Lost In Yonkers Character Analysis

Lost In Yonkers by Neil Simon is a charming play primarily revolving around two boys and their relationships with their extended family, while their father is traveling the country selling scrap metal. As any other play would, it has strong characters and weak characters, strong storylines and weak storylines, effective playwriting, and wasted chances. Unlike most other plays, though, this play’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. The numerous characters and storylines allow for a storyline or a character that everyone will relate with, but also multiple that they will not connect with at all. Lost In Yonkers, although enjoyable at times, certainly has some obvious weaknesses. There are a few storylines and characters that

Besides providing a natural way to include exposition, they help the audience experience what is occurring outside of the apartment, without having to drastically change the setting. If their content would have been more engaging, I believe they would have been the strongest part of this play. Other than that, there were many other strong aspects of Lost In Yonkers. The mirroring, Louie’s role, the flexibility, and the setting of the play were all other bright spots. The play starts and ends with Eddie talking to Grandma in her room and the boys talking with Bella. This mirroring was refreshing to notice and helps the play tie up the many loose ends from all of the different plots. One plotline that is not resolved is that of Louie’s. Besides a few mentions in Act II Scene 3, he is never seen after he leaves the apartment in Act II Scene 2. He is one of the strongest characters of the play because he is a very human character compared to the other more extreme relatives. Louie has the most character development throughout the play, going from using his family for shelter, to learning the joy of teaching younger family members, to learning how to protect family members, to caring for family members even when you believe they are doing the wrong thing. Overall, he is a well-rounded character because he has deep conflicts, things he wants

It cleverly used a spoken letter system to help give the audience a view of the world outside of the apartment, but much more could have been done with that element. The poor exposition was obvious in a few scenes during the play, and it is a shame because there were places where exposition was masterfully and naturally incorporated into the dialogue. Its multiple storylines allow for a dynamic plot, but this also means that some storylines are very hit or miss, causing some members of the audience, including myself, to lose interest in a couple of scenes. Lost In Yonkers’ greatest strength is also it’s greatest weakness, and the rough patches of the play can really stick out like a sore thumb, but, if the viewer can find a character that they can engage with, the play is enjoyable and