Lost In Yonkers: Analysis of Major Characters
"Lost In Yonkers" is a poignant play by Neil Simon that delves into the complexities of family dynamics through the experiences of two brothers, Arty and Jay Kurnitz, following their mother’s death from cancer. The narrative explores their adjustment to living with their stern grandmother in Yonkers while their father, Eddie, seeks employment to pay off a crippling debt. Arty, a bright but timid 13-year-old, is contrasted with his older brother Jay, who is more assertive and desperate to protect their father's interests, believing that enduring their grandmother's harshness is necessary for their family's survival.
The characters are richly developed, including their loving yet emotionally challenged Aunt Bella, who longs for connection but struggles under her mother's oppressive authority. Uncle Louie, a mobster with a protective streak, illustrates the tension between familial loyalty and the dangers of a criminal lifestyle. Grandma Kurnitz embodies the harsh realities of survival, having been shaped by her traumatic past, yet her rigid approach to life alienates her family. Each character grapples with their fears and desires, revealing profound themes of resilience, love, and the complexities of familial relationships. This exploration invites audiences to reflect on the impact of hardship and the various ways individuals cope with their circumstances.
Lost In Yonkers: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Neil Simon
First published: 1991
Genre: Play
Locale: New York City; Yonkers, New York
Plot: Drama
Time: 1942
Arthur Kurnitz, is a 13-year-old Jewish boy from Brooklyn, New York. He is the second son of Eddie and Evelyn Kurnitz and the younger brother by two years to Jakob (Jay) Kurnitz. His mother, Evelyn, has died of cancer. Arthur, called Arty by his family (except his grandmother), is bright, honest, and funny but somewhat timid. Arty and Jay are sent to live with their grandmother in Yonkers, New York, because their father, Eddie Kurnitz, has taken a job as a scrap-metal salesman in the South in order to quickly earn $9000 to repay a loan shark he borrowed money from to afford a nice hospital room for their mother. Jay is afraid of his grandmother—feelings shared by all members of the family. When living in Yonkers, Arty and Jay are put to work in the grandmother's candy store in order to earn their room and board. Arty and Jay both love their Aunt Bella, who also lives with their grandmother and works in the candy store.
Jay Kurnitz, is a 15-year-old Jewish boy from Brooklyn. He is the first-born son of Eddie and Evelyn Kurnitz and the older brother by two years to Arty. His mother, Evelyn, has died of cancer. Jay is pleasant and loving to his family, but also gutsy. He pushes Arty to accept living in Yonkers with their grandmother, whom they both fear and dislike, in order to allow his father to accept a salesman job in the South to raise enough money to pay back a loan shark. Jay tells Arty that they have to endure living with their grandmother, no matter how unpleasant, “to save Pop's life.” Later, Arty asks his Uncle Louie, a gangster, to take him along when he leaves and teach him to make illegal money. Jay is not criminal-minded, but believes that if he can raise the money his father owes then their father can return home and take them back from their grandmother. When Louie refuses, Jay firmly admonishes the older man. Instead of anger, Louie shows admiration for Jay's daring and tells the boy he's got “moxie.” Like Arty, Jay works with his Aunt Bella in their grand-mother's candy store. Jay believes that his grandmother, who calls him Yakob, has money hidden somewhere in the store and hunts for it at night.
Bella Kurnitz, is Jay and Arty's aunt. She is 35 years old and single. Bella was born with scarlet fever, which affected her brain—emotionally, she is a child. She didn't speak until she was five years old. She is warm and loving but often over-excitable, forgetful, and easily confused. Bella lives in Yonkers with her brutish, overbearing mother in an apartment over the family's candy store where they work together. Bella enjoys going to the movies, but often gets lost en route to the theater so stops at the first theater she encounters and sees whatever is playing. She is in love with Johnny, an usher at the Orpheum Theatre, who is equally affectionate toward her. Johnny also is simple-minded and lives with his parents but also spent time at the “home,” an institution where Bella's mother threatens to send her if she misbehaves. Bella and Johnny would like to open a restaurant together but lack the finances. Johnny asks Bella to marry him, but her mother won't allow it and one suspects neither will his parents. Bella runs away and is missing for days, but is hiding at her sister Gertrude's house. Bella lives a lonely life, and is overjoyed when Arty and Jay come to live with her.
Uncle Louie, is a 36-year-old bag man for the mob. He sneaks into his mother's apartment in the middle of the night in order to hide out. He has been romancing a woman belonging to another gangster who threatens him. Louie has a small satchel, which he never loses sight off and that no one is allowed to touch. Jay and Arty rightfully suspect that the bag contains the illegal money he has collected. The boys are somewhat afraid of him—he carries a handgun in a shoulder holster—but he is affectionate toward them. Although he is gruff and potentially violent, he possesses a strong love for his family—he gives Bella the money she needs to marry and open a restaurant. He, like the rest of the family, does not get along with his mother. As a child he openly defied her and refused to accept her dominance—he ran away 12 times, which he claims is “still a record in Yonkers.” Louie's defiance secretly made his mother proud because she knew he was strong and would survive the punishment of the world. Louie also secretly admires his mother because he understands how hard her life has been and her harsh exterior is the armor she wears to survive. Louie eventually joins the army and fights in the South Pacific.
Grandma Kurnitz, is the family matriarch and terror. She is more than 70 years old and speaks in a heavy German accent. Her husband and two children (Rose and Aaron) died during her marriage. When she was 12 and living in Berlin, her father took her to a political rally that was violently disbanded by police who clubbed her father, killing him. In the riot a police horse fell on her, crushing her foot. Since then she has lived in pain and walked with a cane. The cane is a symbol of her inner crippling as well. She is a hard woman who never outwardly shows anyone love. She has tried to make her family members equally rigid and unemotional because she believes that's what is needed to survive—when her husband and even her children died she never cried, saying, “You don't survive in dis vorld vitout being like steel.” Her efforts to harden her children has only harmed and alienated them. The only offspring she would consider a survivor is Louie, a criminal. She also professes that everything in life hurts: “Whatever it is you get good in life, you also lose something.” Despite her exterior toughness, Bella rightly asserts that her mother is afraid of being alone.
Eddie Kurnitz, is Jay and Arty's father. He takes the two boys to live with his mother so he can accept a high-paying job in the South selling scrap iron for the war effort. He desperately needs money to repay $9000 to a loan shark who he borrowed from to pay for a comfortable hospital room for his wife while she was dying of cancer. He is a loving father and regularly writes letters to his sons during their ten-month stay with their grandmother. Eddie's mother believes he is weak because he is outwardly affectionate to his sons and cried at his wife's funeral. Eddie never accepts any form of charity, so begging his brutal mother to care for his children is an act of severe desperation.
Gertrude Kurnitz, is Jay and Arty's married aunt. She has a peculiar breathing pattern developed as a child, which was caused by her mother not allowing her to cry. As an adult, the odd breathing, which causes a speech impediment, only occurs in her mother's presence. As a consequence, she avoids her mother as much as possible. Aunt Gert is loving to her nephews and siblings—when Bella runs away, Gert allows her sister to hide in her house.