Determining the Major Dramatic Question of 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman can take some serious thought. The play follows a woman who is intending to commit suicide. You may assume the question would be "Will Jessie kill herself?". The suicidal Jessie seems unwavering in her decision to end her life. Despite her Mother's attempts to persuade her, by threatening, begging, or bartering with her, Jessie's resolve is unshaken. Our question now could evolve into "Will Mama convince her daughter to stay alive?".
Towards the end of the play, when we discover that unfortunately Jessie has no plans of changing her mind, we come to what i think is the true Major Dramatic Question, "Will Mama accept Jessie's decision?". I suppose it could be worded in a different way, using phrases like "make peace with" or "give her blessing".
Jessie felt trapped and alone in the world and circumstances she was living in, and thought the only way to free herself was by ending her own life.
Our Major Dramatic Question is answered when Jessie kills herself, and Mama gets on the phone to start doing the tasks that Jessie asked Mama to do. She starts checking off the list, and the play ends.
This play was a good read, but to anyone who plans on reading it, prepare yourself for a rough, depressing time.
I like how you pose a few options for the MDQ, such as "Will Mama convince her daughter to stay alive?" then offer an explanation for how the MDQ might change as we find out that Jessie is 100% certain she will commit suicide. I also like your disclaimer at the end, and although the play isn't centered on the suicide itself, it still really sucks to have a play featuring that!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response. I also think the plot was not revolving around reasons for Jessie killing herself. That was a smaller part of it. Mama's struggle to keep her from doing it implies that the MDQ was whether or not Mama will allow Jessie what she wants and if she'll be okay after it happens. It is a strange little snapshot how Mama immediately follows what Jessie instructed, so I think that's the answer. Mama's life will go on.
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