The Petrified Forest

The Petrified Forest Summary | Act 1 Summary

The Petrified Forest is a two-act play that tells the story of three main characters, Gabby Maple, Alan Squier and Duke Mantee whose lives reach climactic points one night in a diner in Eastern Arizona in 1934. The setting is the Black Mesa Filling Station and Bar-B-Q owned by Jason Maple, Gabby's father.

As the play opens diner employee, Boze Hertzlinger, converses with two customers employed as telephone linemen. The discussion is about the benefits of communism which have been raised by the first lineman and strenuously objected to by Boze. Jason, who is a member of the local American Legion, takes particular offense to the lineman's un-American viewpoints and asks the men to leave.

Gramp Maple, Jason's father, has been observing the scene and advises Jason not to engage in verbal conflict with rebellious men like the ones who just left. Jason's frustrations are not limited to the recent encounter with the lineman however and the challenge from Gramp spurs Jason to reveal his discontent with his life in the desert.

The business will never make the family rich and Jason wants to sell yet Gramp will not concede his share. Jason's dream is to move to Los Angeles where his skills as an auto mechanic will practically ensure a healthy income in the burgeoning area.

Jason's daughter, Gabby, joins her father and grandfather and tells them that the cook has just heard on the radio about a manhunt for gangster Duke Mantee who is supposedly headed in the direction of the diner. Jason's respect for the local law agencies gives him confidence that the gangster is no immediate threat to the diner and continues to his American Legion meeting.

With the boss gone, Boze seizes the opportunity to make romantic advances toward Gabby who has no interest, preferring her book of French poetry to Boze's college football hero overtures. Much to Gabby's relief, Alan Squier enters the diner from hours of hitchhiking and walking on his way to the Pacific Ocean.

During dinner, Alan shares with Gabby, that he is a writer who is divorced from a wealthy European woman whom he met during his days as a gigolo in France. This story fascinates Gabby who wants nothing more than to live in France and live an artist's life. Visions of the romance and cultural sites are only part of her dream though as she also wants to see her mother who lives there. Although Gabby's mother is now remarried with three other children, Gabby feels better suited for a European life as opposed to the flat, dull life in the desert she shares with her father and grandfather.

After Gramp dies, Gabby plans to take her inheritance and go to France and Jason plans to take his money to Los Angeles. Encouraged by Alan's interest in her artistic sensibilities, Gabby shares some small paintings she has been working on. Interrupted by Herb, a local cowboy, Gabrielle is quick to hide the art from prying eyes.

Herb has come to the diner for beer and moonshine for some of the men on the lookout for Duke Mantee. Returning to the discussion on art, Alan compliments Gabby on her efforts that spur her enthusiasm, knowing that the proper training at a French art school would do wonders for her paintings.

Gabby's dreams include the lush scenery and vibrant spirit of Paris yet she is trapped in the flat life and landscape of the desert. Alan tries to get Gabby to understand perspective and to appreciate what she has, as there are probably artists in Paris who wish they had the broad canvas of the desert on which to work.

Other than those broad generalizations, Alan is not able to provide much insight on the artistic life in Europe. Alan is tired and bored with the idle pursuits of the rich from which he has fled. Preferring intellectual stimulation, Alan seeks dialogue on his theory that Nature will ultimately prevail in spite of the weapons men choose to subdue it.

According to Alan, Nature is striking back now not with the typical measures of natural disasters but with the plague of human neuroses. To Alan's way of thinking, Nature cannot be harnessed or destroyed because it will always prevail. The way of the intellectual is being reduced to the way of primates.

In over her head with this line of thinking, Gabby changes the subject to Alan's destination. When he finds out that the road outside leads to the Petrified Forest, Alan is delighted in the metaphor that an old fossil like himself should end up with other decaying life forms. Gabby doesn't like this line of conversation either and tells Alan that she would like to go to France with him.

Alan's finances have been exhausted and no amount of charm or hitchhiking can get him back across the Atlantic. Gabby won't be daunted though and tells Alan of the money she will inherit from her grandfather in addition to her share of the diner. In exchange for Alan's escorting to her France, she will live with him out of marriage, a proposal that had never occurred to the unsuspecting Alan.

Unwilling to raise Gabby's hopes any further; Alan prepares to leave and admits that he has no money to pay for his meal. Boze overhears this fact and explodes at Alan's taking advantage of Gabby's kindness. The two men engage in a minor conflict that is interrupted by the arrival of some new customers, The Chisholms who have been driving from Ohio on their way to California.

Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm are a well-to-do couple accompanied by their elegantly dressed driver, Joseph. Their stop for gas results in Gabby's asking them to take Alan along as far as Phoenix, their stopping point for the night. As Alan leaves, Gabby presses a silver dollar in his hand and asks for a postcard from California when his final destination is reached. Alan promises repayment of the money someday and Gabby wishes that they see each other in France someday.

With all the customers gone, Boze continues his romantic advances on Gabby whose defenses are wearing thin in light of her quest for experience of all kind. Boze promises that his lessons about nature are guaranteed to be much more pleasant than those Alan had been preaching about.

The sound of a car at the gas pump outside separates Boze and Gabby's embrace and a gangster named Jackie bursts into the diner. Quickly patting down Boze for guns and doing a speedy search of the diner, Jackie clears the way for Duke Mantee. Duke has entered the diner and demands to know who else is in the building and what is in each of the rooms. Two other men, Pyles and Ruby, accompany Duke and act as guards at the door and at their car.

Pyle forces Gramp and Paula, the cook, into the main room of the diner. The men force Paula back into the kitchen to prepare food but Gramp remains in the dining room and acts the part of a congenial host to celebrity guests. Gramp's claim to fame is that he was shot at by Wild Bill Hickock, and he imagines that this bit of information catapults his esteem in front of the gangsters.

Suddenly Alan reappears panting and out of breath to report that the gangsters had stolen the Chisholms' car. At that point, Alan sees Duke and realizes the serious situation of all those inside the diner. Duke cautions everyone to stay calm and be prepared to wait awhile. Alan exhibits unnatural enthusiasm for the circumstances and feels that destiny and killing have facilitated his return to the diner tonight.