e they poor, but there is no work, no food and no stability for the families in this piece. The fact that Antonia’s family is eating bird seed really puts us in a position to see firsthand what these people are going through, and understand that poverty is as big of a disaster as any physical destructive force. Panic really is the root of most things criminal. When we panic over unjust decision or opinion, we riot, when we panic over how others view us, we lie and when we panic over a lack of income, we steal. Theft is the main action taken by the characters in this play, but knowing what they come from, somewhat justifies it for us. Poverty is as life ruining as natural disasters, and is one of the biggest things people panic over. “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” (Douglas)
Looting is what these characters turn to. Not because this is something they want and enjoy, but because it becomes necessary for survival. Though meant to be fiction, this play is perhaps one of the most relatable of Fo’s work. Placing this idea into a modern setting is simple, and at times can further help us understand the mentality behind why people loot, what they get from it and aid us in fully understanding the meaning of survival. Though looting is an act of rebellion, different kinds of loots denote different things. Even if it is a criminal act, “We wont Pay! We wont pay!” somewhat justifies to its readers the actions of its characters, and places an idea in our heads that in this particular situation, it may have been an okay thing to do. “One phenomenon that has attracted much attention in the literature is whether (ex-tensive) looting occurs during the emergency stage of a disaster. Some researchers argue that the belief that citizens wil...