Picnic (play) - Analysis

Analysis

According to David Rush, there are two kinds of plot structures – linear and nonlinear. William Inge’s Picnic falls under the first category because the events are shown in chronological order. Picnic is also considered a “well-made play” by Rush since it adheres to a common standard in playwriting. This standard stems from the Freytag Pyramid developed by Gustav Freytag, and it is used to chart the dramatic action in a play. There are seven major parts to the pyramid, which are stated here:

1. State of Equilibrium: In this play, the characters live in a typical small midwestern town during the 1950s. The women are behaving as the social conventions dictate, attending to the kitchen and housework, acting modestly and looking pretty. The men go to work in order to earn money; they are the dominant gender. There are hints that several of the characters wish to break out of these norms, which gives the opening part of the play's excitement and appeal.
2. Inciting Incident: For the story as a whole, the appearance of Hal Carter in the town is the inciting incident. But within the confines of the play, the equilibrium is disturbed when Mrs. Potts suggests that Hal accompany Millie to the picnic. This event sets the play in motion, because the different attractions start to come out, Flo really begins blaming all the troubles on Hal, and the excitement starts growing faster.
3. Point of Attack of the Major Dramatic Question: Will the picnic be a success? Who will end up with whom?
4. Rising Action: The plot thickens, and the excitement grows as the Hal, Alan and Millie go swimming. Different couples dance in the backyard, and Millie gets sick from too much whiskey.
5. Climax: There are two possible events that could be the climax. Rosemary gets drunk and lashes out at Hal, telling him that he is a womanizer and a pitiful gutter boy. Hal’s confidence immediately disappears, and he realizes that he might not be everything that he brags about. This causes him to make some rash choices that have monumental consequences. The second option is when Hal and Madge kiss and then run off together. Before this moment, both characters had been holding themselves back. Now they are able to let go of their inhibitions and be together, even though society decrees that they should not. They realize their true feelings for each other, even though Madge is unable to admit it at first. This causes a reversal in all the other characters’ feelings toward Hal.
6. Resolution: When Madge and Hal return in the morning, everyone is distraught in their own way. Rosemary and Howard leave to get married. When Flo sees Hal approaching Madge, she screams at him to leave. Alan is very angry at his old friend as well. Madge is regretful and unwilling to make up her mind about how she feels. Hal leaves, and for the moment things seem to calm down. Then Madge runs outside with a suitcase and tells her mother that she is going after Hal because she loves him.
7. New State of Equilibrium: Many of the characters are drastically changed. Madge has broken out of the stereotypes that go with being a beautiful young girl. She decides not to marry the rich man and instead pursue real passion. Millie is more confident and has made plans for the rest of her life as well. She wants to get out of the small town and go to college. She has grown out of her rambunctious, tomboy ways. Flo has started to understand that she cannot keep such tight reins on her children; she must let them breathe and make their own choices. The important thing to understand is that the stereotypes and conventions do not fit everyone. People need to be free to be what they want.