Tender Mercies Essay Research Paper Tender Mercies

Tender Mercies Essay, Research Paper Tender Mercies, written by Horton Foote, is a screenplay, which presents to the reader ordinary people, who are trying to live decently in an unpredictable and violent world. The reader comes to be aware of many dramatic scenes where the central characters have come to experience many complex but yet fascinating situations in their lives. Reading this screenplay the reader will come to acknowledge one of the centralized themes in Tender Mercies, which is the theme of redemption. For those who are unaware of the word, redemption as it applies to the screenplay Tender Mercies is the literary word meaning to be saved or saving someone from an experience or a situation. The reader can observe this redemption at various times through many

characters, such as: Mac, Rosa Lee, Sunny, and Dixie. Each one of these characters has been redeemed by other characters or has been the redeemer of other characters. Thus, in the paragraphs to proceed, the reader will be introduced to these exact characters and to the situations from which these characters were redeemed from or whom they had redeemed. Alongside, the reader will also come to recognize how this theme provides the clearest reason why Tender Mercies is neither a Tragedy nor Pathos. As mentioned above, one of the centralized themes in Tender Mercies is the theme of redemption and that it can be seen through many characters, of whom is Mac. In the beginning of this screenplay, Mac is viewed as a person with a drinking disorder. In other words, he was an alcoholic. He

would drink continuously, being unaware of the hurt he caused to his loved ones. He drank more and more as he tried to run away from his problems; he believed that drinking was the only factor that solved his problems. As he continued to drink on a regular basis, he lost everything from his wife and daughter to his career as a singer. Fortunately, Rosa Lee, who is another character through which the reader sees the theme of redemption, redeemed him. Rosa Lee gave him a job, a place to stay, and most importantly a family. Out of everyone Mac knew, Rosa Lee was the only one who gave him a chance to start over, a chance to rebuild. With Rosa Lee s and her son Sunny s help, Mac was able to emerge, as a sober, clean man with the willingness to achieve responsibility. It was as if a

caterpillar had died and had emerged as a butterfly. With their help, Mac had the ability to recognize life by becoming sober and starting all over. He, thus, learns that Rosa Lee, his new wife, and Sunny, his stepson, are way too important to him to ever start drinking again. Being acquainted with such a situation and how Mac was given another chance to start over his life, the reader, thus, has come to see an of redemption. As Mac s redemption is acknowledged, the reader comes to see another act of redemption. Before Mac s arrival to the gas station, Rosa Lee and Sunny were all alone. Rosa Lee lacked a husband because Sunny s father had died many years ago. Thus, both Rosa Lee and Sunny were left isolated in a town where they knew no one else but themselves. Upon Macs arrival

and willingness to change and to commit him to responsibilities, Rosa Lee and Sunny were redeemed as well. Having been isolated in the middle of no where, Rosa Lee and Sunny needed Mac as much as Mac needed them. Having no man in her life, Rosa Lee had willingly accepted Mac s hand in marriage. Doing so, she had been redeemed of being alone as she always was and having no one to love and no one to be loved by. Furthermore, Sunny had gotten a father figure for himself. The reader also sees Sunny s approval of Mac, when Sunny fights with the other kids at school when they taunted him about Mac. When Sunny fought for Mac the reader comes to comprehend that Mac is a good person. Having a father figure, Sunny was now able to do many things, such as playing ball with someone he was