The play “DNA” by Dennis Kelly talks about how a group of 14-year olds accidentally killed someone who was only too eager to be part of the group. As young people who were caught in a bad situation, they did everything they could to try to cover up their crime.
All throughout the play, it was obvious that there was a constant struggle to be the leader of the group. Although technically, John Tate was the original leader of the group, other stronger characters such as Richard and Philip were also potential leaders and as such, posed as threats to John Tate’s leadership. However, unlike Richard, Phil’s strong presence in the play was largely attributed to his silence and nonchalance, but authoritative when the situation warranted it. These characteristics, completely different from the noisy, panicky, and mostly immature behavior exhibited by the other characters made him standout as a hero riddled with flaws.
People may view his decision to put the blame to someone innocent the death of Adam as amoral or cold, but it could also be interpreted as a young boy’s attempt at making things right. His decision could be likened to a young boy who broke a glass but in an attempt to save himself from getting scolded, he lied about it. It should be taken into consideration when analyzing the actions of the characters that they were merely 14 and as such, are prone to making rash decisions. In their attempt to somehow do the right thing, they ended up failing repeatedly as they plotted a plan, once again based on Phil’s inducement, to kill Adam when he resurfaced. His decisions were for the best of everyone in the group which makes him a hero, but the cold, almost psychopathic, nature of his ideas highlights how he is flawed.
Phil has always had strong leadership which was probably reinforced by his silent personality but is contradicted by the force and sense of his words. This is the reason why Cathy obeyed him, even when he asked her to kill Adam by tying a plastic bag around his head. This also explains why Mark and Jan would always look up to Phil for reassurance but also feared him. When Phil speaks, his words were short but precise, and the way he repeated his orders carried a wealth of meaning that ultimately translates to “one has to obey and that he would brook no argument.” This was especially exhibited when he instructed Brian to take Richard to the police station in order to make a false report about the postman who they would blame for Adam’s death. Phil told Brian, “Richard’ll take you” (Kelly, 63). To this, Richard responded, “Not me again” (Kelly, 63). Phil merely repeated what he said and that was the end of it. However, he also had in him a sense of gentleness and genuine concern for others, which was showed when in one scene, he placed a hand on Lou’s shoulder, warmly smiled at her and reassuringly said “Everything is going to be fine” (Kelly, 57). However, far from this display of emotion with others, he was stoic and totally unresponsive when he is with Leah. Despite his heroic characteristics, his relationship with Leah highlights his flaws even more.
Phil was a strong candidate for leader in their group which strives for hierarchy. With his girlfriend though, he displayed complete disregard. Most times he would ignore his girlfriend and would not respond to whatever she said. Leah then would always end up talking to herself, which explains her virtual monologue speeches and the often nonsensical things that she would talk about since Phil would not give her any response. There were also scenes wherein although Phil was present, she would talk for him and carry out a conversation all on her own. When Leah told Phil about how she killed her pet, Phil merely shrugged. This treatment, especially when he exhibited it when Leah needed assurance and security, is tantamount to psychological bullying which was a predominant theme in the play. However, human and young that he is, he was only able to realize Leah’s importance in his life when in the end, she was finally able to muster the courage to leave him. The story ended with Phil completely changed, appearing to be bereft and removed from the group as he was still trying to cope with Leah being gone. In one scene which showed him sitting with Richard, he was not eating like he usually did and Richard pointed it out, accurately sensing that something is wrong. With all his bravado and strength as one of the dominant members of the group, his breakdown displayed his human side, strong and heroic but is replete with flaws and mistakes.
Phil was a crucial part of the play that even though he rarely spoke, his presence in the scenes spoke volumes. His actions, or non-action, portrayed him like he was a god, observing from the outside but was ready to take charge anytime he was needed. In the same manner, his ability to be finally affected by Leah’s leaving made him more human capable of erring. His words “I’m in charge. Everyone is happier. What’s more important; one person or everyone?” (Kelly, 79) shows leadership and how as a hero he puts the interest of everyone above all else, even though it could mean committing murder and falsely accusing someone innocent. This decision made him flawed; a hero in his own right but is human enough to have weaknesses.
The play ends with Cathy being the leader, an interesting twist to the story as from the beginning, it appeared that the males were to be the dominant members of the gang. However, with her being the leader only highlighted how different Phil was from her and the other members of the group. Unlike Phil who was lead to make decisions which are criminal in nature in an attempt to protect everyone, Cathy was the one who was really cold and scary. It was indicated that she had no remorse about the group’s actions, which she found to be “exciting” and “better than ordinary life” (Kelly, 16). Richard’s words about Cathy being the leader punctuated the kind of person that she was, as according to Richard “Cathy doesn’t care. She’s too busy running thingsShe’s insane. She cut off a first year’s finger, that’s what they say anyway.” (Kelly, 94). Phil was a hero, albeit a flawed one but a hero nonetheless.
Bibliography
Kelly, D. (2008). DNA. London: Oberon Books Ltd. pp. 16-94. Available at:
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=wCpVdp2uzHgC&pg=PT7&lpg=PT7&dq=phil+scares+jan+in+DNA&source=bl&ots=HXpnPO36b_&sig=oZPKNrA1G4Co72HvqmRa-AZ9eb0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUjfvI9ZbLAhUCLyYKHX1lCvoQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=phil%20scares%20jan%20in%20DNA&f=false
