Calm Down Mother: Analysis of Major Characters
"Calm Down Mother: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex identities and experiences of women through a series of interconnected vignettes. The play features various characters, including Woman One, Woman Two, and Woman Three, who represent broader themes of women's roles in society and the struggle for individual identity beyond reproductive functions. These characters shift roles throughout the narrative, reflecting societal perceptions that often categorize women as merely fulfilling specific roles rather than recognizing their individuality.
Sophie, an elderly woman, grapples with her self-image while reminiscing about her youth and attractiveness, embodying the tension between aging and societal beauty standards. Nancy, a young woman facing personal turmoil, highlights the impact of familial struggles and abusive relationships on women's mental health. The interactions among Mrs. Tweed and Mrs. Watermelon expose the frustrations of aging and the lack of empathy from caregivers in a nursing home setting.
The play also features Momo, Felicia, and Inez, who navigate the challenges of their profession while dealing with interpersonal conflicts, and Sue, Sak, and Ma, whose contentious discussion on birth control exemplifies generational and ideological divides. Through these characters, the narrative evokes a rich tapestry of female experiences, addressing themes of identity, societal expectations, and the ongoing struggle for autonomy.
Calm Down Mother: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Megan Terry
First published: 1966
Genre: Play
Locale: New York City
Plot: Feminist
Time: The 1960's
Woman One, Woman Two, and Woman Three,whoareon stage as the play begins, clustered together to suggest a plant form while a voiceover tape talks about one-celled creatures floating in the sea. Woman One says she is Margaret Fuller, the noted nineteenth century feminist, and that she accepts the universe. The other two women in unison reply that, as the nineteenth century philosopher Thomas Carlyle said, you had better accept, for life must live while it can. In a later scene, Woman One is angry; she and Woman Two beat Woman Three. They appear again in the final scene, as they singly or in twos or threes repeat the words “bodies,” “bel-lies,” and “eggs in bellies” as they touch their breasts and sides and stomachs. They end by turning their backs to the audience as they ask if “eggies in our bellies” are enough. Here, as throughout the play, they imply that there is more to women than their sexual or reproductive functions. For most of the play, these three characters assume the roles of other women. Sometimes the roles are specified—in the second scene, for example, Woman One becomes Sophie—but usually the scenes shift abruptly without the directions saying which woman plays which role. This adds to the thematic suggestion that society often sees women as alike or as merely fulfilling roles rather than being individuals.
Sophie, an elderly woman behind a counter in a Brooklyn delicatessen with her sister Esther. A young girl comes in to buy beer. The girl is in a hurry, but Sophie keeps looking at her hair and wanting to touch it because it reminds her of her mother's hair and of her own when she was young. Sophie regrets the loss of her sense of herself as attractive to men the way her mother had been. At first the girl is sympathetic, but when Esther begins a mocking refrain of Sophie's woes, the girl joins in. Even Sophie joins the lament, and the three women stroke one another's hair until the grief becomes so strong that the girl feels suffocated and flings the others away.
Nancy, a young woman originally from Oklahoma who is visiting her friend Sally in a New York apartment. She is worried about Sally's relationship with an abusive former lover. Nancy is drinking heavily and thinks her life is falling apart. She has helped her sister through a divorce and was the family member who had to settle her grandfather's estate. Her father drinks too much and has had a heart attack. Her mother is dying of bone cancer.
Mrs. Tweed and Mrs. Watermelon, two old ladies in a nursing home. Mrs. Tweed is more conventional and tries to be stoic, thinking that the days go by endlessly, but Mrs. Water-melon is angry and tired of her confined nonlife. A nurse comes in with a tray of food for them, but she has no sympathy for their condition and does not see them as fellow human beings.
Momo, Felicia, and Inez, three call girls who are in their apartment dressing and putting on makeup before they go to work. They continually bicker and complain about one another. Inez claims to have more work experience with men and threatens to tell their pimp, Ricky, that the other two are not giving him enough of the money they make. Momo says she is sick of the other two ganging up on her, but each of them turns her anger and frustration on the other two.
Sue, Sak, and Ma, two young women and their mother washing dishes at a tenement sink. Sue is angry about a magazine article that opposes birth control. Sak tells her she should not be taking birth control pills and that she will burn in hell for disagreeing with the priests. Ma does not want to hear the discussion. When Sue keeps defending her position that not all eggs and sperm can possibly become babies anyway and that men should not be the ones to decide about birth control, Ma disowns her as her daughter and tells her to pack her things and get out. Sue says she will go but that she does not need to pack anything, because according to the priests all she needs is the eggs inside her anyway.