Buried Child

Buried Child is a play filled with ambiguity. From the very beginning things are hinted at but never made certain. For instance, it’s never really made clear that there is a buried child until the end when Dodge confesses and Tildon brings it in the house. Even then it is never made certain why Dodge killed it except he said he “didn’t want it”. In his confession he made it sound as if he wasn’t the father saying that Halie and he hadn’t slept in the same bed for six years. He makes no mention of who the father might but Dewis’ presence implies that it might be him. This might explain the real reason he felt so awkward in the household when this subject was brought up. He definitely doesn’t react to the story as you think a man of the cloth would. I would think that a minister would be outraged if he heard a man make a confession that he killed his own child. This is an example of ambiguity that is never resolved which is strange in itself.