HARRIS
"You were out celebrating something last night, but you have no idea what— same as every other night. Every night you raise your glass to nothing..."
Like all of the characters in this play, we don't know much about Harris. Here are a few clues:
1. Harris isn't the biggest movie-watcher- 3 out of the 4 movies that come up in Harris’ day are mentioned by other people. That said, they can might tell us a bit about him, especially his relationship with the mysterious Wendy. Click a photo below!
2. Chapdelaine describes Harris as "helplessly sarcastic". 'Helplessly' is defined as 'the inability to act or help oneself', which implies that Harris needs help of some kind. Each of the characters has individual coping mechanisms, and it seems that sarcasm is one of Harris'. Even at 7 am, he thinks about his own mental health with such directness. But can he be so open with other people?
"You don’t want to look like a guy about to have a nervous breakdown. You want to be seen as a working professional and you know that people don’t respect a guy about to have a nervous breakdown. They nod their heads and make understanding noises, pretending to listen intently like an amateur actor auditioning for the role of “Therapist.”" - 7 AM
3. He's physically- and emotionally- blocked. Constipation is when digestion gets backed up in the large intestine, or colon. The GI tract has the most serotonin glands in the body, so it's no wonder that our gut influences our emotions. The Mayo Clinic lists stress as one of the top causes of common constipation. Here's what one website had to say about 'trusting your gut':
"It
feels easier
to search for
meaning at the
bottom of a Styrofoam cup... it
happens to contain
the only thing that
comforts you. A
little warmth."
"You could never touch Wendy because no trace of shit must ever be allowed to soil someone so pure. Today, you attempt to abstract this desire for Wendy. You wait for your desire to shut off. You wait for the explosion." - 1 PM
EMOTIONAL BLOCK
The primary function of the bowel is to evacuate what is no longer useful to the body. In metaphysical terms, optimal health hinges on the release of old ideas that are being carried around. Constipation also indicates lack of expression of one's ideas or feelings for fear of displeasing others, being "wrong," or risking the loss of something or someone.
If you are stingy or attached to material things, you probably have difficulty letting go physically as well. Constipation can occur when you feel you are being forced to part with your coveted time or money. Constipation can result from the stress brought on by an inability to let go of a past incident.
MENTAL BLOCK
If you suffer from constipation, your body is giving you a powerful message that it's time to let go! Stale ideas and old belief systems will accumulate and eventually poison you, so "out with the old and in with the new!"
4. Harris is obsessed with Solitaire. It's a family of card games played by one person, which is why the name shares the same root as solitude/solitary. It's also known as Patience, which is funny since Harris plays it on the toilet.
When played with actual cards (vs online), not every game can be won. Possibly originating as a form of fortune-telling, whether or not a game “came out” supposedly indicated whether or not the player’s desire would come true.
Somniloquy - Sleep Talking
A subsection of Parasomnia (abnormal behavior during sleep), sleep-talking is most common in children. In adults, it is usually a short-term behavior caused by stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also be caused by sleep deprivation, alcohol, drugs, and fever. It is most common in those with PTSD.
