Sticks and Bones

Sticks and Bones is a 1971 black comedy play by American author David Rabe. The play follows David, a veteran of the Vietnam War who is blinded during his service. Upon returning to his homeland, David struggles to reintegrate into life as normal, finding that he is unable to translate his experience to his family and friends. The play illuminates how isolating disability can be, especially in combination with military service. Rabe makes the isolation and despair of his central character palpable through parody, contrasting David with an idyllic family and neighborhood modeled after the TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The play is significant for exposing the prejudice, hate, and ignorance that festers beneath ordinary American life.

The play begins with a slideshow of photographs from David’s family. From offstage, a couple’s voices are heard explaining the photos to their children. Then, the scene opens on a living room. By phone, parents Ozzie and Harriet learn that their son, David, is being sent home from service in Vietnam. Elated, Ozzie and Harriet immediately imagine the restoration of their family. They recall several memories of David, both good and bad. Ozzie remembers his own period of service during World War II. He defensively tells his younger son, Rick, that he had a good reason for serving in a role that was not on the front lines: he was a very good engineer who helped build armed vehicles.

A high-ranking military official arrives at the house with David, who is now blind. The family is visibly uncomfortable with David’s disability. After a few minutes, overwhelmed by their judgment and awkwardness, David tries to leave. The sergeant prevents David from leaving with him, explaining that he has other soldiers he must deliver home. When the sergeant leaves, David’s morale is low. Ozzie and Harriet try to placate him but fail. Then, a nameless “Asian Girl” (known only as such in the cast credits) arrives at the door. The Asian Girl represents a woman with whom David had a relationship in Vietnam. Disgusted and alarmed, Harriet slams the door on her. That night, the Asian Girl visits the family in their sleep, but only David notices her.



The next day, while Ozzie fiddles with the television, Harriet complains about David’s lack of interest in speaking to them. David appears and talks about Ozzie’s friend Hank Grenweller. A contradiction between his memory of Hank and Ozzie’s kicks off a trivial argument. David mentions the Asian Girl, upsetting Ozzie further. Harriet suggests that they all go to church together. David shuts himself in his room. Against Ozzie’s wishes, Harriet mentions the Asian Girl to Father Donald. The topic is brought up that evening at dinner. David points out that Ozzie seems unwilling to acknowledge that his own youth is over.

The family gets together to watch some home movies. Rick sings and plays the guitar; when David asks to perform, Ozzie and Harriet counter that only his brother can sing well. David wrenches the guitar from Rick’s grasp. The family begins the movie; Harriet, Ozzie, and Rick are horrified that it is a montage of traumatic experiences. Harriet turns off the movie, enraging David. He goes to his room, followed by Asian Girl. After failing to change the subject to something trivial and unrelated, Harriet angrily exits the house. Ozzie calls the police, and in a fake voice relays that there is a disturbance at the house.

When Ozzie falls asleep, David whispers about the Asian Girl in his ear. In the next vignette, David tells his brother that he hates him and wishes him dead. Harriet returns, and Ozzie loses his temper again, screaming that he cannot stand to hear about the Asian Girl any longer. He slaps David, and the Asian Girl almost leaves. David holds her close. Another slideshow elapses; this time, it centers on Father Donald. Father Donald arrives at the house, offering help. When he tries to bless David, David drives him away with his cane. That night, Ozzie tells Harriet that he feels uncomfortable living with David because he killed people in combat. Harriet causes Ozzie to admit he called the police, and is ashamed of him. The next day, Ozzie returns home, angrily saying that someone threw an egg at him from a speeding car. He accuses David, who denies it, angrily shutting himself back in his room.



That night, Harriet enters David’s room to try to talk about his future with the family. David drives her out with his cane after she makes several racist comments about the Vietnamese and denies his traumatic experiences. With a bizarre, extended metaphor, Ozzie associates his family members with different pieces of furniture, assessing their value. The Asian Girl appears, disturbing him. Harriet enters, and they pray. David expresses that he wishes to return to the truck that brought him back from the war. A knock sounds at the door, but goes unanswered.

Rick tells David that the whole family hates him and smashes his guitar on David’s head, knocking him unconscious. The Asian Girl speaks for the first time; Ozzie seizes her neck, strangles her, and hides her body. The family, minus David, resumes talking about their ordinary, mind-numbing topics. David wakes up, and Rick tells him that he should commit suicide. Ozzie and Harriet agree. The play ends with the assumption that the whole family has collaborated in killing David.

Sharply critical of the unconscionable lack of support systems and basic empathy for former soldiers, Sticks and Bones shows that America actively implicates itself in huge amounts of needless suffering. Through David’s alienation and pain upon returning home to an ignorant and xenophobic family, Rabe shows that this practice is toxic and systemic, affecting every level of society down to the family.