Not Too Dure

The Play "Sure Thing" from David Ives examines the endless variations of boy meet girl and the ensuing pick up lines. The central theme throughout the play displays a few varieties of a possible conversation that end with a ringing bell that symbolizes a fresh start and a second chance to make a good impression.

The swift conversations begin in a coffee house with the two main and only characters are Bill and Betty. From the beginning till the end of the play one can see a series of pick up lines, from a man to a woman sitting in a coffee shop reading. The lines start out short and rapid with an equivalent short response from the woman. Each line is separated by a ringing bell. All humans are critical of their fellow human's beings. They are critical about their looks, cars and etc. Generally there is an old saying "you never have a second chance to make a first impression." In this play the author uses a bell as a mechanism of separating the dialogue of subsequent pick up lines, which gives the characters another chance to make a good impression.

Beyeler 2

The ringing bell represents a fresh start. It is the device which allows these two characters to commence again, it is almost like the bell that is used for boxing matches which divides the rounds and lets the boxer rest before the next round begins. The play begins when Betty is setting down quietly reading her book when Bill walks in. The dialogue starts out very short, Bill glances at Betty's book which is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. In Bill's pick up line he misidentifies the author. Generally women like to meet men who are intelligent, interesting and have a funny sense of humor. On pages 845 and 846 Beatty asks where Bill went to college and he said, "I went to Oral Roberts University. " (Bell.) In the next round Beatty repeats the question