Still stands the house, hester warren a lost identity

English 150-003
Dr, Jodey Castricano
Still Stands the House:
Hester Warren a Lost Identity.

Who we are depends on how the circumstances affect our live. During childhood the premature lossof a parent can have a grave effect on a child’s emotional development, identity and self-esteem. Gwen Pharis Ringwood in her one act play, Still Stands the House, demonstrates how this unfortunateevent drastically changes the life of the Warren family, especially the character of Hester Warren, sister of Bruce Warren. She spent years caring for her father and brother after her mother’s deathfinding herself disinherited and bitter particularly when her brother’s wife seeks to sell the old family farm house. Hester Warren is portrayed in the play, as a 40 years old woman who due thecircumstances of her life loses her identity and self-esteem and when Ruth her brother’s wife appeared in her life, Hester realizes how many things she has lost.
When Ruth marries Bruce, she agrees to livewith him and Hester in the old farm house, but with time she begins to feel isolated and lonely mainly because Hester continuously lets her know she does not belong. Ruth is young and pregnant and itmakes Hester jealous and even more bitter because now she feel that her world, the old farm house is threatened, and without it she does not exist. Hester resists agreeing with the sale of the old farmhouse and she discusses with Ruth about it: “You hate this house, I know that” (Ringwood 290). Ruth finds it hard to live in such a hostile environment, and the farm is not producing anymore becauseof years of drought but Hester thinks that it is because Bruce does not love the farm enough to make it produce: “You have to love a place to make things grow, the land knows when you don’t care aboutit, and Bruce doesn’t care about it anymore. Not like father did” (Ringwood 293). Hester blames Ruth for Bruce’s lack of love towards the land.
The play takes place on the Canadian Prairies during...