Movie Analysis

Setting: The summer of 1940 in the Costa Verde Hotel in Puerto Barrio on the west coast of Mexico.

Plot: The play begins with Reverend Shannon in a tourist bus filled with women traveling toward the Costa Verde Hotel. Maxine Faulk, the owner and a good friend, welcomes him and orders her two servants, Pedro and Pancho (her sexual toys, just because of her needs), to help with the bags. Shannon greets Maxine but he is calling for her husband; however, Maxine tells him that Fred is dead. He died two weeks ago from an infection when he cut his hand on a fish hook. The eleven women in the tourist bus are schoolteachers at a Baptist Female College in Blowing Rock, Texas, and they are angry because Shannon took them to the wrong hotel and is keeping the ignition key in his pocket, so they cannot leave. The women start to come up to the hotel while Shannon is complaining about his trip, and the seventeen year old girl named Charlotte. Charlotte is in love with him. Miss Judith Fellows, Charlotte's escort, comes up to Shannon and Maxine and complains to them that this is not the hotel that they were supposed to go to. Shannon tells her that this hotel is a better place and tries to calm her down. Miss Fellows does not like Shannon and is trying to get him fired, because while the trip something happened between Shannon and Charlotte (the seventeen year old girl); however, Shannon is already on probation because something happened between him and another young girl some time ago. Judith asks to use the telephone so she can call a judge in Blowing Rock, Texas to charge him for
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statutory rape. While Maxine is shaving Shannon's beard, Miss Fellows returns and calls the tour a cheat. Shannon begs her to let the ladies stay at this hotel. Suddenly, two new characters; Hannah Jelkes and Nonno come to the hotel without reservations. Maxine tells them that the hotel is closed during September and only special guest are allowed. Shannon considers them special guest; however, Hannah and Nonno do not have any money and want to pay by displaying their work. Hanna paints and is a sketch artist, and Nonno is the oldest living and practicing poet who has been in the middle of a poem for years. Maxine does not want to take them, but she accepts them for one night. Shannon comes into the room after being at the beach, but as soon as he gets there he hides from Charlotte who is looking for him. Shannon comes out of his hiding place and tells Charlotte that he doesn't love her and to leave him alone, but Charlotte refuses. Judith comes into the room looking for Charlotte and tells her that she called her father. Her father is planning to try to get a warrant for Shannon's arrest and never let him come back to the states again. Judith and Charlotte leave, and Hannah begins to have a conversation with Shannon while she sketches him. Shannon discusses why he was locked out of the church and tells her it was because he had fornication and committed heresy in the same week. While they continue talking Pedro and Pancho catch an iguana and tie it up. While Shannon and Hannah are still talking, Hannah asks Shannon what would he do if he got fired from Blake Tours. Shannon answers that he would go back to the Church or take a long swim to China. He also confesses that he thinks that Hannah is a great woman and needs someone like her to help him. While Maxine and Shannon are talking, the women are packing their bags onto the bus and getting on it. The bus driver named Hank wants ignition key and start fighting with Shannon, while Shannon is fighting with Hank about not giving him the key, Charlotte takes the key from Shannon's pocket. Shannon says that Hank is a foe and is very disappointed in him. Miss Fellows enters the room and upsets Shannon by saying he was defrocked for atheism and seducing girls and leaves with the rest of the women. Shannon goes crazy and yells that he going to swim to
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China. Pedro and Pancho run after him and tie him up in the hammock. Hannah tries to calm Shannon down with poppy-seed tea and by having a conversation with him. During their talking, he clam down and they see an iguana at the end of its rope. Hannah wants Shannon to cut the rope, but Shannon doesn't want to because it is a delicacy in Mexico. Shannon finally cuts the iguana loose while Nonno comes out with his completed poem. He recites it while Hanna writes it down. Hannah takes Nonno to bed while Maxine yells at Shannon for letting the iguana loose. She also tells him that she wants him to stay with her and manage the hotel but he does not give an answer. Hannah puts a shawl over Nonno as he dies in his sleep. In the end, Hannah leaves alone and Shannon stays with Maxine.

Main Characters: Maxine Faulk: owner of the Costa Verde Hotel. Reverend Shannon: Tour conductor of Black Tours who used to be a Reverend. Judith Fellowes: Vocal teacher who takes special care of Charlotte throughout the trip. Hannah Jelkes: woman who has no money and wants to stay at the hotel with her grandfather for free. Charlotte Goodall: musical prodigy who is interested in Rev. Shannon.

Secondary Characters: Hank: Shannon's companion on Blake Tours and bus driver. Pedro: employee of the hotel. Pancho: employee of the hotel. Jonathan Coffin (Nonno): Hannah's grandfather; 97 years old.

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Themes
Loneliness: Many characters in this play present loneliness. The first example is Maxine. She has always been lonely even when her husband was alive, but after he died she became lonelier. When Shannon first arrives at her hotel, she wants to fill the emptiness she has with him. She offers to shave his beard, bring him new shoes, and wear Fred's old clothes. Shannon is probably the loneliest character in the play. He lost respect from the church, does not have a wife or girlfriend, does not seem to be close with his family, and has no close friends to count on. He had sex with Charlotte just because he needed contact. He has no one to fill his need for attention, and his actions prove that he is lonely.

Symbolism

Iguana: The iguana plays an important role in the play. At the beginning of the play, Pedro and Pancho captured an iguana and tied it close to the hotel. In Mexico the iguana is considered a delicacy, but Hannah thought they should let it go. Just like Maxine held Shannon captive in the hammock and at the hotel, she held the iguana captive. However, the only way for the iguana and Shannon to survive is to let them go.

Character Analysis

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Reverend Shannon: Shannon is a very confused character in the play. He does not know what he wants, and his actions keep putting him in trouble. Shannon is already accused of fornication and heresy in the church, and his current job has put him on probation before the play even starts. He had sex with a seventeen year old girl because he felt that he needed the contact, and now he will soon be charged for statutory rape. He knows that he still wants to be a reverend, but does many things to hurt his chances of going back to the Church.

Hannah Jelkes: Hannah is a person that is not ashamed of anything. Her grandfather is the oldest living and practicing poet, and she sketches people. They travel together but do not have any money. Hannah tells Shannon and Maxine that she is not ashamed of her financial situation, but is proud of what she has. She lives to take care of her grandfather, and throughout the play she takes care of Shannon also. She is a very loving and caring person who does not care about material things.

Maxine Faulk: Maxine is very lonely with her life. Her husband has just died, and she is left with the hotel to take care of all by herself. She did not have a very sexual relationship with her husband, so she uses her servants, Pedro and Pancho, to replace the void that she once had. She also uses Shannon to try to replace Fred. She offers him Fred's clothes, shoes, and bed hoping that he would accept the position. At the end of the play, she also asks him to help her with the hotel, but he never answers. Maxine wants to have a man to take care of her, but never seems to find one in the play.

Irony
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1. Shannon asks Maxine a cold beer instead of a rum-coco. 2. Shannon committed fornication with a girl instead of helping her to pray in the church.

Ending

Close ending. The play ends with an unclear and unforeseen ending; however, this one allows the author suggests that his story can be interpreted according to their readers experiences and cultural backgrounds without misinterpreting its basic plot.

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