The Depiction of Thetic Break in The Buried Child by Sam Shepard

Thetic break as a threshold between two realms includes the semiotic and the symbolic, and it is marked by the break between signifier and signified. Kristeva believes that the thetic break is a precondition for entering into symbolic chora and the possibilities of the first enunciation. It is at this level that the subject realizes that his subjectivity faces boundaries and limitations with others. As a result, in this paper, the researcher intends to study how thetic break takes place in the main characters of The Buried Child written by Sam Shepherd. The play is set on a farm in Illinois and portrays an estranged family with an uncertain past It depicts the process of thetic break metaphorically. During the thetic break, the children have an independent subjectivity in which the father fails to full the image of the metamorphosized mother or imaginary father since he has been a pathetic figure throughout his life. Finally, this paper reveals how this process happens in the family.