Six Degree of SeparationJohn Guare

Plot Summary:
1. The play opens with Flan and Ouisa Kittredge who are eager to share the events
of the previous night with the audience. The couple explain that they had invited
a wealthy friend, Geoffrey, over for dinner with the hope that he would purchase a
e!anne painting for two "illion dollars.
#. $ith a %noc% on their door, &aul, a young 'frican('"erican, )eco"es introduced
into the Kittredge*s lives. 'ppearing to have )een "ugged, &aul as%s for help,
introducing hi"self as a friend and +arvard class"ate of the Kittredge*s children.
,. &aul clai"s to )e the son of the fa"ous actor -ydney &oitier. Ouisa and Flanders
tend to &aul*s wounds and invite hi" to dinner with the". instead, &aul coo%s for
the" and entertains the" through explaining his thesis on the /"agination. Ouisa
and Flan )eco"e entranced )y &aul and invite hi" to stay the night. Geoffrey is
so i"pressed )y &aul that he agrees to )uy the e!anne.
0. The next "orning Ouisa finds a 1hustler2 in &aul*s )ed and Flan i""ediately
throws &aul out of the apart"ent, despite &aul*s atte"pts at offering an
explanation.
3. The next day, the Kittredges "eet their friends who have a si"ilar story to tell4
they "et a young "an, "ugged, clai"ing to %now their children. &aul had
appeared at their apart"ent and they had allowed hi" to stay the night. the next
"orning they awo%e to &aul chasing a na%ed 1)urglar2 out of their house.
5. 6oth couples are so started that they report the incident to the police after
unsuccessfully trying to reach -ydney &oitier. The police leave after deter"ining
that nothing was stolen.
7. The couples tell their stories a)out their encounters with &aul. upon learning that
their children have no association with such a person, they reali!e that &aul is an
1i"poster.2
8. Ouisa and Flanders investigate the situation. The only connection )etween their
children and &aul is their old )oarding school. Flash)ac%s reveal that &aul
learned the infor"ation fro" a class"ate, Trent onway, who was )riefly &aul*s
lover.
9. The Kittredges don*t hear fro" &aul for a while until their door"an )eco"es
upset with Flanders a)out the 1:egro son ;he< denies.2 They learn that &aul had
tried to con another couple in entral &ar%, clai"ing that he was the 1old2 son of
Flanders Kittredge.
1=. This ti"e &aul*s 1ga"e2 of incessant lies has gone too far, ulti"ately resulting in
a warrant for his arrest.
11. Flanders convinces the local paper to run a story on &aul and, su)se>uently, &aul
contacts the Kittredges.
1#. Through &aul*s phone conversation with Ouisa, the audience learns a)out &aul*s
deranged fantasies. &aul convinces hi"self that he is the son of Ouisa and
Flanders Kittredge. This drastic change in &aul*s logic proves a direct contrast to
the &aul to which readers are fist introduced. &aul see"s to degenerate for" a
confident, intelligent /vy(?eague scholar to an insecure, struggling )lac% youth.
/ronically, &aul previously tal%ed a)out the power and wonder of the i"agination.
his i"agination now holds hi" captive in a fantasy, as he is una)le to cope in the
real world.
1,. Flanders wants nothing to do with &aul )ut Ouisa convinces &aul to turn hi"self
in to the police.
10. Ouisa pro"ises to visit &aul in prison and help hi" start a new life when he gets
out )ut the police arrest hi" )efore the Kittredges reach &aul. Ouisa is una)le to
1trac% ;&aul< down.2 she doesn*t even 1%now his real na"e.2
13. Flanders goes a)out his life as though &aul has had no effect on hi". Ouisa
fantasi!es a)out &aul*s fate, even conte"plating his 1suicide2 after she reads an
article a)out an unfortunate youth in prison.
15. Ouisa openly ac%nowledges &aul*s influence on her life.
Characters:
Ouisa Kittredgewife to Flanders Kittredge. /nitially Ouisa*s world consists only of
"aintaining her carefully crafter reputation and preserving her wealthy lifestyle.
Through her experience with &aul, Ouisa*s character undergoes a profound
transfor"ation. -he gives voice to the play*s title when she revels in her reali!ation4
1there are six degrees of separation. 6etween us and everyone else on the planet.2 Ouisa
sheds her desperate need to i"press society and e")races the concept of fa"ily,
)eginning to appreciate the significance of hu"an relationships.
Flanders Kittredgewealthy art dealer, hus)and to Ouisa Kittredge. Flan*s constant
o)session with the e!anne sale see"s to consu"e his thoughts and actions and
concerns. Throughout the play, Flan appears to re"ain a static character. 's he pauses
and considers the essence of the e!anne and its ironic relevance pertaining to the
significance of his life, audiences are left to >uestion the passive character of Flanders
Kittredge.
&aul @&aul &oitier(KittredgeAthe audience %nows very little a)out the character of &aul.
' young 'frican('"erican "ale, &aul initially assu"es the persona of an independent
intellectual with profound insights on life, especially on the topic of the i"agination.
&aul creates a fantasy life for hi"self in which he is the son of Flanders Kittredge with
Ouisa as his step"other. &aul, a )rilliant though confused individual, could not exist in
the world of the Kittredges with out pretending to )e so"eone else. &aul*s strange
)ehavior "y )e attri)uted to his negative perception of 1)eing )lac% in '"erica.2
Geoffreya wealthy -outh 'frican friend of the Kittredges who agrees to )ut the
e!anne.
Kitty and ?ar%infriends of the Kittredges who share a shoc%ingly si"ilar experience
with the Kittredges. They too extend their hospitality to &aul and are deceived )y his
char", initially )elieving that &aul saved their lives for" a 1)urglar2 until the Kittredges
told the" otherwise.
Bic%Cli!a)eth*s )oyfriend. $hen &aul needs "oney, Bic% secretly "a%es a
withdrawal for &aul for" his Doint account with Cli!a)eth. Bic% and &aul have a )rief,
inti"ate sexual relationship. Eevastated )y his actions)etraying his girlfriend*s trust
)y 1stealing2 for" their account and having 1relations2 with a "anBic% co""its
suicide )y Du"ping out a window.
Cli!a)ethBic%*s girlfriend. Cli!a)eth and Bic% )oth want to )eco"e actors. they
)elieve &aul*s story that he is the ostraci!ed son of Flanders Kittredge. -he calls the
police and presses charges against &aul after Bic% co""its suicide.
Trent onwayattended the sa"e )oarding school as the Kittredge children. Trent "et
&aul at F/T. Over the course of their three "onth affair, Trent and told &aul a)out the
wealthy :ew Gor% fa"ilies that he %new
Setting:
The Kittredge 'part"entwhen the Kittredges address the audience, they do so in the
present, fro" the 1safety2 of their ho"e. 's Flanders is a successful art dealer, the
Kittredges feel the constant need to %eep up with the changing styles. 'lthough the
Kittredges appear to have a lavish lifestyle, they have poor relationships with their
children.
:ew Gor% ity:G has a wide variety of social classes, ranging fro" the extre"ely
poor and ho"eless to the stereotypical 1$'-&s2 of the upper class. This provides the
perfect stage for the racial and social conflicts that Guare portrays throughout the play.
Symbols:
The Kandins%y)oth Flanders and Ouisa constantly )ring attention to this e!anne
painting, e"phasi!ing that it is painted on )oth sides. The contrasting sidesone
geo"etric and si"plistic, the other vi)rant and loudof the canvas represent the chaos
and control "anifest in the hu"an life. The last lines of the play act as a re"inder of the
irrevoca)le ele"ents of life and the >ualities of hu"an nature4 1The Kandins%y. /t*s
painted on )oth sides.2
1there are two sides to every storyH2
The -istine hapela sy")ol of hu"anity*s desire for perfection. 'lthough Fichael
'ngelo painted this to )e "an touching the hand of God, this painting also gives voice to
the constant hu"an struggle for acceptance. To Ouisa, this is the ulti"ate wor% or art.
The -istine hapel acts as a )ridge )etween Ouisa*s internal and external reality. Ouisa
constantly struggles to attain perfection and social acceptance in her life )ut in the "idst
of everything, she finds that 1there is color in ;her< life )ut ;she*s< not aware of any
structure. 2 't the end of the play Ouisa re"inisces over her visit to the hapel, Ouisa
exclai"s4 1the -istine hapel. They*ve cleaned it and its all these colors.2 This
state"ent reflects Ouisa*s transfor"ation throughout the play. -he has )egun to
appreciate the 1color2 in her life, while also learning that she "ust create the 1structure2
on her own.
Motifs:
-ocial classthe significance of social class is repeatedly evident throughout the course
of the play. The Kittredges, a wealthy couple, consider the"selves 1upper class2
although they constantly o)sessively struggle to retain their coveted status.
?iesIEeception"any of the characters practice so"e for" of deception, see"ingly in
order to thrive as social )eings. The Kittredges pretend to have the ideal life of class and
style although in reality they have neither the essential financial funds nor the ade>uate
healthy relationship with their grown children. &aul atte"pts to assi"ilate into wealthy
society through pretending )e the son of a fa"ous actor while in reality he grapples with
the crippling reality of race tensions, conte"plating what it "eans 1to "e )lac%2 in a
white "an*s world.
Themes:
On fa"ilyH
The true brilliance of humanity lies in its capacity to appreciate the significance
of family and meaningful relationships.
On race and racis"H
The tensions of racism can cripple the mind of an individual, effecting an
individuals actions, thoughts, and choices.
&aul*s fantasy when explaining to the Kittredges a)out his rich heritage, )eing
that he considered hi"self the son of the affluent 'frican('"erican actor -ydney
&oitier. @&oitier successfully challenged the race )arrier, gaining in acceptance and
de"anding respect fro" society.A
o &aul4 1/ never %new / was )lac% in that racist way til / was sixteen and
ca"e )ac% here ;to the Jnited -tates<. ... / don*t even feel )lac%.2
&aul changes his perspective on 1)eing )lac% in '"erica2 when faced with the
terrifying prospect of going to prison. $hen Ouisa urges hi" to turn hi"self in
he tells her 1/*ll )e treated with care if you ta%e "e.... /f they don*t %now you*re
special, they %ill you.2 &aul is reluctant to turn hi"self in to the authorities. Ouisa
protests and &aul replies4 1Frs. ?ouisa Kittredge, / a" )lac%.2 This is &aul*s fist
and only ad"ission that race has played any role in his life.
On the /"aginationH
The Imagination. Thats Gods gift to mae the act of self!examination
bearable." The i"agination acts as a )ridge connecting "an*s external reality with his
internal ideals.
Literary Criticism4
1
?oosely )ased on an actual episode that too% place in :ew Gor% ity in the 198=s,
Guare*s Six Degrees of Separation is a conte"porary play in )oth spirit and execution. /t
deals with general the"es that concerned @and continue to concernA "any '"ericans in
the late 198=s, such as fa"ily relationships, class divisions, and racis". /t raised specific
social concerns such as a)ortion, '/E-, the fall of co""unis", and apartheid.
'dditionally, the characters* constant references to popular culture sy")ols and icons
fir"ly ground the play in its own era. 'll of these stylistic ele"ents, co")ined with
techni>ues such as the characters* tendency to directly address the audience, "a%e Six
Degrees of Separation a witty, )iting co""entary on late twentieth(century ur)an
'"erican life.
&aul and the Kittredges inha)it vastly different worlds. The Kittredges are upper(class,
white :ew Gor%ers. They live on Fifth 'venue in the sa"e apart"ent )uilding as Jac%ie
Kennedy Onassis and the writer ?ouis 'uchinsloss. Their children attend prestigious
private schools such as +arvard Jniversity and Groton 'cade"y. Their house is filled
with trappings of the rich, fro" the ornate silver Kictorian in%well to the dou)le(sided
Kandins%y painting. They casually "ention "onetary figures that would astound the
average '"erican.
:ot only are the Kittredges wealthy, )ut they also are aware of the cultural wealth of
'"erica and of other countries. They pepper their conversation with allusions to the arts,
dropping references to &epe le Fo%o, a fa"ous French fil" gangster trapped in one of his
fil"s in an 'lgerian as)ah, as easily as to a host of successful 'ndrew ?loyd $e))er
"usicals. They na"e(drop writers and characters4 Eonald 6arthel"e, the fa"ous
post"odernist. 'eschylus, the Gree% tragedian. +enry +iggins, the Cnglish professor
who transfor"ed the uneducated Cli!a Eoolittle into a cultured, desira)le wo"an in
George 6ernard -haw*s play #ygmalion$ -chehera!ade, who spun out the captivating and
i"aginative tales of The Thousand and %ne &ights.These references flow naturally in the
conversation of the Kittredges and their friends, for these icons of culture are an accepted
part of their world.
They also refer to societal ills that ta%e place in the world around the". One the"e the
Kittredges and their friend Geoffrey raise at the )eginning of the play is the effects of
1
'ena (orb has a masters degree in )nglish literature and creative *riting and has
*ritten for a *ide variety of educational publishers. In the follo*ing essay, she discusses
the significance of the plays cultural, social, and political references, and discusses ho*
these elements affect its development.
racis" on society as well as their own position regarding whites versus )lac%s. Geoffrey
is a -outh 'frican )illionaire, thus living within the syste" of apartheid. 's Ouisa
descri)es Geoffrey, 1+e*s King Fidas rich. ?iterally. Gold "ines. . . .6ut he*s always
short of cash )ecause his govern"ent won*t let. . . its white people ta%e out any "oney.
-o it*s li%e ta%ing in a $ar 6a)y.2 Geoffrey fully ac%nowledges the ine>uities i"posed )y
his country*s govern"ent. $hile he alludes to wanting to correct the syste" and
e"power the suppressed 'fricans he declares that he 1has to stay there ;-outh 'frica<
to educate the )lac% wor%ers and we*ll %now we*ve )een successful when they %ill us.2
+is only concrete suggestion for )ettering the situation is hosting a 6lac% '"erican Fil"
Festival in his country. +e can invite -pi%e ?ee, Cddie Furphy, Eiana Boss and her
hus)and @with who" his wife went fishingA, and his ac>uaintance 6ill os)y.
The characters continually de"onstrate their inherent self(a)sorption and their inflated
egos. Ouisa )elieves that she and her hus)and live in a char"ed world. /n referring to
near)y culinary delights, Ouisa calls :ew Gor% 1the Florence of the sixteenth century2
with 1;G<enius on every corner.2 +er cultural %nowledge is de"onstrated )y her
ac>uaintance with the Benaissance, a ti"e when /talian artists produced wor%s of great
)eauty and lasting i"port. 't the sa"e ti"e, however, her state"ents show the
haughtiness with which she regards her world, e>uating it as she does with the
Benaissance, which was one of the "ost artistic and creative periods the world has
experienced.
/n order to enter their world, &aul "ust develop these arrogant ha)its. Just as casually as
the Kittredges do, he "anages to drop nu"erous references into his conversation. +e
spea%s easily a)out the Bussian playwright 'nton he%ov and the Cnglish
novelistIplaywright -a"uel 6ec%ett. +e even de"onstrates a close and i"aginative
appraisal of J. E. -alinger*s The +atcher in the 'ye, analy!ing its effects on society. +e
)rings up political actions such as the assassination atte"pts of Far% Eavid hap"an
and John +inc%ley, Jr., and the 1975 -oweto riots in -outh 'frica. &aul*s general
%nowledge was, in fact, a criticis" that Cva Besni%ova lodged in the &ational 'evie*.
1The greatest hurdle of the evening is suspending dis)elief sufficiently to accept the
pre"ise of the i"postor*s transfor"ation. 'fter all, even Cli!a Eoolittle was trained only
to "a%e s"all tal%, not to hold forth on weighty intellectual topics.2 $hat this reviewer
overloo%s, however, is that &aul*s %nowledge is essentially stolen fro" other people and
sources. +is +atcher in the 'ye "onologue was a 1;G<raduation speech at Groton two
years ago.2 :ota)ly, &aul never is called upon to respond to co""ents fro" either the
Kittredges or Geoffrey a)out his theory of how the novel signifies the 1death of the
i"agination.2 'dditionally, &aul*s %nowledge a)out the -oweto riots li%ely ca"e fro"
seeing a "ovie such as the 1989 fil" , Dry -hite Season, instead of seeing a "ovie
)eing shot. 6y the end of the play, in his final telephone conversation with Ouisa, &aul
also ad"its that he purposefully studies culture arts, )oo%s, even furniture to learn
how to interact in her world. +e even 1"ade a list of things / li%ed in the "useu".
&hiladelphia hippendale.2 /n a sense, &aul is the collage descri)ed )y 6arthel"e the
1art for" of the twentieth century.2
The "usical +ats ta%es pro"inence in the play. +ats, produced )y 'ndrew ?loyd $e)er,
was one of 6roadway*s "ost successful "usicals. $hen Guare wrote the play, it had
)een running for "any years. The )asic pre"ise of +ats is "uch as Tess Kittredge puts it4
1a )unch of chorus %ids wondering which of the" will go to Kitty Kat +eaven.2 Tess
re"inds her parents that they originally pronounced +ats to )e 1an all(ti"e low in a
lifeti"e of theater(going.2 $hen hearing that -idney &oitier is going to "a%e a "ovie of
it, however, the Kittredges >uic%ly change their opinion. Of course, it is not the show that
interests the" )ut the desire to )e in it. or as Fran% Bich writes in The &e* .or Times,
the 1desire to )as% in the glow of the rich and fa"ous.2 Ouisa suppresses her distaste for
+ats and the "eaningless art that it represents. -he has a drea" in which &aul ta%es on
the role of his 1father,2 -idney &oitier. &aulI-idney explains his concern with the world
that is 1too heavy with all the right(to(lifers.2 1'nd you can get all that into +ats/" Ouisa
as%s. $hen &aulI-idney answers that he is 1going to try,2 Ouisa decides it is accepta)le
for her to play a )it role in the "ovie. Ouisa infuses a trite "usical with the social
significance of the pro(choice de)ate that strongly gripped the country in the 198=s in
order to Dustify her participation.
Guare also infuses the play with actual )iographical infor"ation on Kandins%y and
&oitier, a techni>ue that further grounds his wor% in reality. This is a su)tle way of
re"inding the audience that odd events do happen, although they see" highly unli%ely.
This )iographical infor"ation also lin%s with Ouisa*s theory that there exists only
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six degrees of separation. 6etween us and every)ody else on this planet. The president of
the Jnited -tates. ' gondolier in Kenice. Fill in the na"es. .. . you have to find the right
six people to "a%e the connection. /t*s not Dust )ig na"es. /t*s anyone.... /t*s a profound
thought. +ow &aul found us. +ow to find the "an whose son he pretends to )e. . . . -ix
degrees of separation )etween "e and everyone else on this planet. 6ut to find the right
six people.2
Ouisa*s acceptance of the truth of her words allows her to for" a )ond with &aul, despite
his treachery, his )ac%ground, and his sexuality. -he wants &aul to turn hi"self into the
police so 1Gou can start. . . . Gour life.2 't the sa"e ti"e, however, Ouisa has co"e to
understand that she too "ust start her life, for, li%e the Kandins%y painting, her life has
1color2 )ut no 1structure.2 -he calls herself 1a collage of unaccounted(for )rush stro%es. /
a" all rando".2 +ear%ening )ac% to the 6arthel"e >uote, Ouisa also represents the
twentieth century, )ut a twentieth century lac%ing purpose. &aul offers the hu"an
connection that her life has )een "issing. 's the play closes, she hears &aul*s voice
telling her, 1The Kandins%y. /t*s painted on two sides.2 The stage directions state The
(andinsy begins its slo* revolve.2 Ouisa now has the option to "a%e "ore of her life.
-he "ay choose to learn fro" her experience with &aul and give her life the structure and
"eaning that it lac%s. Though &aul was una)le to acco"plish this for"ida)le tas% for
hi"self, Ouisa*s continuing interest in his wherea)outs to the point of i"agining that a
young "an who co""itted suicide in Dail was &aul indicates that she "ay )e a
success.
Source: Bena Kor), ritical Cssay on Six Degrees of Separation, in Drama for Students,
The Gale Group, #==1.