Other Desert Cities Character Analysis Essay

The blazing sun scorches down upon the people that live here, you can see Jaguars passing by. In the distance the palm tree sways. Golf courses and country clubs are on every corner and where the wealthy come to retire. Long hidden family secrets that have never been told before, this is Other Desert Cities. When we think of Other Desert Cities by Jon Baitz’s, we think of good and evil, that are portrayed through protagonist and antagonist. With that said, this view shows the differences in morals, values and how it has changed over time. The reader sees this through the view of Polly as a mother and Brooke as a daughter both have their own reasons for doing the things that they consider, good moral character. When we read Other Desert Cities we can see Polly as the Protagonist, some example includes falsifying Henrys death, not telling her kids what really happened, and being cruel to Brooke.
This took some time to decide, but this was made clear towards the end of the story. With that said, the reader has to decipher the key concepts of Polly in the story. First, is how Polly’s relationship with Trip is. We see a mother son relationship that is somewhat healthy and they both can have conversations without it getting heated. On the other hand, we then see the other side of Polly as a mother …show more content…
Although the family members wanted to portray Polly as a bad mother, she did the right thing. By protecting her son and falsifying his death this shows the length a mother would go to protect her child. Whereas, Brooke is obsessive over Henry and his act of terrorism, she kept digging up old dirt to expose a wound she had no idea about. Furthermore, Polly is the overall hero in this story because of the motherly protection she shows for her son Henry. Lastly, Polly is the direct reflection of what a parent should do even if their son has committed an act of terrorism. That is what we call unconditional