True West

At the beginning of the play, the relationship between Austin and Lew seems a little bit
strained. This can be attributed to the fact that the two are completely different in terms of
character and their outlook on life. Austin is an ambitious screenwriter. Saul, the producer tells
him, “Well, to tell you the truth Austin, I have never felt so confident about a project in quite a
long time” (Shepard, 2018, p.15). The comment on his work shows that Austin is good at
scriptwriting. He views himself as a simple laborer. Lee on the other hand is different. He is a
thief, a drunk, very combative, and responds with violence most of the time. Given their different
character traits, the two do not have a smooth relationship.
However, something drastic happens and this changes Austin completely. He becomes a
thief and a drunkard. His movie fails and that leads to a drastic transformation in his character.
The two brothers seem to switch roles. Austin even strangles his brother almost killing him. He
tells his mother, “I can kill him! I can easily kill him. Right now. Right here. All I gotta’ do is
just tighten up. See?”. He transforms into a character that is totally different from who he was at
the beginning of the play (Shepard, 2018, p.62).
Overall, the relationship between Lee and Austin also goes through a transformation. The
change in Austin seems necessary at this point. Had he not changed, the two would probably
never have realized that they have the potential to work together and produce good results. Lee
and Austin decide to work together. The two complete each other in the creative process. Lee is
inspired while Austin is diligent and methodical and this makes them a successful creative duo.

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References
Shepard, S. (2018). True west. Faber & Faber.