At first, Sam Shepard's Buried Child seems illusionisitc. As the play goes on, however, there are some elements that seem to suggest otherwise. The first thing that is seen is a seemingly normal house with characters that have nothing that looks odd about them except that Dodge is poorly cared for. But during the interaction of two of the characters, Dodge and Halie, an element arises that would seem out of the ordinary. In the beginning of this play, Dodge and Halie share dialogue but do not seem to be reacting to one another as the conversation goes on. It is more of talking at one another than actually conversing. And then when Tilden comes in, Halie just starts to verbally bash him without acknowledging his presence.
Another element that would imply that this play is not an example of Theatrical Realism is the ambiguous crop that gets mentioned several times. Both Halie and Dodge say that there is no crop growing in the back yard yet Tilden comes in with a basket full of corn. Then at the end of the play, Halie realizes there is a corn field out back.
There is also the case of Vince. When Vince arrives, no one seems to recognize him, not even his own father. Vince was introduced in the script as Tilden's son and when he sees his family, they are adamant that he is not a part of his family.
Through out this play there is an air of non-illusionism. Between the characters interaction, or the ambiguity within, this play is far from an illusionist play.
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