Final Writing Test

Childhood is something that marks each and every person. The way kids grow up and how their parents were can greatly affect the adults they will become tomorrow. This is a theme that can be found in Karoline Leach’s play Tryst. George Love, one of the main characters is a criminal because of the way he was treated as a child. He refuses commit to a relationship because of trust issues and low self esteem and doesn’t let anyone see who he really is.

George Love came from an abusive home. Because of that, he has never been able to commit to someone. Ever since he was eighteen years old, he has made a living out of seducing women and stealing their money. He used that same scheme with Adelaide. His father, the person who is supposed to love him unconditionally was very violent towards him and his mother. This is the source of his behavior. Had he been born into a loving and nurturing family, he would’ve never turned out to be the man he is now. He doesn’t want to trust people because he fears that he might get hurt in the process. Every time George gets close to a woman, he ends up deceiving her by lying and stealing. He does that because he doesn’t see himself worthy of love. In his mind, it’s better if he fails the woman now purposely rather than have a relationship and deceive her by being himself. This pattern that he does has become an addiction. Since he’s been doing this every since he was a teenager and he is now a middle aged man, it means that he’s accumulated a lot of money. That means he could possibly stop stealing and just enjoy his wealth. However, he keeps doing it over and over again because it’s the only way for him to feel wanted and loved. He is too scared to start a real relationship so he lies and steals because for a short moment, it makes him fell better. Not only did his childhood made him afraid of commitment, it also made him keep everyone at arm’s length.

The way George sees himself is quite pitiable. He doesn’t seem to think he is interesting enough to be around. He lies to every woman he meets. He tells them he has a very important job and that he’s fluent in French. He lies about where he traveled and who he knows. It’s a way for George to protect himself. By creating this façade, he makes sure that no woman can get to him and hurt him. By keeping everyone away, he’s preventing himself from being hurt. His father was probably verbally abusive towards him and told him that he was worthless and stupid. After being told that over and over again, he ended up believing it .Near the end of the play, George revealed to Adelaide how bad his childhood was. He also told her all about his ruse and his lies. She is the only woman with whom he had ever been completely honest. This is why he drowned her in the bathtub. He could not live knowing that someone else knew the “real” him. He couldn’t bear the thought of her knowing what a horrible person he had become.


George’s personality and behavior are direct results of his childhood. He lies to feels admired and loved by women. Low self esteem and trust issues are also consequences of the abusive he was subjected to as a kid. This is an important issue in today’s society. Juvenile delinquents and criminals often come from abusive homes. When they grow up in these kinds of families, they become murderers, killer, rapist. There needs to be more awareness of this in the media so that people can recognize when a child is being abused.


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