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“Please, help us to benefit from an illustration of your storybook marriage ---” (Act 2 page 1799)

Barb uses her sarcasm to her advantage in commenting back to Violet. In reality, the marriage of Bev and Violet had been anything but a fantasy. Simultaneously, Violet battled a drug addiction and Bev battled alcoholism. Barb was triggered by Violet perceiving herself as someone suitable to offer advice. By doing so, Violet disregards the flaws in her life and her own behavior.

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“Yeah, well...I fail. As a sister, as a mother, as a wife, I fail.” (Act 3 scene 2 page 1806)

Barb completely dissembles any ounce of self-worth that may have been on the table for her. She realizes as the days progress that she is seeing more glimpses of her mother in her, which she does not like. Barb definitely slapped Jean out of pent-up rage with herself and her situation, not with Jean herself. Barb's sanity was at stake which caused her to do something she did not mean to do. This moment of analyzation for Barb causes her to notice that in mirroring the mannerisms of her mother, she is subconsciously passing this behavior down to Jean. This leaves Barb feeling distraught and lost in her suffering with no clear solution in sight. A broken person like Barb can be aware of how they are broken but still be unable to pinpoint a direction out of this sensation.

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“You don’t get it, do you? I’M RUNNING THINGS NOW!” (Act 2 page 1800)

This is not the first pill-raid, proving that even in Barb’s efforts of confrontation, she has yet to come out victorious. Barb must portray this outward strength in order to prove to herself she is capable of trying again after countless unsuccessful attempts at claiming authority. Something Barb has lacked throughout her life is a sense of control. She is dealing with a mother who has also lost her sense of control, but due to drugs. Barb is losing her sense of control for a reason she could not control. Violet lost her sense of control for a reason she could have controlled and prevented to a certain point. The drugs appeared to have consumed her to a point that cannot be reversed without assistance from outside help. Regardless of knowing that Violet is now at a stage she cannot dig herself out of alone, Barb’s reality still stings each day. She itches for any inch of control she can claim, because so little of it exists for her to begin with.

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1. Much of the movie took place in the real Osage County in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

2. The production team purchased the five-bedroom Victorian house where the movie was filmed and redesigned and refurnished every single aspect of it.

3. Meryl Streep suggested the cast live together during filming, so they took residence in a condo complex in Bartlesville Oklahoma, located around forty minutes from Pawhuska.

(Source: E! News https://www.eonline.com/news/493130/august-osage-county-starring-meryl-streep-julia-roberts-5-things-you-should-know)

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1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIIQvMBjPEc&list=PLNL0zE5AgyyvdAvyAmo2VOUZyvS4QZBmT&index=6

Stars of a Broadway.com rendition of the play speak of Barbara's character and the experience of playing her/acting with her character.

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXif2Ye6j3g

Segment of Barbara’s character played by a student named Dominique Rose at a performance of the play at the Hartt School (a university in West Hartford Connecticut) in 2017.

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu-REKFpmiI

A student named Katherine Stevens of the Exeter University Theatre Company (EUTCO) in the United Kingdom in 2014 gives an introduction to Barb’s character and what it is like to play her.

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“Listen to me: Die after me all right? I don’t care what else you do, where you go, how you screw up your life...survive. Outlive me, please.” (Act 1 Scene 4 page 1786)

With all that she has endured throughout her life, Barb begs Jean that she at least live longer than her. Barb has experienced the epitome of a hard life; her mother is an opioid addict, her alcoholic father committed suicide, and she is losing control of her daughter. She does not want history to repeat itself for Jean. Barb does not deny the fact that the current familial circumstances pose negative effects on Jean’s well-being. Barb is fully acknowledging that having to experience the life Jean is living will in fact scar Jean, but Barb hopes these scars will not run too deep. Barb hopes for Jean that even though she has encountered these hardships at such a young age, it will be an accomplishment to live longer than her mom.

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“But there was something sad in his voice --- or no, not sad, he always sounded sad --- something more hopeless than that. As if it had already happened. As if whatever was disappearing had already disappeared. As if it was too late. As if it were already over. And no one saw it go.” (Act 3 scene 3 page 1807)

Barb looks for comfort from an outsider of the house, Johnna. In a non-dysfunctional household, one would normally consult the immediate members in times of loneliness. In this play, the only levelheaded person is someone who is not a member of the bloodline. Barb was able to achieve this level of intimacy with a person one would not think you could form a connection with, considering the nature of her role in the house and where she came from before then. Barb resents the fact that she was unable to appreciate her father in front of Violet since she was constantly shushed by her when doing so. She appeared heartbroken to learn that in one of the last conversations her had with Bev, his quality of life and perception of the world were so poor. Barb only being able to confide in someone who is not a member of her family further enforces the lack of stability of the house.

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1. https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/august-osage-county-100608/

2. https://www.npr.org/2013/12/24/256613621/in-osage-county-a-family-consuming-itself

3. https://entertainment.time.com/2013/09/11/august-osage-county-meryl-streep-and-julia-roberts-duke-it-out-for-next-years-oscar/

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“Your “methods.” Thank you. But I actually don’t need any help from my mother to feel rage.” (Act 1 Scene 3 page 1784)

Barb gives a negative nod to Violet, implying Violet is the cause of all of her rage. When placed in the grand scheme of things, Violet really is the source of trauma for herself and her children. Her involvement in drugs dismissed any kind of salvaging that was hoped to have occurred with her kids. Violet never partook in the correct steps towards her sobriety because it turned into a never-ending cycle of her ending up being a user again. Barb is understandably frustrated with her mother since all anyone with a drug user in their life would want is for them to stop using drugs. Barb is vying for a sense of normalcy, and Violet never supplied her with the decency to properly attempt long-term sobriety.

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1. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/the-exhausting-emotional-violence-of-em-august-osage-county-em/282648

This article touches upon how Barb and her sisters succumb to the toxic environment created by her mother Violet.  Violet and Barb clash as both mother and daughter fight for the role as the dominating matriarch in the family.

2. https://www.thoughtco.com/characters-and-themes-august-osage-county-2713471

This article touches upon Barb and Violet's relationship.  Violet and Barb often clash with each other, but at the same time, Violet depends on Barb's strength to get through different crises in the family.

3. https://www.belmont.edu/burs/pdf/Theatre%20-%20McCarthy.pdf

This article touches upon Tracey Lett's use of dashed lines to show frustration between particularly Barb and Violet, in their fight for power and authority in the Weston Household. Barb and Violet are the most entitled characters of the play, often interrupting each other.