Monday, November 14, 2011
Mary: A Life Ruiner
In reading, The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman I immediately hated Mary, and I do not use that term very often. In the beginning something I got the vibe that Mary was very conniving and was not a good human being from the get-go. I understand that she was upset by how she was treated by the teachers at school, but the way that she treated her classmates so horridly, she definitely deserved what she got. Mary had to have been a child with many problems, because otherwise I do not think she would have inflicted so much harm on several people. She degraded her classmates, ruined a marriage, and caused a suicide. Basically the whole time reading this play was overshadowed by my hatred for Mary. I kept asking myself why a person would do such a thing. Did Mary want to get "even" with the teachers? Whatever it was it was completely unnecessary behavior. The ending also really surprised by how quickly Karen let Joe go. One minute they're talking about having a baby and the next they're breaking up. I have to say I really was not surprised with Martha's confession of being in love with Karen, for I suspected this when they were having the conversation about Karen getting married. It was definitely an interesting play to say the least, but it definitely left me upset with how it ended.
2 comments:
I definitely also hated Mary from the beginning of the play and was baffled by her behavior. I think the main motivation for her actions was that she did not like that she could not be in control with the teachers and couldn't push them around like she could everyone else so she wanted to find a way to have some sort of control over them. After she is told what her friends overheard she just makes up this story because she doesn't want to go back to school and she knows that her Grandma will agree to it if she tells a story that is horrible enough. She was able to kill two birds with one stone by getting away from the school and putting herself in power over the teachers with one simple lie.
I too shared this hatred for Mary. I couldn't believe how she began talking to Evelyn and Peggy. She seems possessed. The way she demanded to take Peggy's money, the way she grabbed her arm, and the way she slapped Evelyn across the face were so evil! I completely agree with your comments for her need to control others around her. Mary's victims seem so powerless. They succumb to her demands so quickly, because they fear what she is capable of. Interesting to consider why Mary is so evil, and how she is able to control those around her they way she does.
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