The Petrified Forest (play)
"The Petrified Forest" is a play written by Sherwood Anderson that gained significant acclaim, marking his first major success. The narrative follows three central characters: Gabby, a waitress yearning for a life among artists in France; Alan Squier, a disillusioned writer who feels art has no future; and Duke Mantee, a bitter gangster harboring personal disappointments. Set against the backdrop of the Arizona desert, the play explores themes of individual courage, love, and the human struggle for meaning in a world that seems indifferent to personal aspirations.
The work captures the social conflicts of the 1930s, delving into issues related to capitalism, patriotism, social class, and the arts. The stage production transitioned to film, featuring notable actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Howard, and Bette Davis, with Bogart’s role becoming a pivotal point in his career. The film is recognized as an iconic example of the American gangster genre and a precursor to film noir, showcasing the complexities of human nature and societal challenges during a tumultuous era.
The Petrified Forest (play)
Identification Play about people held hostage in a small diner
Author Robert E. Sherwood
Dates First performed on January 7, 1935; film version 1936
Between 1920 and 1933, the prohibition of alcohol sales created a new type of American criminal and icon: the gangster, whose organization grew out of the illegal distribution of alcohol. The Petrified Forest features a psychologically complex gangster and other characters who find that the Great Depression has turned their goals into impossible dreams.
The Petrified Forest was the first major success for Sherwood, who later won three Pulitzer Prizes. Humphrey Bogart, who was one of the stars of both the stage and film versions, had been a successful Broadway actor during the 1920’s, but he turned to film during the Great Depression when ticket sales for plays declined dramatically. The film version was Bogart’s breakthrough role, making him a movie star. It also featured the well-known film actors Leslie Howard, who also had been in the stage version, and Bette Davis.
The story revolves around three main characters: Gabby, the waitress in her family’s diner, who wishes she could leave the desert of Arizona and live among artists in France; Alan Squier, a disillusioned writer who sees no future for art; and Duke Mantee, a gangster whose bitterness seems grounded in some personal disappointment. The modern world, it becomes clear, has no important role for any of these lonely people to play. Individual courage and the capacity for love are the only things that keep the human race from spiraling into savagery.
Impact
The Petrified Forest reveals many of the social conflicts of the 1930’s, as various characters reflect on the roles of capitalism, patriotism, social class, and the arts. The film is a classic example of the American gangster film and a precursor to the film-noir genre that flourished during the 1940’s.
Bibliography
Alonso, Harriet Hyman. Robert E. Sherwood: The Playwright in Peace and War. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007.
Brown, John Mason. The Worlds of Robert E. Sherwood—Mirror to His Times, 1896-1939. New York: Harper & Row, 1965.
Shuman, R. Baird. Robert E. Sherwood. New York: Twayne, 1964.