Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas deals with the simplicity of life, emphasizing the importance of "every pebble, donkey [and] goose"; we should rejoice in the simple aspects of life that ultimately make it so wonderful. There are many characters in the play who attempt to hide from reality behind their "germ-free shutters" and "sealed windows", consuming themselves in tasteless activities that do not bring the joy of "spring sunshine" into their lives. Thomas treats these characters with humor, subtly suggesting where his sympathies lie; with those characters who rejoice in "love" and the little aspects of life that make it so much more worth living. In the early stages of the show, the audience is invited into the "great seas" of Captain Cat's "dreams" where "the long drowned man approaches him". The humorous banter between the "dead" that follows is used by Thomas to highlight how important it is to appreciate the simple, everyday things in life that might otherwise be taken for granted. As their banter becomes more and more frenetic, they move onto topics that, to a living person, may seem unimportant; the "coconuts and shawls and parrots", the "rum and lava bread" and the music of the "concertinas". However, the continuous presence of these subjects within the conversation of the "drowned" brings a sense of pathos to the scene, reminding the viewer that the time in which such simple and ultimately important aspects of life can be managed is very limited. The character of Captain Cat is treated sympathetically by Thomas, his conversations with the dead remind us both of the immanence of death and the importance of not being afraid of it. Captain Cat enjoys life, surrounding himself with the things he loves, shown in his "shells, shit...... middle of paper...... names and sleep" until he dies without any trace of the satire. it is found in the descriptions of those characters who take such aspects of life for granted. The audience is therefore given the impression that such a life, while nothing but simple, possesses more joy than one that casts such simplicity aside. Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, while full of characters who take the simple but wonderful aspects of life for granted, is infused with a joy spread by those characters who do the opposite. Captain Cat is unafraid of life ending, conversing with the "long drowned" in her dreams every night, and Mog Edwards rejoices in both her relationship with Myfanwy Price and her "business." Those characters who hide in the "dark" of such a simple reality are only doing themselves an injustice, leaving Thomas to imply that we must celebrate life in all its joyful simplicity.