'night, Mother -- by Marsha Norman (1983)

Description

I finished reading the final line, and I did not know what to do. I think my first action was to remember that what I read was not real -- it was just a story with fictional characters. Yet, I felt that reaction was a disservice to one of the purposes of the text. For me to dismiss the play as a simple work of fiction was to believe the real-world does not contain complex, unbearable problems.

This two-hander forces the audience member to stare directly at the pain of suicide for 90 minutes. Playbill.com summarizes the play like this: "In Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, a daughter announces to her mother that she will kill herself at the end of the evening, leading to an uneasy completion of routine tasks and a series of hopelessly ineffectual pleadings and confrontations." 

Jessie Cates straightforwardly informs Thelma "Mama" Cates that she will kill herself later in the evening. Mama realizes that Jessie's announcement is not a joke nor is it a call for help. Jessie spends the next 90 minutes making sure her mother is going to be able to manage without her. Mama tries to reason why Jessie has made this decision. Is it her failed marriage? Difficult childhood? Epilepsy? Inability to keep a job? Is it her fault? Both Jessie and Mama discover truths about their lives as Mama mines for an answer. Mama pleads for Jessie to not commit the act; Mama tries to delay the inevitable. 

Jessie achieves precisely what she has set to do. The play reminds me of Hamilton or The Last Five Years in that the ending is spoiled from the start, yet the engagement of the reader/listener intensifies as if the plot is unknown the entire time.   

Candid Reactions

• The character descriptions include full portraits. Why did Norman say that Jessie should have either a pencil behind her ear or pen in her pocket? Was this to give the actress choice? Was this to give a nonchalance-vibe to Jessie? 
• As much attention is given to the doorway in the introductory notes, there are almost no stage directions that reference the door. 
• The washing of hands is a rich symbol to dissect from the start of the play. That Mama is asked frequently throughout the night to wash her hands is notable. 
• Jessie asserts, "I'm cold all the time, anyway" (18). Double-meaning, much?
• Jessie bluntly tells her mother, "It's not up to you [to convince me not to kill myself]" (27). What a punch to the gut. This line exemplifies how Norman writes dialogue with clarity. While it is difficult for the reader and Mama to fully understand why Jessie does what she does, Jessie's attitude and decided mindset is unquestionable. 
• How heartbreaking is it when Mama offers, "I'll sing till morning to keep you alive, Jessie" (31)? 
• I thought it was smart of Norman to have Mama want to rearrange the furniture. It requires the two characters to cooperate. It also plays with the idea that Mama wants her life to look different. Sadly, it also reinforces the fact that all Mama can do is contemplate different ways to view what her life presents her -- not to change what she is working with. 
• Ah, more symbolism with wasted chocolate.
• I am fascinated by how Mama keeps trying different strategies to keep Jessie alive -- guilt-trip, logic, fear, love, etc. 
• Mama's talk about Jessie's epileptic history reminds me of Amanda Wingfield confronting Laura's physical defects in The Glass Menagerie 
• Jessie reasons, "I fell off the horse because I didn't know how to hold on" (57). Norman demonstrates her poetic finesse in this line. 
• In perhaps the most famous line from the play, Jessie shares, "[My son and I] look out at the world and we see the same thing: Not Fair" (60). Her heart is hurt and her perspective is hopeless. 
• Norman proves her stunning command of language again when she writes, "Ricky is the two of us together for all time in too small a place" (60). 
• Wonderful reversal with Mama letting Jessie know the house is shared--that the house isn't simply Mama's and her rules must be obeyed. 
• Mama's explanation of why she never revealed Jessie's epilepsy to Mama's husband is sad. Mama basically says that she didn't want to present her husband with the truth because then more truth would have to be addressed about his behaviors. Here, Norman challenges the audience to take the time to have difficult conversations with loved ones. 
• Perhaps the saddest line I've read comes from this play: "I'm what was worth waiting for and I didn't make it" (76). Poor Jessie!
• That final tirade hurt to read. 
• The image of Mama holding the pan of wasted chocolate at the end of the play is haunting.   

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. No Escapism

Theater can be a great form of escape from real-life troubles, especially American musical theater. In this play, the playwright urges the audience members to reconsider how to relate with each other. The straightforward treatment of such a "touchy" subject does not allow for the audience to skirt around complex conversations. The only conversation to have after encountering the play is a discussion on humanity and empathy.

2. Dialogue

The language is highly connotative and rich in its symbolism. Norman scarcely reads as "clever," but perfectly tender and harsh -- an oxymoron difficult to achieve with success.

Classroom Implications
I believe students would be thoroughly engaged, but I would be terrified to use this text for its weight.

Personal Takeaway
Plays can devastate.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 9.0
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points	Devices somewhat enhance story	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (2)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75)	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping! (1.75)	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation  (1.75)	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically(1.75)