Ruined Melodrama Analysis

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Lynn Nottage once said, “Just because it’s a unique perspective doesn’t mean it can’t offer something universal.” In my opinion, Ruined is a melodrama that illustrates storytelling by allowing characters to identify themselves as well as teach the audience. Storytelling is an exquisite and diverse tool that can be used in a variety of situations for numerous purposes. One peculiar aspect of Ruined is that there is no clear villain and in that way Ruined resists being a melodrama. However, the hero ultimately wins and lives happily ever after which is consistent with melodramas.
At the beginning of Ruined, the play is thrusted into action when Christian walks into Mama Nadi’s bar. Christian presented Mama Nadi two girls—Sophie and Salima—whom were both previously sexually assaulted. Furthermore, Sophie is Christian’s niece and was ruined, as the play’s title implies, by the previous sexual violence she endured from a militia. As a result, the play begins with an inciting incident that automatically captures the audience’s attention with an extreme and sensitive topic.
In Ruined, every character has his or her own specific
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Storytelling allows people to identify themselves through everyday communication. When Mama Nadi discovered that Sophie was stealing money from her, Sophie explained to her that she needed the money for an operation that a customer told her about. Likewise, when Sophie saw the pebble in Mama Nadi’s lockbox, Mama Nadi explained to Sophie that it was her insurance policy. From these two stories, both characters were able to identify themselves as well as some of their characteristics. Sophie displayed how smart she is even though she is damaged. On the other hand, Mama Nadi exhibited forgiving and understanding qualities as well as a maturity in that she kept the diamond instead of running away and selling

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