Crimes of the Heart: Analysis of Major Characters
"Crimes of the Heart" is a poignant play that explores the lives of the MaGrath sisters—Lenny, Meg, and Babe—as they navigate personal crises and familial bonds in the backdrop of a small Southern town. Lenny, the eldest sister, grapples with her fears of loneliness and societal expectations as she cares for their ailing grandfather and confronts her own insecurities regarding relationships. Meg, the middle sister, returns from a failed career in Hollywood, bringing with her the weight of past decisions and a rekindled connection with her former lover, Doc. Babe, the youngest and most fragile sister, becomes embroiled in a scandal after shooting her husband, which reveals deep-seated issues related to her emotional state and the legacy of their troubled mother.
The characters are further complicated by Chick, their brassy cousin, who feels shame over Babe's actions and often lashes out at the sisters. Meanwhile, Doc, Meg's former boyfriend, struggles with his lingering feelings for her despite his own family life. The play also introduces Barnette, Babe's lawyer, who has a personal stake in the case against her husband, highlighting themes of abuse and injustice. Overall, the dynamics among these characters serve as a vehicle for exploring themes of love, betrayal, and the search for redemption amidst personal and collective turmoil.
Crimes of the Heart: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Beth Henley
First published: 1982
Genre: Play
Locale: Hazlehurst, Mississippi
Plot: Comedy
Time: Fall, 1974 (five years after Hurricane Camille)
Lenore (Lenny) MaGrath, the oldest MaGrath sister. The play is set on and around her thirtieth birthday. Lenny is a thoughtful, self-conscious woman who remains concerned about her critically ill grandfather and her own impending spinsterhood. She is protective of her sisters and eventually puts Chick in her place after Chick's vitriolic attack on the MaGrath family. By the play's end, she is encouraged to resume a relationship with Charlie Hill, a man who replied to Lenny's advertisement in the personal section of a periodical. Her fear that he would reject her because of her missing ovary proves to be unfounded.
Meg MaGrath, the middle MaGrath sister, twenty-seven years of age. Meg moved to Hollywood to pursue her singing career, abandoning her lover, Doc Porter, who was injured in a hurricane accident. She returns to be close to her sisters after Babe's shooting of her husband. Although she is the most outgoing of the three sisters, she relates to Doc that her life in Hollywood had once led to a nervous breakdown and that she has lost her singing voice. One of the consequences of her return to Hazlehurst is a rekindling of her romance with Doc; another is the return of her singing voice.
Becky (Babe) Botrelle, the youngest MaGrath sister, at twenty-four years of age. Babe is the reason for most of the play's dynamics. She shot her husband, Zackery Botrelle, after he discovered that she had been having an affair with Willie Jay, a fifteen-year-old black boy who came to Babe's house to see the dog she tended for him. Babe is the most fragile of the sisters and thus most like their mother, who scandalously hanged herself and her cat years before the action of the play. Babe's shooting of her husband is resolved in her favor, after Zackery circulates incriminating pictures and after Willie Jay is forced to leave town. Babe later attempts suicide with a rope and with gas. She discovers, as her mother did, that suicide is a lonely act and is relieved by her failure to succeed.
Chick Boyle, the twenty-nine-year-old first cousin of the MaGrath sisters. She has yellow hair, shiny red lips, and a brassy disposition. She is ashamed of Babe's alleged crime and voices her shame frequently and indiscriminately. Chick finally goes too far when she berates Babe as a murderer and refers to all the MaGrath sisters as “trash.” Lenny drives her out of the house with a broom and forces her to climb the mimosa tree.
Doc Porter, the thirty-year-old former boyfriend of Meg. Doc comes over to inform Lenny that her twenty-year-old horse, Billy Boy, had died from being struck by lightning. Doc remains infatuated with Meg, even after his marriage to another woman and the birth of his two children. They spend their first date after Meg's return reminiscing about the past.
Barnette Lloyd, Babe's twenty-six-year-old lawyer. Barnette is a graduate of the Old Miss law school who returns to Hazlehurst to open his own firm. Meg remains dubious of Barnette's competence when she first meets him, but Barnette has a personal vendetta against Babe's husband, formerly a state senator from Copiah County. Barnette hopes to uncover all of Botrelle's criminal dealings. Barnette also remains fond of Babe and hopes to save her from her abusive husband and from any criminal charges.