Hot L Baltimore - Who is your favourite character and why - Essay Example

Proffessor’s June 21 2009 Hot L Baltimore Favorite character and why Hot’ L Baltimore by Lanford Wilson is a humorous play written about the destruction of a beautiful hotel that has fallen into disarray and its effects on the residents. The hotel contains a mixture of a group of different characters all brought together because of their inability to pay for any other lodgings. However, despite the diversity and color that surrounds each character it is but natural for the reader to fall in love with is the Girl.

The Girl is revealed to the audience sitting next to Bill. Her first appearance is crucial as she sits with the night clerk of the hotel and is rampantly trying to flirt with him, despite his attempts to deflect her attention. Immediately the audience can understand the occupation, age and character of the young minx.She has no name, only an age: nineteen. Wilson gives her a tender age and makes her a prostitute at the same time. Maybe this is to reveal to the audience the cruelty of our age.

Yet, nameless she presides over the entire three-act play, helping in any way possible. The most predominant emotions in her, makes the play embrace her as she wins over the audience with her charm and care. One of the most individualistic qualities about the Girl is her inability to reach a conclusion on anything she states. She is confused and regularly keeps changing her name and personality. This can also be one of the most alluring aspects about her because with her nothing stays definite.

She changes like a chameleon making those around her incapable of deciphering her personality. It is evident that despite being in a profession that should harden one against the world, Girl is still as emotional and positive as possible. She feels this constant obligation to assist wherever and whenever possible. Sometimes enough so that sometimes she causes irritation such as the moment when in her attempts to help Bill she frustrates him into moving out of the way and distributing the mail.

This is not the only instant her care shows because as soon as she discovers the mail contains eviction notices she immediately refuses to distribute it, claiming her disassociation with anything so negative. The Girl is not just caring, she is also very curious. This factor might be because of her age but this does not explain her desire to know anything that catches her attention. She wants to know about the ghosts in hotels in great detail and insists on asking a continuous series of questions regarding ghosts, their habitat and activities.

This attracts the audience towards her because it reminds one of the constant human need to know everything. The Girl also reminds the individual of the value of the past. She instills a sense of nostalgia as she discusses the trains and how they might have once run on time. Her love for history reminds the audience of the strength of the past “Wonderful things must have happened on this spot” especially in a time when old buildings are being replaced for the new.The Girl is a constant reminder of hope for the audience.

She senses the loss and is yet able to say “Some miracle. Something huge! I want some major miracle in my lifetime!” reminding the audience of the importance of life and its past. BibliographyLanford Wilson, 1998 Hot L Baltimore, Dramatists Play Service