"There’s a longin’ in me for her that won’t quell..."

Marina Carr's Hester is good material for studying deep execution of a character. The playwright reveals character not merely through the character alone, but also through her actions and through other elements at play in the environment. For example, the time of day, the landscape of ice and snow in a bog, and the mood set by music (a lone violin) all contribute to the developing portrait of Hester. When Hester drags the corpse of the bleeding black swan through the snow, colors contrast as well: the white snow, the black swan, and the red blood. The scene paints a picture of Hester and her determination. Also, note that the swan is not just any swan, but a named one – Black Wing – one known from childhood, one that had stopped her from leaving the bog before, and one that she discovered dead in the bog. Also revealed is a superstition about interfering with black swans. The fact that Hester has indeed interfered also reveals dimensions of her character.

Please think about the arrival of the Ghost Fancier as well and what it may tell you about Hester’s character given her interactions with him. The Ghost Fancier intimates that swan is Hester’s shadow. Furthermore, he has been following her for a long time and is surprised she is alive, since he only trails ghosts. He’s mistaken the time; it’s dawn and he meant to come at dusk – so we know right away that the events of the play will take place in less than a day.
The playwright establishes what is at stake for Hester early: the most important thing with regard to her potentially imminent death is her daughter, Josie. At that moment, the spectator (particularly if that spectator is a playwright) should consider the significance of the mother-daughter relationship and its centrality to the heart of the play.

Monica arrives and makes another connection between Hester and swan: that she, like the swan, is half frozen. She also tells us climate is going to get even colder. Hester wishes the ice age would return and swallow up humanity – a sign of her desperation and despair (over what Carthage has done), what Monica calls “brooding.” The women’s dialogue reveals that the entire parish knows what Carthage has done. How might that make Hester feel?

Certain conflicts that are central to the play are clear by the end of the play’s very first scene: Hester vs. Fate, Hester vs. Self, Hester vs. Carthage, Hester vs. Caroline, and Hester vs. Society (the parish).

Given this writing and the rest of the play, reflect upon one of the characters – preferably Hester – and what you learn about execution of character due to Marina Carr’s writing.

BOYS TO MEN

One of the most telling comparisons that the character of Hally makes in “Master Harold” …and the boys is that a young boy with a disabled father being much like a white young boy with a black man. Interwoven in this seemingly simple statement are decades of racism in South Africa and the political genes it has sewn into the soul of Master Harold. It is 1950 in the play. The political system of apartheid was created in 1948 in South Africa to separate those who were white from those who were “coloured” (mixed race) or black. The system disintegrated in the early 1990s. Prior to the formal establishment of apartheid, systematic and systemic racism already existed in South Africa, which is evident in what Hally says about his past at the Jubilee Boarding House with Sam and Willie. Hally’s comments touch upon the searing core of this play: the relationship between Hally and Sam who is, for all intents and purposes, his father. Buried underneath that and indeed compelling that parental bond is Hally’s (non-) relationship with his biological father, alcoholic and disabled. The damage from that relationship informs the way that Hally treats Sam from the history of the play to the actions within the play, in particular Hally’s act of spitting in Sam’s face as one would spit at a dog, as Willie notes. Through these various behaviors we learn a great deal about Hally and Sam, but also about Willie and the disability of Hally’s youth.

Sister Rose is an enigmatic figure; she conjures up memories that are both positive and negative. When she reappears, only half of her physical self is there. Do you think that has any reflection on the nature of memory and, if so, why or why not? Note this exchange and the view of Sister Rose’s family member (though suggested and not articulated) and Edwin’s view of Sister Rose:

“EDWIN: And I don’t think Sister Rose was a maniac either.

MARCIA: Well, that’s where you’re wrong.

EDWIN: Lemme tell you something: You know who taught me how ta ride a bike? Sister Rose. You know who told me I was handsome all the time till I started believin’ it? Sister Rose…”

SISTER ROSE AND COMPANY

One of the most interesting elements of “Our Lady of 121st Street” is that we learn about the characters in the play through the absence of another character – Sister Rose. All the characters in the play are united in their desire/need to be present at Sister Rose’s funeral. What we learn about the characters is via their reactions to her absence as well as her former presence. This occurs in the midst of the play’s serio-comedic tone rich with witty, multiple-layered, dialectical dialogue and quick changes of scene. Given the title of the play, does Sister Rose strike you as the play’s most enigmatic, well-developed character? Why or why not? Which character makes the deepest impression on you and why?