Martinelli is a Seattle-based freelance writer and editor. In this essay, Martinelli examines how the characters in Off the Map struggle with depression and desires in pursuit of self-reliance.

In Off the Map, Joan Ackermann paints a picture of the Groden family living outside of society in northern New Mexico. With limited contact from friends and no contact with the outside world, except for sparse mail delivery, the Grodens have created a life that is sheltered, productive and amicable. Yet, during the summer of the play, Charley Groden, the father to Bo Groden and husband to Arlene Groden, slips into a deep depression. He is distant and full of sadness. Soon thereafter, an IRS agent, William Gibbs, arrives to collect back taxes. Gibbs also suffers from terrible depression. Both men struggle with a common ailment, only in very different ways. The last character involved in a focused...