A Lie Of The Mind: A Play in Three Acts

Jake is the protagonist of the play, as his actions and search for meaning carry through to the end of the play. He is Beth’s husband, Frankie and Sally’s brother, and Lorraine’s son. At the beginning of the play, Jake breaks down following his attempted murder of Beth through domestic violence, which leads to a psychological struggle to find his identity. His explores how an individual can try to overcome the past, but Jake’s past includes his father’s history. Jake is competitive, individualistic, and prone to violence, which are all traits of his father. As Jake struggles to find himself, he externalizes his insecurities with Beth, whom he believes is sleeping with other men even though this is not true. This obsession is a “lie” of his mind since the source of his anger and insecurity is his father rather than Beth.

Jake’s conflict is central to the messaging of the play as a representation of the breakdown of American identity. Shepard provides hints to Jake’s past struggles within this dynamic. Before the play, Jake was already an abusive husband, with both Sally and Frankie noting that Jake has thought he killed Beth before. He wraps himself in his father’s war paraphernalia, trying to ward off the discomfort of his present isolation with nostalgia, but he fails.