Cosi essay Lewis is as much a product of his environment as Nick, Lucy or any of the inmates. Discuss.

Individuals are always influenced by their surroundings, conditions and circumstances in which they live in. They may represent societys norms in how they act and the decisions they make, however comes a possibility that an individual may have an idea that challenges the normal way of thinking when experiencing new incidents. In Louis Nowras play, Cosi, the protagonist, Lewis Riley, had firm ideas and beliefs that were a result of his environment in Australian society where his friend Nick and girlfriend Lucy also shared the same belief. Lewis though changed as he directed a play in a mental asylum with mental patients who are neglected and are stereotypically thought as mental, where one of the mental patients, Doug, truly is. Through this experience, Lewis is as much a product of his environment as Nick, Lucy or any of the mental patients. In Cosi Nick and Lucy represent the culture they were brought up in, vague knowledge of mental institutes, believing in free love (infidelity) and protesting against the Vietnam War. They are university students who also protest against Lewis job at a mental asylum where Lucy states I cant believe youre doing a show here whereas Nick laughs at the idea of directing metal patients, Mad actors are bad enough, but madmen....This demonstrates there minimal knowledge of mental institutions and stereotypes them as insane and frightful people indicating the environment they grew up in where mental asylums were never spoken and only vaguely of crazy and sick people. That this environment indicates that the younger generation only thought about the main stream issues like the Vietnam War and peace, free love that both Nick and Lucy practice however Lewis does not. That throughout this play, Nick and Lucy are mainly concerned with the moratorium and the Vietnam war, constantly talking about this huge issue, throw away the idea of love and fidelity as they conform to the social norms where Lewis believes in these ideas at the start but changes into a different person. Lewis, at the beginning of the play, believes in the central conflicts and ideas in society although changes as he experiences new prospects and events while directing the play in the mental institution. When he began directing the play his firm belief of the Vietnam War and peace were of utmost importance pushing aside love and fidelity love is not so important nowadays. He could not diverge to think other ideas as at university protesters, peace and moratoriums surrounded Lewis, engulfing him to conform and become a product of this madness. By directing the play he sees the patients as just different, where he sees them as the neglected people who society ignores and believes that this performance, love and fidelity are what matters most to him, Its about important things-like love and fidelity, and feeling betrayed that Lucy was unfaithful to him. Through the end of the play, the unconstrained and whirlwind environment of the mental institute has transformed Lewis into a different being, seeing that other things matter than society issues. Lewis is changed throughout this experience, Doug remains unnerved. While some mental patients are released from the institute by this positive and beneficial outcome, Doug, however does not and ultimately a result of circumstances surrounding him. Patients Ruth and Zac from these incidents have the ability to overcome their troubles and are free where Ruth left the institute to become a time and motion expert and Zac makes a minor hit song. On the other hand, Doug ultimately is a product of the conditions that surrounds him. He was just a man who had concerning issues with his mothers emotional abuse towards him and needed a release from this

pain, where he burned all his mothers cat and house on fire. Doug does not know how to deal with situations with societys expectations, so enters the asylum that does not help at all, Its just that in here you miss out on a lot of changes in societys morals. Where there is neglect from society in this environment, Doug remains the same as now as a result, even through rehearsing he tries to burn the theatre twice and succeeds. Dougs frame of mind will not change as he willingly wants to stay in the mental institution. Lewis is as much a product of his environment as Nick, Lucy or any of the inmates. It is the circumstances around the individual that changes or creates the persons mind. Lucy and Nick have conformed to societys issues of protests against the war and peace where they disregard the intimate issues of love and fidelity. Lewis beliefs change as his conditions from an intense atmosphere into a small world of a mental asylum where he begins to view issues of love as important to himself. Whereas Doug, ultimately is person who remains unmoved by the experience is already a permanent result of the neglect and circumstances he is in.