The Laramie Project

The Laramie Project

by

Moisés Kaufman

The Laramie Project: Act 2: H-O-P-E Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
In this moment, Stephen Belber tells Doc O’Connor that the interview team will be back for Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney’s criminal trials. Doc O’Connor states that he hopes they don’t put Aaron and Russell to death because Matthew Shepard would not want them to die—he would want to give the community hope, instead. According to Doc, hope is the crux of the entire incident.
As Doc O’Connor discusses why he doesn’t want Aaron and Russell to get the death penalty, he ushers in a conversation that dominates the third Act: about the proper punishment for heinous crimes and how punishment, like crime itself, affects the community at large.
Themes
Violence, Punishment, and Justice Theme Icon