Ruined

Who is the more dynamic character, Mama Nadi or Christian? Why? Support your response with evidence from the play.

Analyze the character of Josephine. Why does she treat Sophie and Salima so badly? What is behind her outbursts about her father? Support your responses with evidence from the play.

One definition of a melodrama is “a play, film, or other dramatic piece characterized by exaggerated characters and a sensational plot intended to appeal to the emotions.” Does Ruined meet the conditions of a melodrama, or is that an unfair genre for this play that dramatizes the horrors of war? Support your response with evidence from the play.

Kate Whoriskey, who directed the 2008 world premiere of Ruined in Chicago, writes that “[t]he core commitment ofRuined is to celebrate and examine the spectrum of human life in all its complexities: the sacred with the profane, the transcendent with the lethal, the flaws with the beauty, and selfishness with generosity.” What sacred, transcendent and/or beautiful elements do you observe in the play? Are they enough to leave you with a hopeful message about humanity in general? Explain. 

Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courageis a play that inspired Lynn Nottage, and it also concerns a woman who profits from war. Is the choice of both Brecht and Nottage to make the businesswoman a female character significant? Why or why not?

One definition of a profiteer is “a person who takesadvantage of a situation inwhich other people are suffering to make a profit, often by sellinggoods that are difficult to get at a high price." According to this definition, is Mama Nadi a true profiteer? If so, what are her goods and how does she take advantage of the situation? If not, how can her work as a madam be otherwise explained?

Sometimes, more than one climax can exist in a work of literature. What events might be considered the climaxes of the play? 

Salima’s death carries a poignant message. What is this message? As well, the playwright does not make the circumstances of Salima’s death explicit; how does the possibility that her injuries are self-inflicted impact the message of this event?