True West Family Quotes

On the surface, this quote looks like very little, but it starts the first conversation about Austin and Lee's father, a subject that will come to dominate a substantial portion of their conversation. The father, while not in the play, looms over both brothers, and you have to wonder that if there is something in both of them that still desperately wants to impress the old man who clearly wants to make no effort to be a part of their lives.

This quote is interesting on two levels. On one level, it demonstrates that Lee has very little regard for the life Austin has chosen. He doesn't inquire about the family at all, and he doesn't seem to have any real concern about them. On another level, it shows that Lee has (or at least he wants it to appear to Austin that he has) given very little thought to Austin's life over the last several years. It's as if he's surprised to remember that Austin has a wife and kids.

Here, Austin talks about the collectibles that their mom hangs onto. This has a little to do with memory and the past (another major theme in the play), but it says something about their family. Their mother cherishes things that were a part of her family even if they have no literal value. As bizarre as this family is, they still share traits with most of us.

Lee has just described a home he once ducked into (presumably to steal something), and he's described it as a traditional suburban home. Austin is surprised when Lee suggests that he wanted those things in life. This simple little quote demonstrates that Austin doesn't fully understand his brother. It also shows that the brothers never experienced a traditional, suburban life when they were young.

This sets up the dynamic between the brothers pretty early on. As much as Austin might say that he wants to spend some time with his brother, he knows that Lee has no place in the world he's chosen for himself. Austin knows that having Lee at a meeting with a Hollywood producer will not end well. Of course, he ends up being right, but for a different reason than he thought.

Well, some lines just kind of say it all. Right here, it's pretty clear that things are not going to end up well between these two guys. While they don't kill each other, it's not for lack of trying.

If they make some Hollywood money, Lee wants to use it to get their dad back into their lives. Austin wants nothing to do with the old man, though. This is just another little way that Shepard demonstrates the differences between the brothers. Lee wants to get Dad back; Austin is busy taking care of his mother's plants.

Ah, the source of Austin's disdain for his father. His dad, like Lee, didn't care that he had money to offer him. In fact, it just made him spit at the boy. In the eyes of his father and his older brother, Austin's monetary and career success don't seem to mean a whole lot.

This is one of the moments in True West where if you can look past the insanity of the situation, you might actually feel a little sadness for these guys. Despite everything that has happened—the fighting, the betrayal over the scripts, and the disconnect—Austin still desperately wants a relationship with his older brother.

This just gives us one last little glimpse into how this family must have operated when they were all under one roof. Mom doesn't care that they are fighting, she only cares that they are fighting in the house. It would appear that violence between the brothers was never looked down upon unless it would lead to something in the house getting messed up.