Lee

Character Analysis

An Actor's Dream

Some roles leap off the page, attract some of the best actors in the world, and get theatre students excited about doing scene work in class. Lee is one of those roles. It's fair to say that Austin is like that, too, but there is something about the rawness of Lee from beginning to end that just gets actors fired up. It's the type of role that can change an actor's life. Take John Malkovich, for example:

"The play's ultra-physical staging caused a minor critical earthquake, won Malkovich the Best Actor Obie and brought him a new life in films." (Source)

Damaged, Haunted, and a Whole Lot of Fun

So, what makes Lee so intriguing? Well, there are quite a few things, but the thing that stands out from the beginning is that he is a man who has in no way succumbed to society's rules. He's his own man. He's in his 40s, but it's clear he decided when he was young that he was going to live life the way he saw fit. He steals what he wants, he lives where he wants, he doesn't take charity from his brother, and he even sneers a little at the regular life Austin has chosen for himself:

Lee: Oh, that's right, you got the wife and kiddies now don't ya. The house, the car, the whole slam. That's right. (1.1.173-174)

At his core, Lee is a rambler; someone who just has to keep moving. There is nothing about him that seems settled. However, there is a part of him that seems to be seeking a finish:

Austin: Like a beginning. I love beginnings.

Lee: I've always been kinda' partial to endings myself. (2.8.209-210)

This exchange isn't just about settling down for Lee, though. It demonstrates a contrast between the brothers that exists throughout the play.

Even as Austin descends into the darkness, he looks at his potential new life as a source of hope. He cherishes a beginning, because it could lead to something he wants. There is hope in a beginning.

Lee, the more cynical and, some would argue, more rational of the two, believes that it's really only the end of something that matters. The rest is just moving from place to place.

Rebel Without a Cause

As much of a loner and rebel as he is, Lee is just as jealous of Austin as Austin is of him. While he pokes fun at Austin's Ivy League past, he also hints that he wishes his past could have been similar:

Lee: I always wondered what'd be like to be you […]. I used to picture you walkin' around some campus with your arms fulla' books. Blondes chasin' after ya'. (1.4.236-240)

This dichotomy is what makes Lee so interesting. He's partial to endings and roaming, but he also wonders what it would be like to be something different. He also clings to a past that may or may not have ever existed. He has a vision of a ""true west" that has been torn down and destroyed, and he hopes to recapture this truth with his movie idea:

Lee: So ya' think there's room for a real Western these days? A true-to-life Western? (1.3.161-162)

This notion of the "true west" manages to put the brothers at odds, while still bonding them in a way. Lee clings to this myth of the West, while Austin sees it as a total cliché, but they both long for some connection to this past. They see this idealized version of the West as a representation of their father and a chance for true freedom and adventure. It is a West where man could still be wild, and there is a part of both Lee and Austin that badly wants that.

Lee holds on to a romanticized vision of a time and place that were never even quite real to begin with. Does this mean that beneath the violence, bullying, and sociopathic behavior Lee is really just a romantic at heart? Well, that's at least something worth considering when reading the play and taking on the role of Lee.