DNA Essay Questions

What role does the concept of sadism play in DNA?

As one of the play's major themes, sadism plays a significant role in DNA. Defined as deriving pleasure from another's suffering or humiliation, sadism emerges as a theme when Cathy makes her initial appearance on stage. Instead of displaying sorrow like Brian or reacting with alarm like the rest of the group, Cathy wears a grin of excitement. Dennis Kelly further develops the theme as Mark elaborates on the perverse enjoyment he and others derived from witnessing Adam's fear as they threw stones at him until he presumably died. While Phil exhibits a troubling absence of conscience marked by his indifference, Cathy stands out for deriving a thrill from immoral actions. As the play progresses, Cathy's sadistic tendencies intensify to the point where Brian says, "She loves violence now." Richard tells Phil at the end of the play that Cathy rules the social hierarchy at school; it is rumored that she severed a first-year student's finger.

How is the concept of exploitation relevant to DNA?

Exploitation—the act of taking advantage of someone who is being treated unjustly—is a significant theme in DNA. This theme first becomes evident as Mark recounts how the group exploited Adam's desire to impress them by "taking the piss"—i.e. mocking and humiliating Adam at his expense. The theme resurfaces when the friends learn that a postman matching Brian's description has been arrested because his DNA was found on Adam's sweater. Instead of stepping in to clear the name of the innocent man, the group uses the development to their advantage because it reduces the likelihood of their culpability being discovered. The theme of exploitation also comes to the forefront when Phil decides that Adam, found alive, must be killed if the rest of them want to avoid getting in trouble. Rather than risk his own freedom, Phil gets Brian to suffocate Adam, taking advantage of Brian's heavily medicated lack of awareness.

What role does the concept of conspiracy play in DNA?

Defined as clandestinely plotting within a group to engage in unlawful or harmful actions, conspiracy is explored through the collective decision of the teenagers to conceal the truth regarding Adam's disappearance. Faced with the realization that they all played a part in Adam's fall into the ventilation shaft, the group opts to follow Phil's intricate plan to deceive the police with a fabricated child-abduction case. The group's conspiracy becomes more intricate when Cathy frames a postman rather than getting a random man's DNA on Adam's jumper. Subsequently, another complication arises when the group discovers Adam has been surviving in the wilderness for weeks. Instead of confessing to their cover-up, the group, at Phil's persuasion, decides to have Brian suffocate Adam. In this way, Kelly illustrates how a conspiracy typically involves not only an initial falsehood or criminal act but many subsequent illicit acts that are necessary to prevent the conspiracy from unraveling.

What role does peer pressure play in DNA?

Peer pressure, the phenomenon in which individuals within a peer group exert influence on one another, is a central theme in DNA. Kelly explores the theme most explicitly with the play's premise: A group of teens, having peer pressured Adam to his death, continue to use peer pressure to cover up their actions. Rather than notify the authorities, the school, or Adam's parents, the teenagers succumb to peer pressure and opt to conceal the truth to evade potential repercussions; when Brian or Leah express a desire to do what is morally right and confess, they find themselves pressured by their peers to uphold the facade. However, while the group manages to evade legal consequences for their actions, Kelly shows how the collective pressure they exert on each other ultimately leads to the disintegration of the group. By the play's conclusion, Richard reflects on how each friend has splintered off on his or her own, with most seemingly driven to madness by their involvement in the cover-up.

Why is it significant that the teens throw stones at Adam when he is standing on the grille?

Kelly depicts the teens throwing stones at Adam as an allusion to the sadistic capital punishment method known as death by stoning. In Mark's retelling of Adam's demise, he describes how members of their friend circle threw stones at Adam until he was knocked off the metal grille. Despite Mark's portrayal of the group's actions as innocent and playful, they were, in essence, engaging in an impromptu form of stoning—an ancient method of capital punishment where the public hurls stones at a condemned person until they succumb to blunt-force trauma. Regardless of how the group perceives their deeds, they cannot deny the fact that they consciously imperiled Adam's life, having succumbed to the sadistic thrill of exercising cruelty against a fellow being.