Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road reveals the emptiness of suburban life by incorporating a play in the opening paragraphs and then continuing a theater metaphor throughout the rest of the novel. The novel opens with a theatrical failure that foreshadows the obvious ruin of Frank and April's lives. The characters in the book take on their own theatrical roles in the suburban environment in which they are all forced to perform. The opening chapter's stage production becomes an enduring metaphor that begins with the author's decision to begin the novel with a production of The Petrified Forest, and is realized through the performances of both Frank and April as they strive to act in a in a way that fits in with their suburban lifestyle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Laurel Players presentation of The Petrified Forest juxtaposed with the rest of the novel reveals the truth about the suburbs. Painfully awkward, the cast's performance becomes difficult to watch. The audience shudders with every passing moment as April attempts to play her part. While performing, April is described as having "lost her grip" causing the entire audience to become "embarrassed for her" as she "began to alternate between false theatrical gestures and spine-chilling stillness" (Yates, Revolutionary Road). Her failure to play her part in the play foreshadows her inability to fulfill her role as a submissive housewife. Similar to the cast of The Petrified Forest, each character in the novel reads a “cultural script” given to them by society's interpretation of what life in the suburbs should reflect. Every character in this periphery follows the same pattern of conformity found in the production of a play. The characters are “painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture” (Yates, Revolutionary Road). They stick to their cultural scripts, never deviating from their directions. Furthermore, Yates' choice to have April as the lead in the production of The Petrified Forest becomes a harbinger of his restlessness. In both the novel and the play, the characters find salvation from their failure in death. In The Petrified Forest, Alan escapes the torment of his failure through death, and Gabby finds freedom thanks to Alan's life insurance policy that allows her to start a new life in Europe. Before his death Alan says: “When alive I am worth nothing to her. Dead: I can buy her the tallest cathedrals, golden vineyards and dancing in the streets” (Sherwood, The Petrified Forest). This mentality is also shown in April's death because she also gave her spouse a way to start over. After her death, Frank sent their children away and finally had the opportunity to unlock his true potential as a man. April and Frank are arguing or pretending everything is fine when it clearly isn't. They lead lives of alternating staged events where it seems like they are simply reading a script, or messy arguments that reveal their true flaws in both their marriage and themselves. April finds herself lost in a game of make-believe as she tries to be the submissive housewife she is supposed to embody. After Frank's support in her play, she feels like she should be the typical wife he thought he wanted. However, she secretly longs to find a greater purpose for her life outside of the discriminatory definition of being a suburban wife. April is a leading actress, in The Petrified Forest and Life of the Wheelers on Revolutionary Road, and in both productions she longs to escape. Both in the role of., 1962.