Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Tragedy
As far as tragedies go, True West doesn't fall as easily into this category as say Romeo and Juliet or King Lear; Shepard isn't writing tragedy on a grand scale or anything like that. However, when we break it down, we can see that this play does follow the structure of a tragedy in its own ways.
Anticipation
Austin, our would-be hero, bangs away on his typewriter. Sure, he's had some success, but this latest project is going to be the one that brings him some serious success. He's got a meeting with Saul all lined up, and he feels really good about his chances at striking a deal with the big-shot producer. Sure, his crazy brother Lee has shown up, but that's not going to stop Austin from getting what he wants.
Dream Stage
Austin lends Lee the car, so he won't be there when Saul arrives. All seems to be going well. Saul loves Austin's idea for the script, saying, "I am absolutely convinced we can get this thing off the ground" (1.3.6-7). Saul tells Austin he just might need to get a synopsis together, and Austin has no problem with that. He's going to do whatever he needs to make this thing work. Isn't it nice when everything works out so well?
Frustration Stage
Oh, right. This tale is a tragic one (or at least it has tragic qualities), so we know things aren't going to work out so easily. Lee shows up at the end of Austin and Saul's meeting. Unable to get rid of Lee and unwilling to let Saul know that his brother is a thief who probably has some pretty legit mental problems, Austin lets Lee engage in conversation with Saul. This leads to talk of playing a round of golf and discussing Lee's movie idea:
LEE: So ya' think there's room for a real Western these days? A true-to-life Western?
SAUL: Well, I don't see why not. Why don't you uh—tell the story to Austin and have him write a little outline? (1.3.161-164).
While it's not clear, things are starting to go wrong for Austin right at this very moment. As soon as Lee connects with Saul, Austin's dreams of success start to fade, even if Austin doesn't know it yet.
Nightmare Stage
Lee met with Saul and pitched his idea for the Western. Through a bit of gambling, Lee made the deal work. Now, Saul wants to work on Lee's movie idea and not Austin's. After this betrayal (as Austin sees it), things get pretty crazy, pretty quickly.
Austin's dreams of success as a writer transform into a desire to steal toasters from the neighborhood just to prove to Lee that he can do it. More importantly, Austin entirely shifts his goals and starts to abandon the life he's created for himself. When talking about his family, his writing, and all of his money and success, he simply says, "I'd cash it all in in a second. That's the truth" (2.8.260).
Drunk, sweaty, and crazed, it looks like Austin has lost everything he once had.
Destruction or Death Wish Stage
Forgive us while we get a little metaphorical here. For the most part, True West is a very realistic, straightforward play. In fact, as we pointed out earlier, Shepard himself said he "wanted to write a play about double nature, one that wouldn't be symbolic or metaphorical or any of that stuff." That's all fine and good, but when putting the play in terms of tragedy, sometimes you have to go beyond the literal a little.
Austin clearly has a death wish when he attacks Lee at the end of the play. Nothing we have seen before really leads us to believe that Austin has the power to overcome his brother. Now, of course, with some rage at being left behind and being betrayed and with a little help from a phone cord, Austin handles himself pretty well. Though it looks like it at first, Lee doesn't die, and while Austin doesn't die either, he is no longer the Austin from the beginning of the play. At the end of this fight, Austin the writer dreaming of landing a big deal and taking care of his wife and kids no longer exists. That is where the tragedy and the "death" of True West comes.