As an actor screenwriter director short story writer and most significantly a playwright
Sam Shepard has long been an important figure on the American cultural landscape. A Body Across
the Map focuses on the character conflict central to Shepard's most significant plays that
between fathers and sons. Beginning with The Rock Garden and concluding with A Lie of the Mind
this analysis shows how Shepard's worldview has evolved over a 20-year span. A long-standing
pessimist who saw Oedipal revenge as a necessity and genetic determination as inescapable
Shepard ultimately disavows these dark worldviews in favor of one where gentleness spiritual
generosity cooperation and the acceptance of long-denied truths prevail over rage
self-interest and biological predestination.
