Essays --

BC, which also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979, is one of the plays which he dedicated to his father Sam, who was in the military during World War II in Shepard’s early childhood years. Samuel Shepard Rogers III, born November 5th 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, is the oldest of three children. He was nicknamed Steve, since his name came down through seven generations of men. He then changed his name into Sam Shepard. (Sparr, 6) His play has been influenced by his personal life, especially by his father. In his play, the men are all alcoholics and bound to the darker side. Shepard lived in a family filled with aggression, where the men around him were mostly violent alcoholics. (Lahr, 27) Alcoholism goes far back in his life, to the point where he cannot remember one single sober man . (Howe, 14) Thinking about his father, he believes that he owes his father a large part of his identity and his damage. Shepard remembers that his father lost his farm in Duarte, after he starte d drinking, in order to forget his ruined life. (Lahr, 30) This can be put into comparison with Dodge not bei...