Snapshots Supplementary Reader Chapter 5 Mother’s Day

J.B. Priestley’s ‘Mother’s Day’ is a humorous and satirical play. But the play deals with some serious issues. The most important of them is the status or position of mothers in the family.

(i) The play was written more than fifty years ago in 1950s. The position of mothers in the family was in every way inferior to that of men. They were exploited and intimidated not only by their husbands but also by their children. It raises another issue. Are mothers just the beasts of burden? They work in kitchens cooking meals for the family. They iron the clothes. They prepare tea when their husbands arrive home from work or outside. Mrs Pearson is such a woman of forty. Overburdened with her familial responsibilities, she has neither rest nor peace. She has no freedom. She is always dancing to the tunes of her son Cyril and daughter Doris. She can t have any fun. Mothers like Mrs Pearson are marginalised and neglected.

(ii) The play raises real issues. It doesn’t merely caricature them. The problems it raises are genuine. Millions of women have to lead such a miserable life as Mrs Pearson is forced to lead. Their husbands and children care only for themselves, their interests and entertainment. The play also resolves the issues. Women can set their spoilt children and arrogant husbands by asserting themselves. Self denial will lead them nowhere. They must change the dominating behaviour of their husbands and children. Only by refusing more than they do, they can find some time for leisure, fun and rest.

Certainly, there is no scope of showing any disagreement with the resolution of the issues as mentioned above.

J.B. Priestley raises certain important issues particularly related to the mothers in his famous one-act play ‘Mother’s Day’. Mrs Pearson is a typical mother. She runs after her husband and children all the time. She takes their orders as if she were their servant. She has to stay at home every night, while they go out enjoying themselves. It is ruining her as well as her family. The important issue raised is that sons, daughters and husbands should take notice of their mothers and wives.

Poor wives try to come out of this miserable situation. But they can’t muster enough courage. Poor Mrs Pearson doesn’t know how to deal with them either. Doris has to go out tonight. She has to iron her yellow shirt. She gets angry with her mother when she doesn’t do it. Cyril is angry because his mother doesn’t serve him tea. The poor mother has to put in twice the hours and gets no wages nor thanks for it. Mothers in the families are the most exploited lot. Drinking, smoking and playing cards are the luxuries that such women can’t enjoy. When Mrs Pearson tries to enjoy such luxuries, she is considered ‘off colour’ or ‘barmy’.

Women must assert themselves in their families. They must make their husbands and children learn to help themselves.

Certainly drama is a useful and forceful medium for conveying a social message J. B. Priestley uses the dramatic art very convincingly to highlight certain issues. The basic issue is the exploitation of housewives and mothers of the families. The play presents the plight of Mrs Pearson. She has to dance to the tune of her husband George and children Doris and Cyril. The play ends with a social message. The message is the message of equality. Equal work for men and women. ‘Forty-hour week for all now’ says Mrs Pearson (actually Mrs Fitzgerald).

J.B. Priestley effectively uses drama as a powerful medium. He uses it to highlight the protest of a mother against her exploitation by her spoilt children and husband Mrs Pearson is helped in this way by Mrs Fitzgerald. She knows how to change personalities through magic. Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald are two contrasting characters in every way. The familial issues and problems find a good expression through this drama. Not only that, Priestley also reveals the tender heart of a mother. When Mrs Fitzgerald shouts at Mr Pearson saying “I’ll slap your big fat silly face”, the wife in Mrs Pearson revolts. She realises that this drama “has gone far enough”. She tells her frankly that she can’t bear it any more.

Try it yourself with the help of your class-teacher and classmates.

Group A : Have you seen Amitabh’s ‘Bagaban’

(Ram, Hari and Geeta)

Group B : Who hasn’t ? Oh! Amitabh at his best.

(Rittu, Manish and Gopi)

Group A : Well, Amitabh is superb. But I am talking of the powerful message that the film gives to the viewers.

Group A : Certainly. The film highlights the sacrifices done by the parents to bring up their children.

Group B : And how conveniently do the children forget those pains and sacrifices ? Group A : The father does everything to make his children happy and comfortable. Group B : And then comes the retirement. The sons and daughters-in-law seek their own pounds of flesh. They expect money.

Group A : They understand no human feelings. They prove thankless. So inhuman that they force their parents to be separated.

Group B : Poetic justice is done in the end. Erring sons and daughters-in-law suffer shame and humiliation. The wheel turns the full circle.

Group A : Powerful social message is conveyed through a sterling performance by Amitabh. Hema is also quite good.

Group B : All said and done, it is a good film based on familial problems and relations.

Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald are two contrasting characters.THis Pearson is a ‘pleasant but worried looking woman’. She is in her forties. Mrs Fitzgerald is older and heavier. Mrs Pearson is timid and confused. Mrs Fitzgerald is a strong and dominating character. The two have sharply contrasting voices. Mrs Pearson speaks in a light voice while Mrs Fitzgerald speaks in a deep one.

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Mrs Pearson appears to be a timid and confused lady. She is in her forties. She is a devoted housewife who enjoys serving her husband and children. She is ignored and made to work throughout the day. Inspite of their illtreatment, neglect and exploitation, she loves them all. She endures everything without any murmur or protest. We feel sympathy for her. We wish her to be a little more assertive.

Mrs Fitzgerald holds the cards with which she tells the fortune of Mrs Pearson. Mrs Pearson asks where she learnt the art of telling fortune. Mrs Fitzgerald replies that she learnt it from the East. It took twelve years to learn this art. Her husband served there in the army. She tells that Mrs Pearson’s fortune depends on herself now. It can make or mar it by her own actions.

Mrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson that she should be the mistress of her own house and the boss of her family. It is easier said than done. Mrs Pearson is fond of her husband and children. It is true that they are ‘thoughtless and selfish’. It is very difficult to annoy them. She doesn’t know how to tackle them.

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Mrs Fitzgerald thinks that Mrs Pearson is responsible for spoiling her husband and children. It does neither good to her nor her children. She runs after them all the time. She takes their orders as if she were their servant in the house. She stays at home every night while they go out enjoying themselves. She should assert herself and become the mistress and boss of the family.

Mrs Fitzgerald wants Mrs Pearson to let her set the members of her family right. Mrs Pearson replies that no one else can do it. The members of her family won’t allow any other to dictate them. Mrs Fitzgerald tells that they can exchange places. She looks like her and Mrs Pearson like Mrs Fitzgerald. It won’t last long and they can change back at will. Mrs Fitzgerald holds her hand and mutters: “Arshtatta dum Arshtatta”. In this way. they assume their bodies.

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As the exchange of personalities takes place, Mrs Pearson receives all the traits of Mrs Fitzgerald. She becomes aggressive and dominating. She becomes the boss of the family. She takes Doris and Cyril to task for their inaction. She asks them to help themselves. She doesn’t spare even her husband. She reminds George how people laugh at him behind his back. They call him “Pompy-Ompy Pearson”.

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Doris Pearson is the daughter of Mrs Pearson. She is a pretty girl in her early twenties. She looks pleasant but she is a spoilt ‘child’. She makes her mother run after her all the time. She gives orders to her as if Mrs Pearson were the servant in the house. She asks her mother to iron her yellow silk. She expects tea to be served to her. She always thinks of her and her boy-friend Charlie.

Charfie Spence is Doris’s boy-friend. Mrs Pearson (with Mrs Fitzgerald’s personality) doesn’t like him at all. She ridicules her daughter Doris for having such a worthless boyfriend. She calls him “buck-teeth” and “half-witted”. She advises Doris to find out a better boyfriend than Charlie Spence.

Doris is a spoilt girl. She orders Mrs Pearson as if she were a servant in the house. She asks her to press her yellow silk. She has to go out with her boy-friend Charlie. She also asks her to serve her tea. Mrs Pearson takes her to task. She ignores her completely. She asks Doris to help herself. She even ridicules Doris’s boy-friend Charlie. She calls him “buck teeth and half-witted”. Doris nearly comes to tears.

Cyril is the masculine counterpart of Doris. He is also ‘spoilt’ like his sister. He is in the habit of treating his mother very casually. He asks if tea is ready. When Mrs Pearson says ‘no’, he angrily answers back: “Why not”? Then he orders: “Did you put my things out ?” So he makes his mother run all the time doing one thing or the other.

Mrs Pearson becomes dominating and aggressive after ‘the exchange of personalities’. She can’t tolerate any ‘nonsense’ of her children any more. Cyril is in the habit of making his mother run doing things. He comes and at once orders for tea. She ignores him and refuses to oblige him. Then he asks if she has put his things out. She replies: “Can’t remember”. “I don’t like mending” says his mother. She asks him to help himself.

George is the husband of Mrs Pearson. He is about fifty. He is fundamentally decent. He is solemn but self-important and pompous. He is heavy and slow-moving. His male ego suffers a jolt when he comes to know that his wife hasn’t kept tea ready for him. When he needs it or not, she must have kept tea ready like an obedient wife. He is always at the club and spends little time with his wife.

George, Mrs Pearson’s husband is solemn but self-important and pompous. Mrs Pearson (actually Mrs Fitzgerald) ridicules him. He has become a standing joke for the people at the club. They call him Pompy-Ompy Pearson because he is slow and pompous. He loses his temper and glares at her. Mrs Pearson threatens to slap his “big fat silly face”. George reconciles in the end.

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The real Mrs Pearson (now Mrs Fitzgerald) can’t bear the drama any more dose is too strong and bitter to be swallowed. She feels that her husband and chiIdren are really miserable. After all, they are not Mrs Fitzgerald’s “husband and children . She can’t stand it any more. They must change back and come to their real selves.

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Mrs Fitzgerald knows Mrs Pearson’s mild and soft nature. She fears that Mrs Pearson can go soft and feel sorry for what she has done. Then everything will go waste. Therefore, she advises her to be tough with them. Only then she can make them work for themselves.

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The time is ripe for reconciliation. Doris, Cyril and George have received more than enough share of the heavy dose. Mrs Pearson decides to have a nice family game of rummy. She asks the children to get the supper ready. Everyone agrees. Doris hesitates but her mother reacts sharply. Ultimately, everyone willingly supports Mrs Pearson’s suggestion.

In the end it is the ‘Mother’s Day.’ Mrs Pearson carries the day. She succeeds in setting all the members of her family right. There is a total change in them. They are no more haughty and overbearing. They are now ready to share the household work with her. The children speak politely and meekly. They agree to get supper ready while she enjoys conversing with their dad.

J.B. Priestley has titled his one-act play ‘Mother’s Day’. The title conveys a message. Husbands and children must respect wives and mothers in their families. They must not order and keep them running all the time doing one work or the other. Mrs Pearson with Mrs Fitzgerald’s help succeeds in setting her spoilt children and husband right. The mother carries the day and wins over all the members of the family to her side.

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Mrs Pearson represents millions of mothers who are made to work like servants in their own houses. Their husbands and children enjoy themselves and have nice time outside. Only they are doomed to drudgery. Mrs Pearson is made to run after her husband George and children Doris and Cyril. She takes their order as if they are the masters of the family and she is their attendant. While they enjoy themselves outside she stays at home every night.

Mrs Pearson’s daughter Doris is a pretty but spoilt girl. She is in her early twenties. She has to go out tonight. She asks her mother to iron her yellow silk. She expects her mother to do all such things without questioning her. Then she orders for tea. It must be kept ready. She thinks nothing except having nice time and fun with her boy-friend Charlie Spence. Cyril is Mrs Pearson’s son. He is the masculine counterpart of Doris. He has to stay outside tonight. He asks if his mother has put his things out. The poor mother runs all the time putting his things out or mending them. George, Mrs Pearson’s husband spends most of his time at the club. The people at the club call him Pompy-Ompy Pearson because he is slow and pompous. Mr Pearson expects his wife to keep tea ready even though he doesn’t need it. He suffers from the inflated male ego.

Unfortunately, Mrs Pearson works like a servant in her own family. She gets no wages for her work. Nor does anybody thank her for her services. She is taken for granted by her children as well as by her husband.

Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald are two contrasting characters. Actually, they are foil to each other. Mrs Pearson is a pleasant looking woman in her forties. She appears to be confused and worried. Mrs Fitzgerald is older. She is heavier and has a ‘strong and sinister personality’. Mrs Pearson is timid and gentle. Mrs Fitzgerald is liberated and bold. She smokes and plays with cards. The two ladies have sharply contrasting voices. Mrs Pearson speaks in a ‘light, flurried sort of tone’. She has ‘a touch of suburban Cockney’. Mrs Fitzgerald has a deep voice. Her accent is Irish.

Mrs Pearson has been reduced to a mere servant in her own house. Her children and husband make her run all the time. She has to dance to their beck and call. Her children Doris and Cyril are spoilt children. They are also selfish and thoughtless. They don’t pay that respect to their mother which she really deserves. Mr George also treats his wife rather indifferently and coldly. Mrs Pearson is condemned to drudgery. Mrs Fitzgerald, on the other hand, is a liberated woman. She is bold and dominating. She enjoys good time and is the mistress of herself and the family.

Mrs Pearson is tender and mild. When Mrs Fitzerald gives a heavy dose to Doris, Cyril and George, she can’t bear it. She asks her to stop the drama at once. She presses her to change back their personalities. Mrs Fitzgerald is firm, solid and result-oriented. She sets all the spoilt members of Mrs Pearson’s family right. She is a better judge of men and matters than Mrs Pearson.

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Mrs Fitzgerald is a neighbour of Mrs Pearson. She is a fortune teller. She learnt this art from the East where her husband had served in the army. She also knows the art of magic. She knows the trick of causing personalities change bodies. Actually, Mrs Fitzgerald presents a sharp contrast to Mrs Pearson. She is bold and dominating while her neighbour is meek and weak.

Mrs Fitzgerald knows that Mrs Pearson is very fond of her children and husband. But they are very thoughtless and selfish. Mrs Pearson runs after them all the time. She takes their orders as if she were the servant in the house. She wants to help Mrs Pearson. She wants to make her the mistress of her own house and the boss of her family. After the spell is spoken the personalities change bodies. Mrs Pearson is now with Mrs Fitzgerald’s personality. She becomes bold and dominating. She starts smoking and drinking.

The spoilt children are shocked and surprised to see the sudden change in their mother. Mrs Pearson takes her daughter Doris to task for not doing her work herself. Doris asks her yellow silk to be ironed and orders for tea. Mrs Pearson refuses to oblige the girl. She also taunts her for choosing a worthless boy-friend. Cyril, the son, also meets the same fate. So does Mr George. She reminds them that all will have a forty-hour week. She will be free at the weekend. She will not do any extra work. She doesn’t get any wages or thanks for it. The dose given by Mrs Fitzgerald to the spoilt children and George brings results. When Mrs Pearson comes to her real self, everybody obeys her. All fall in line to support and follow her.

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No doubt, after personalities change the bodies, good results start coming. Mrs Pearson used to be a meek and weak woman. She becomes bold and dominating in Mrs Fitzgerald’s personality. She becomes quite aggressive. No doubt, the spoilt children Doris and Cyril are taken to task. Even George is ridiculed and humiliated. Everyone is warned that all will have a forty-hour week. Mrs Pearson will be free at the weekend. Doris almost comes to tears and Cyril becomes hopeless.

The real Mrs Pearson realises that she can’t bear this drama any more. George is threatened to be slapped on his big fat silly face. This is too much. She moans “Oh, no, no, no, please, Mrs Fitzgerald”. She presses her for the exchange of personalities. She really loves her children and husband. She can’t see them in such a miserable condition. After both the women come to their real selves, Mrs Pearson is a transformed lady. She doesn’t give up her love and affection for her children and husband. But she is not the same old Mrs Pearson. She reacts sharply when Doris hesitates to show her agreement. She really becomes the mistress and boss of her family.

12 Hudson Square

London

20th March, 2008

Dear Lily

Can you believe a weak and timid woman becoming the mistress and boss of her family? It may sound like a miracle. But it is true. This is what I am today. My spoilt children Doris and Cyril are tamed now. So is my husband George. Now I set the agenda and they follow it. Now I am the real mistress and boss of my family.

It happened only a few months ago. Mrs Fitzgerald knows the art of magic. She has learnt it from the East. She made me utter some strange words. Within a few moments our personalities got exchanged. I became now a strong and dominating woman, inherited the personality of Mrs Fitzgerald. First I dealt with Doris. She was pretty a spoilt daughter in her early twenties. She made me run all the day doing one thing or the other. She was shocked to see her mother smoking and drinking. She got angry when she was ignored and asked to help herself. Cyril too met with the same fate. He was very demanding. He shouted for keeping all his things out and for tea. He was snubbed and asked to help himself. Then came the turn of George. You know he used to spend all the time at the club. I ridiculed him. I reminded him that he was the standing joke of the people at the club. They called him Pompy-Ompy Pearson for being sluggish and pompous. Everyone was set right. We exchanged personalities again. But now was a different Mrs Pearson, the mistress and boss of my family.

Yours truly

Mrs Pearson