Crimes of the Heart -- by Beth Henley (1981)

Description
Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is set at the MaGrath sister's house in Hazlehurst, Mississippi "five years after Hurricane Camille." Could I Google when that was? Yes. Will I? Not now.

The play is a reunion of sorts. There are three sisters: Lenny, 30, who has a deformed ovary and has no significant relationship in her life; Meg, 27, who has moved out to California to pursue, and come short of, her dreams; and Babe, 24, who has recently shot her husband because she did not like the way her husband looked at her. Of course, the true reasons for Babe shooting her husband are more detailed than that, but why spoil all the fun?

The sisters reunite because of Babe's crime. Their lives and relationships are each unique, yet they share the same history. The plot reveals more than it is enhanced or created. Honestly, it reminded me most of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. There was a movie version of this play. It featured Diane Keaton, Sissy Spacek, and Jessica Lange. Watch the trailer here.  

Candid Reactions

• Okay, so how many works of literature, especially drama, use birthday cakes as thematic motifs? 
• Why is it so effective thematically for Lenny to try to force a candle into the cookie?
• Henley continues this idea of "misfitting" with the leggings. 
• Wow. Destruction much? Poor Billy Boy. 
• Interesting how Lenny is inventive and figures out a way to get the candle on the cookie. She knows how to "make do." I wonder how this will unfold in her story. 
• Who announces ages like that in real life? 
• I am scared of Babe. 
• Why'd their mom hang herself?
• How thoughtful of Henley to parallel the reason why Lenny broke up with her boyfriend to the reason Babe shot her husband. 
• Meg tells her sister that they need to talk about their recent lives "because it's a human need. To talk about our lives. It's an important human need" (46). The reason for theater, ladies and gentleman. 
• So the consequence of living is sharing? Is that the moral of Act One? 
• Why did Meg find herself obsessed with looking at grotesque images? This part of the play was the most slippery. 
• I think the saddest line of the play is the following: "The thing about Old Granddaddy is, he keeps trying to make us happy, and we end up getting stomachaches and turning green and throwing up in the flower arrangements" (73). This line describes how their grandfather tried to help the girls cope with unexpected loss (when their mother committed suicide). Perhaps Henley is trying to communicate how ludicrous it is to try to avoid feelings of pain through embracing "sweetness."
• Ah, of course they will be playing "Hearts" together. 
• That was a weird end to Act Two. 
• Babe's supposition of why their mother committed suicide was sad. 
• What's with that saxophone? Am I missing something? 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Female Voice
I cannot think of many plays that are focused mainly on sisters and wherein the main characters are all female. Of course, Three Tall Women comes to mind. Albee's play seems to be more of a conceptually feminist play whereas Crimes of the Heart seems to be more of an inherently feminist play. Henley reminds the audience that females are individuals-- not all female lives are alike, even within a family. Women have the right to their own jealousies, aspirations, and fears. Henley scribes several voices to create this reminder. 

2. Dark Comedy
Think about it: The play centers on a woman shooting her husband before she asks him what he wants to drink. Two of the sisters burst into hysterical laughter when breaking the news to the third that their grandfather is on his deathbed. One of the sisters chases their cousin out of the house with a broom while another sister desperately tries to asphyxiate herself both via noose and via placing her head in an oven.

I mean . . . to incorporate those moments into a play without the play's tone and plot tanking is remarkable. Henley achieves laughter in moments that could quite quickly be interpreted as cringeworthy, to put it mildly.

Classroom Implications
It could be interesting to pair this text with a classic female-centric text such as Little Women, The Awakening, or Pride and Prejudice to see how the authors shape their inter-female relationships. I would not suggest this text in a middle school setting. However, I do not think the text would need shelved for upperclassmen-- I personally do not find the sophistication of the piece to be notably high. I think students could find much success in analyzing the development of character and theme. Discussion on flat/round, static/dynamic characters would be simple.

Personal Takeaway
Food and drink are typical vehicles for metaphors and character/thematic development.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 7.25
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 (1.5)	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity (1.5)	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1.5)	Devices somewhat enhance story	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1)
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation (1.75)	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically