Ah, Wilderness - Meaning of the title of the playThe title of the play, Ah, Wilderness, by Eugene O'Neill, plays an important role in understanding the piece. The "desert" is used as a metaphor for the period in a man's life when he is no longer a boy, but not yet a man. This play tells the story of Richard's coming of age and the evolution he undergoes as he becomes a man. The “desert” used in the title is a metaphor for the years between boyhood and manhood. Life, for a man, is like the woods. When you're a boy, you're in a clearing. Everything adults say is taken as the truth, and because of this trust, the truth is clear. As we enter the middle years, the truth is no longer so clear. The developing mind begins to question the notions held by those in control, parents in particular. This period is like a desert that must be traversed. As soon as we leave the woods, things become clear again. One no longer feels the need to wander aimlessly in the darkness and generally returns to the truths instilled by parents. Richard begins the play as a boy on the verge of manhood. A studious youth, just beginning to sow the seeds of rebellion, he initially feels no need to rebel against the things close to him. This soon changes with a visit to his father from Richard's girlfriend's father. Richard sends poetry to Muriel, his girlfriend, and her father considers the subject of this poetry inappropriate. Unbeknownst to Richard, Muriel was forced to write him a letter to break off the relationship. Richard is so heartbroken that he rebels against everything. This is when Richard enters the “wilderness”. The perfect opportunity to prove... middle of paper ... worried side glances and prepare for what's to come. "Richard has returned to his previous ways of thinking. He now declares "(With his head bowed humbly.) I know I was quite a fool" (844). Richard, over the course of the play, makes the transition from childhood to adulthood Like most young men, Richard enters the "wilderness", a metaphor for the stage of rebellion, and emerges without lasting scars. Richard's father, like most parents. , realizes that Richard has come out of the desert and declares: “. . . I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about his safety – about himself – again. And I guess whatever life throws at him, he can handle it now” (845). This statement shows the necessity of the desert for the evolution of man, and the importance of a father's understanding during this important stage of man's evolution. development.