Introduction
It is not that ease to clearly declare that Blackbird is a love story or not. However, it is rationally evident that it is more of a sexual abuse than a love affair. Considering the age difference of the two main characters, the time they stayed together, the driving motif of the whole engagement and finally the influential factor that led to the presentation of the play the play is a dramatization of child sexual abuse. However, for the sake of the theme of the play, it is a considerable horrible love story that destroys personality as the engagement between Una and Ray makes it difficult to believe that it is a fair love story.
The engagement between Una and Ray is a wondering experience of all times. Ray is a full adult whereas his partner is a juvenile of only 12 years. It is not that rational enough to consider this people couples or having any love relationship. Though love is universally and differently defined, an engagement between a juvenile and a full consent adult is abuses of the universal rights of marriage and Juvenile law that recognizes children as innocent and remain state properties under the supervision of his or her parent until he or she attains the age of 18 years and above. Considering the mind development between the two characters Ray being of the age of 40, he is so more mentally experience and not of the mental range of Una who is more of his daughter than a sexual partner. This places Una to the likelihood of being sexually abused. It is further very clear that, Una and Ray never understood each other because they only discussed of what they consider love relationship once at the courtyard of Una’s parent after which they never saw each other again.
If the engagement between the two characters was a love affair then, the time that they spend together should be more significant to warrant a love relationship. Una and Ray were separated from each other for 15 years a few days after their engagement. This is too much damage to the juvenile. Emotions like love are driven by the conviction that, desires are right and need to be addressed. It thus follows that; Una must have been convinced that Ray was the right person for her and thus never expected any disappointment. Una thus lived in the world of illusions, as it is probable that everything went contra to her expectations. This is a considerable total psychological torture and damage taking into accounts her age and life experience, which is so much little in terms of dealing with detrimental situations like failure or loss. From this perspective, it clear that the whole engagement is torture, damage, and abuse to Una and this is contrary to a considerable love story. If Ray had some love for her partner Una then he would have considered coming back for her instead of starting new life in another town with a different name altogether.
The play is said to have been inspired by Toby Studebaker story an America ex-marine who meets the victim in an internet chat room. Toby soothes a juvenile who accepts to go with him in good faith but meets a lifetime tragedy after she was defile by Toby. The story is thus of a similar incident only that, in Blackbird the victim is not physically defiled but defile psychologically through emotional torture. The incident is the same in that the approach that Ray and Toby is the same because they both appeal to emotions of the victims. The play is a dramatization of sexual abuse only that the abuse is implied rather than being clearly stated. It is worthy while concluding that the play is a recollection of sexual abuse. Abuse is portrayed in the play from the beginning to the end and it seems to have formed part of the characters.
The play can be considered a love affair because everything started in the name of love. Una might have been seriously in love because she is disturbed by the loneliness that prevails after Ray is convicted to prison. However, the practical aspects of the whole play are a dramatization of what is considerably significant to be defined as sexual abuse in the name of love. This is so because it is by no way that a minor can fall in love with an adult without mind corruption.
The driving motif of the two characters seem to be contrary leading to the conclusion that, the whole engagement was to one end a love affair resulting from deceive through appeal to emotions. The play is generally a dramatization of the story of Toby the ex-marine and the schoolchild only that the acts of sexual abuse are not clearly brought forward. The setting of the play and other aspects of the play including characterization assist to bring out the whole abuse as the position of the minor in the whole incident is clearly portrayed as being driven by illusions and innocence.
