In one of his "Family Trilogy," Curse of the Starving Class, Sam Shepard presents family disruption very effectively through the symbolic and diverse use of the word, "starvation." At first, the Tate family looks like an ordinary American family. However, as the play develops, it is revealed that they suffer from various starvations and their family collapses because they could not solve these various dilemmas. Usually many critics emphasize only the spiritual aspect of starvation, but the physical starvation is very important to understand their family's disruption properly. It is obvious that they are already economically collapsed. Not only Weston but also Ella has no means for livelihood. Furthermore, they do not show any wish to take care of the family. So, they go hungry and their physical starvation makes the family members gradually estranged. Also, the Tates are emotionally starved in the sense that they could not get enough love, care, or comfort within the home. They reveal their emotional starvation symbolically by frequently opening the refrigerator and talking in it. In addition, the estranged family relations are obviously revealed by Weston's and Ella's two contradictory plans to sell the farm. Refusing to trust and consider the others, the Tates become destructive in their family relationships only to face the family disruption. Their starvation for the American Dream concerned with "frontier myth" is also an important element to make the Tate family dissolved. All of the family members are eager to leave the house and go to a new place. Their desire for escape is caused by their naive belief that they could enjoy a new successful life if they just go to some new, undiscovered place. However, their starvation for the "frontier myth" is just a way to avoid their responsibilities and reality. The Tates are also starved for the pursuit of a new self-identity. Actually Weston insists that he has found a new self; Wesley also tries to find a new self to ease his angst. However, it is revealed that Weston's new self is just a way of deception to avoid his responsibility when he runs away to Mexico. Wesley also could not resolve the starvation for the new self when he is assimilated with his father. So their unresolved starvation for the new self leads the family to dysfunctionality and disintegration. The Tates are finally broken-up when Weston runs away alone and Emma is killed accidently by gangsters. Although Ella and Wesley remain in the house, they no longer have the farm to support them. Through the Tates' helplessness and disintegration, Shepard shows the destructive power of the various starvations efficiently.