Tender Offer By Wendy Wasserstein Essay

In the play “Tender Offer” by Wendy Wasserstein the daughter Lisa and Father Paul have a complicated relationship. They have different conflicts along the way such as their lack of communication, not spending quality time together, and not being able to express their feelings to each other’s. One factor of the conflict Paul and Lisa have is their lack of communication to one another. It is hard to be a parent and it is even harder when parents are not close to their children. That is exactly how Paul and Lisa’s relationship is they have a lack of communication why their relationship has conflicts. “Lisa, if we’re talking try to answer me.” “I am answering you. Can we go home now, please?” Damn it, Lisa, if you want to talk to me…. Talk to me!” “I can’t wait till I’m old enough so I can make my own money and never have to see you again.”
This reveals how Lisa and Paul cannot talk to each other. Even when they try and talk it ends up with them not being able to communicate each other. They have such different personality which is another reason they have a hard time communicating; both have different ways to explain their points. This is why this is one of their major conflicts.

“Why don’t you want to talk to me? I do want to talk to you. I promise when we get home, we’ll have a nice talk. No, we won’t. You’ll read the paper and fall asleep in front of the news. Honey, we’ll talk on the weekend, I promise. Aren’t I taking you to the theater this weekend? This shows that Lisa's style may be quieter and more conventional, whereas Paul's approach may be more vocal and imaginative. Because of their different communication patterns, it may be difficult for them to grasp one other's points of view. Plus, Paul is more focused on his business then his daughter, he barely has time for her, and she wants to just talk and spend time with her