MOTHER ACT ONE: SUPER QUOTATIONS

FIRST INTRODUCTION TO MOTHER:

“A woman in her early fifties, with uncontrolled inspirations and an overwhelming capacity for love”

Past prime contrasts with ann- immediate competition mothers jealousy and true intention suggested?​

Early fifties – midpoint of life – midlife crisis prolepsis of disturbed normality-mother as the nemesis ?​

Shorter than men description- miller doesn’t understand women​

Women seen as two dimensional or hysterical​

Idealism-'inspirations'​

‘Uncontrolled + overwhelming’ negative connotations contrast abstract noun of love suggests mothers mental state unstable and she is perceived negatively by her family ​

'capacity' suggests she could have more to give empty as result of her isolation in grief and lack of domestic duty​

Or other interpretation she at wits end cannot handle family ignorance and failure to accept her denial​

This could be prolepsis of the end when she does not use her "Capacity for love" and instead betrays Joe ​

MOTHERS DREAM:

“Only high up, way way up, where the clouds are”

“and crying,crying to me…mom,mom!”

Multiple couplets signify connection between mother and Larry –solidify her desperation to be in her designated domestic role as that is all she knows to be-represented as literal title is 'mother'​

Couplets may also signify the start of ostracising of keller and reveal the manipulative nature of mother ​

Repetition normally in triplets-couplets could represent the fact keller is lacking in his role as father or kate is failing at her role of keeping the family together​

'high up' symbolic of the heavans religious imagery– reveals where larry-the lost lives of the soldiers should be- reminder to audience of 400,000​

'Clouds' - heaven but also could represent mothers clouded mental state –idealism contrast with kellers materialism-no longer unit ​

In stage one of grief denial cannot move on-purgatory as complaciant in covering kellers crime​

Is this attempt at revealing truth? Only in order to be reunited with larry in heaven and avoid hell​

Elipsis reveal making up dream- on spot, no truth to it however using asattempt to begin processof exposing keller ​

Exclamative=hysteria  reveal her insecurity at failure in her role ​

MOTHERS DREAM:

“I could hear this roaring like he was going by.The tree snapped right in front of me..and i like…came awake”

'Roaring' 'snapped'-semantic field of violence– roaring could represent mothers internal mental state as she feels has no voice – women not heard in society​

'snapped' intentional violent movement –mother not confirming to standards of women-chekovs gun-quick death prolepsis of kellers death​

Colloquial language to appear less of a threat –making keller uncertain wants him to suffer like she has – making him mentally suffer as no power physically as a woman. ​

Another interpretation is that she is filling time so to allow her to think,because she's making it up.​

Unmitagated declerative changes to mitagated declerative proof mothers attempt to unsettle keller– lying about dream​

Lying about tree as she was the one who tore it down- doesn’t want to take responsibility for keller – could feel complying with secret as betraying larry ​

These lies could also imply that she is manipulating Joe and trying to get to the truth,introducing her as a nemesis. ​

Still invisioning larry –stuck in past unable to move on ​

ON LARRY TO KELLER:

“because if hes not coming back then ill kill myself!”

“believe with me Joe, I cant stand all alone.”

Exclamative : signifies her hysteria triggered by grief​

Couplets : links back to the idea of her echoing voice, her isolation –consistently isolated throughout play​

Wants to be with Larry by any means possible,therefore killing herself counts as a selfish act to reunite with him, but at the expense of her family who she will leave behind. Links to Keller's selfish desire behind his suicide. ​

Mention of suicide =Checkovs gun, and prolepsis of the ending.​

Feels defined only by her role as a mother –patriarchal society limits women to their maternal duties. Therefore feels worthless after failure to keep her son alive.

Change from exclamative to declarative shows her unstable mental state ​

"I can stand all alone"irony – becomes a widow at the end of the play ​

Pronouns used contradict with what mother is saying-reveals not true meaning is she trying to exemplify kellers failure at protecting the family​

The first phrase suggests that if Larry is dead, then it's like Keller killed him, and she couldn't live with the guilt. This is exactly what may happen at the end with Keller so this is prolepsis. ​

Projecting idealist values'believe' ​

AFTER BERT ENTERS 2ND TIME:

“she is shaken.Her speech bitten off,extremely urgent”I want you to stop that joe, the whole jail buisness””

Mitigated declarative –this suggests she is uncertain and doesn't use an imperative to stick to her role of a woman.​

She doesn't want to talk about the 'jail' because it is symbolic of Joe's guilt and half of her wants the truth not come out so they can live 'happily'.​

The prosodics suggest that she is feeling weak and terrified,stereotypical emotions of women. ​

Another interpretation is that the weakness is all an act, and she is manipulating Joe to make him worried and remind him of what he has done. ​

‘urgent’ as forced to take on dominant role due to kellers failure

‘jail business’ repeated phrase-miller want to emphasise many avoid punishment from war profiteering

Keller avoiding' ‘jail’ as result of bribery kate complicit therefore refererd to as business it is transactional

highlight corrupt justice system

“thats because you keep playing policeman with the kids. all their parents here out of you in jail,jail,jail”

LAST LINES ACT ONE

(she sits stifly in a chair) “Be smart now, Joe. The boy is coming. be smart.”

(she nods weakly)”alright Joe…be smart.”