How Does 'Buried Child' End?

2025-06-16 01:12:49 195

3 answers

Ursula
Ursula
2025-06-17 14:59:05
The ending of 'Buried Child' hits like a sledgehammer. After layers of family secrets unravel, Vince finally snaps when his grandfather Dodge dies. In a surreal twist, he carries Dodge's corpse upstairs while Halie babbles about rain and fertility. The buried child's skeleton is revealed in the backyard, confirming the dark secret that haunted the family. Shelly, the only outsider, flees in horror, realizing this family is beyond saving. Tilden cradles the dead child's bones, murmuring about corn, symbolizing the cycle of decay. It's not a clean resolution—just a brutal unveiling of rot festering beneath American family values.
Quinn
Quinn
2025-06-17 16:51:25
Sam Shepard's 'Buried Child' concludes with a disturbing unveiling that lingers long after the curtain falls. The play's final act exposes the grotesque truth about the family's past—a child murdered and buried in the yard, its existence erased. As Dodge dies coughing, Vince asserts dominance by taking his place on the couch, mirroring the generational trauma. Halie returns with Father Dewis, oblivious to the chaos, prattling about her dead son Ansel while Tilden unearths the child's bones.

The symbolism here is thick. The corn Tilden keeps bringing inside represents both sustenance and suffocation, growth and decay. Shelly's departure marks the failure of outsiders to 'fix' this family. The final image of Tilden cradling the bones while Halie praises the rain suggests nature's indifference to human suffering. Shepard doesn't offer catharsis—just harsh light on how families bury horrors instead of confronting them.

What fascinates me is how the ending subverts the 'returning prodigal son' trope. Vince doesn't redeem the family; he inherits its madness. The house becomes a tomb, and the audience is left questioning how many real families hide similar skeletons.
Quinn
Quinn
2025-06-18 07:58:04
That finale messed me up for days. 'Buried Child' doesn't end—it collapses. Dodge's death triggers Vince's violent rebirth as the new patriarch, screaming 'This is mine!' over the corpse. Meanwhile, Tilden, the broken son, wanders in with the baby's remains like some deranged harvest. The contrast between Halie's delusional optimism and the physical evidence of infanticide is chilling.

Shepard masterfully uses the setting as a character. The rain Halie celebrates becomes ironic purification that never comes. The living room decays as the fields (supposed symbols of life) cough up death. Shelly's exit is the only sane response—some truths are too poisonous to witness. The play leaves you wondering: was the child buried, or was the whole family buried alive by their lies?

Related Books

My fiance's Brother
My fiance's Brother
As the youngest daughter of Yoke family, Evangeline can only marry to Bishop family. Her father deeply loved his elder daughter Rose, who is born to his late wife. Evangeline's mother is just a convenience to her father, even her mother thinks highly of her elder sister Rose more than her. Never got the love of both of her parents, Evangeline was promised to Jake Bishop, who is nothing but a womanizer and lives off of the money earned by his stepbrother, the type she least wants to be involved with. Damien is the elder son of the most powerful family in the werewolf world. As the next in line to take over the Bishop empire, he is 29 and already promised to marry Rose. But one night changed their lives forever. Evangeline unexpectedly slept with Damien and gave him her virginity. Slowly Damien begins to be attracted to Evangeline more than he should.  What will happen if Evangeline finds out that Damien is none other than her would-be brother-in-law? Will she bend down to her father's demands and marry Jake? Can Damien let her go? Can this forbidden couple have a happy ending?
9.4
200 Chapters
Barren Mother Give Birth To Sextuplets For The HOT CEO
Barren Mother Give Birth To Sextuplets For The HOT CEO
Amy didn't expect that her husband whom she had loved and trusted earnestly for many years would be cheating on her by having sex with his secretary. When she confronted him, he and his secretary mocked and ridiculed her, they called her barren to her face, afterall, she had not conceived for the past three years that she had been married to her husband, Callan. Terribly Heartbroken, she filed for divorce and left to the club, she picked a random gigolo, had a hot one night stand with him, paid him and dissapeared to a small city. She came back to the country six years later with three identical cute boys and three identical cute girls of the same age. She settled and got a job but soon find out that her CEO was the gigolo she had sex with six years back at the club. Will she be able to hide her six little cuties from her CEO, who happens to be the most powerful man in NorthHill and beleived to be infertile? Can Amy and the most powerful man in NorthHill get along considering the social gap between them?
7.8
176 Chapters
Black Card
Black Card
Steal the CEO's Black Card or his cold heart? "Please... Please sir I'm begging you, I didn't steal the card. Please believe me" Belle hopelessly begged, tears welling her already messy face. "You deserve to be in prison...fraud!" the store manager exclaimed in pure disdain, glaring as he snickered. Belle was an orphan from a young age, struggling for her dream. A dream of becoming a great doctor. A dream she weaved together with her late parents. For several years, a tiny room in a dilapidated building served her humble home, living at the mercy of others. Most of the time she has empty pockets and an empty stomach. She endured the ridicule from wearing worn-out clothes and torn shoes for medical school. Life is a struggle for her but never did she think of stealing, especially the BLACK CARD of the famous and cold CEO, Ethan DelValle.
9.8
93 Chapters
The Arranged Bride
The Arranged Bride
"I said you won't be working anymore." She smirked, "Watch me." Saying that she turned and I watched her till she walked out of the door.........................................The thirty-year-old billionaire bachelor Nicholas Carter isn't really fond of the word- love, owing to his past. What happens when he is arranged in marriage to the twenty-seven-year-old sweet and independent Sophia Jones who refuses to bow down in front of him and accept everything he throws her way unlike an usual arranged bride? Oh! Did I mention Nicholas Carter's five-year-old son?
9.8
54 Chapters
Tormenting Her Innocence
Tormenting Her Innocence
Standing against the corner of the wall, her entire drenched body was shivering, both in fear and cold. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself. Her head was downcast. "Didn't I warn you not to step out of this house without my permission?" A shiver ran down her spine, hearing that intensely rugged voice questioning her. She didn't answer, not only just because she was a mute but also because she didn't know what to answer that person before her. Her shivering turned vigorous when she heard those heavy footsteps coming closer to her. That tall sinewy figure towered her. "You know what will I do to you if I have to repeat my fucking self again," She slowly took her head upward, hearing his threat. Her teary golden brown eyes met with his icy blue ones. His words immediately reminded her what he had done to her last night. Anger and hatred brimmed up in her watery eyes, and she didn't even need to use her words to tell him that. Her tears told him the intensity of her hatred towards him after what he had done to her last night. His jaw clenched. His nefarious gaze hooded. Grabbing her fragile neck with his brawny palm, he pushed her against the wall more and hovered her. "You consider me as a monster, don't you?" Hearing him whispering those words in her ear, her heart froze in terror, realising the worst things he was capable of doing to her. He gripped her neck tightly, causing a tear to slip down from her eyes. He leaned closer to her face, causing their noses to rub against each other. "Then tonight I will really become one for you and will torment this innocence of yours, Kaya Haiden……."
9.5
122 Chapters
Revenge After Divorce
Revenge After Divorce
Olivia’s best friend Sandra turned against her, spoke ill about her to her husband, convinced him that she caused her fall that resulted in her miscarriage, stole from him and that she has been stealing from him for months. Also, that Olivia has been secretly taking prevention pills because she didn’t want to have a child with Nick. She convinced him that Olivia was still in love with her high school sweetheart, Marcus. In his anger, Nick sent his wife to prison and moved on with his wife’s best friend, Sandra. Will their relationship last, was Olivia going to get her revenge and her husband back?
9.6
440 Chapters

Related Questions

Who Dies In 'Buried Child' And Why?

3 answers2025-06-16 17:50:37
In 'Buried Child', the deaths hit hard because they reveal the family's dark secrets. Dodge, the patriarch, dies from illness and neglect, symbolizing the rot at the family's core. His grandson Vince doesn't kill him directly, but the family's indifference speeds up his demise. The real shocker is the buried child itself—a baby killed by Dodge and Halie years ago because it was the product of an incestuous relationship between Halie and their son Tilden. This murder haunts the family, making their farm a literal graveyard of secrets. The play doesn't show the baby's death, but its discovery forces the characters to face their guilt.

What Is The Hidden Secret In 'Buried Child'?

3 answers2025-06-16 07:32:29
The hidden secret in 'Buried Child' is like peeling an onion—each layer reveals something more disturbing. At its core, it’s about the buried corpse of an incest-born child, a literal and metaphorical skeleton in the family’s closet. The play uses this secret to expose the rot beneath American family values. The child’s death was covered up by the family, and its unearthing disrupts their already fractured dynamics. The secret isn’t just a plot twist; it’s a commentary on denial, guilt, and the decay of the American Dream. The family’s farm, once fertile, now lies barren, mirroring their moral and emotional sterility. The secret’s revelation forces characters to confront their complicity, making it a powerful symbol of repressed trauma.

What Awards Did 'Buried Child' Win?

3 answers2025-06-16 19:37:15
I remember digging through theater archives about 'Buried Child'—it’s a Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama in 1979, which is huge. Sam Shepard’s masterpiece also snagged the Obie Award for Best New American Play before that. What’s wild is how it shook up off-Broadway first, then climbed to mainstream acclaim. The Pulitzer committee called it 'a disturbing, visionary work' that redefined family dramas. It’s not just awards though; the play’s influence is everywhere now, from college syllabi to indie theater revivals. If you want raw, unfiltered American gothic, this is the blueprint.

Is 'Buried Child' Based On A True Story?

3 answers2025-06-16 11:33:54
I've dug into 'Buried Child' quite a bit, and no, it's not based on a true story. Sam Shepard crafted this dark, unsettling play from his own imagination, blending elements of American Gothic and family drama. The themes feel so real because they tap into universal fears - secrets festering beneath the surface of family life, the decay of the American dream. While the specific events aren't factual, Shepard draws from real emotional truths about how families can rot from within. The play's power comes from how it makes fictional horrors feel uncomfortably possible. If you like this kind of psychological depth, check out 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' for another brutal take on domestic dysfunction.

Why Is 'Buried Child' Considered A Dark Comedy?

3 answers2025-06-16 07:16:44
The darkness in 'Buried Child' creeps up on you like a slow poison, but the absurdity makes you laugh despite yourself. The family's dysfunction is so over-the-top it loops back to being hilarious—grandpa's rotting corn, mom's deadbeat boyfriend spouting nonsense, the literal skeleton in the closet. What starts as grim realism spirals into surreal farce when the estranged grandson shows up and nobody recognizes him. The play weaponizes awkward silences and non sequiturs like a standup comedian, making you cringe-laugh at characters who’ve given up on basic human decency. It’s the kind of humor that sticks in your throat, where you feel guilty for chuckling at a family tearing itself apart. Shepard’s genius is in balancing grotesque imagery (that buried baby) with deadpan delivery. The characters treat horrific revelations with the same indifference as discussing the weather, creating this bizarre disconnect that’s both unsettling and darkly comic. The play doesn’t punch down—it drags everyone into the mud equally, mocking American dream tropes while drowning them in whiskey and denial.

What Is The Significance Of Onions In 'Buried Onions'?

3 answers2025-06-16 11:37:10
In 'Buried Onions', onions are this gritty metaphor for pain and struggle that just won't quit. Every time Eddie sees them—whether rotting in the streets or making his eyes water—it's like Fresno's hardships are staring him down. They represent the cycle of poverty and violence that keeps dragging people under. What hits hardest is how they're 'buried' but never gone, just like the trauma in these characters' lives. Even the way they make you cry mirrors how survival in this neighborhood forces toughness through tears. Soto uses something as simple as an onion to show how deeply rooted suffering can be in a place where hope keeps getting dug up and replanted.

Who Is Crying Child

3 answers2025-03-21 20:42:29
I saw a crying child at the park yesterday. It was heartbreaking. He was lost and looking around, teary-eyed. A friendly dog distracted him for a moment, which felt like a small victory. Parents should watch out when kids are playing; it’s easy for them to wander off, especially when they get excited about something. I hope he found his family soon after. Kids are so innocent and pure, their tears really hit different.

How Did 'A Child Called "It"' Impact Child Abuse Awareness?

3 answers2025-06-14 09:17:01
As someone who read 'A Child Called "It"' during a dark period in my own childhood, this book hit me like a ton of bricks. Dave Pelzer's raw account of his abuse was the first time I saw my own experiences mirrored in literature. The sheer brutality of his mother's actions – burning him on a stove, forcing him to drink ammonia, starving him systematically – shattered the illusion that abuse is always hidden behind closed doors. What makes this memoir so powerful is its unflinching honesty; Pelzer doesn't sugarcoat the psychological warfare alongside physical torture. After its publication, school counselors reported a surge in disclosures from students. The book became required reading in many social work programs because it illustrates how abuse often escalates in plain sight when systems fail. Its cultural impact lies in making extreme abuse tangible to readers who might otherwise dismiss such cases as exaggeration.
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status