines the causes and consequences of alcoholism and domestic violence, ultimately leading to cultural anarchy. Wife battering, marginalization, suppression, and degrading women mark the cultural disintegration in American society. Shepard has transformed familiar domestic spaces into arenas of conflict, where inherited guilt and broken ideals suffocate human connection. Shepard advises to treat women on par with men and also advocates the empowerment of women to rebuild the nation. The play is a cautionary tale to the Americans, advising them to transform challenges into opportunities, through resilience and determination.