34 pages • 1 hour read
Clifford OdetsWaiting For Lefty
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1935A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets depicts a tense union meeting where taxi drivers debate whether to strike for better wages. Union leader Harry Fatt tries to suppress the idea, while workers share personal stories highlighting their struggles. As tension escalates, the search for their chairman, Lefty, ends in a shocking revelation, propelling the workers to fervently chant for a strike.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Reviews for Clifford Odets’ Waiting For Lefty reveal a poignant portrayal of working-class struggles that captures the spirit of the 1930s labor movement. Praised for its raw emotional power and social relevance, some critiques note its dated dialogue and occasionally one-dimensional characters. Overall, it remains an impactful and historically significant piece of American theater.
Who Should Read Waiting For Lefty?
Readers passionate about social justice issues and class struggles will enjoy Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty. Comparable to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, this play appeals to those interested in the labor movement and the plight of the working class during the Great Depression.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsBook Details
Play: Drama
Education
American Literature
Class
Social Justice
Education
Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Society: Community
Society: Class