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Nuts by Tom Topor

Claudia is on trial for manslaughter charges and is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. During questioning by the prosecuting attorney, Claudia reflects on her childhood relationship with her mother. She recalls telling her mother that she loved her to the moon and back, and her mother saying she loved her to the sun and back. Claudia questions what went wrong between them, as they clearly loved each other deeply as children. However, she notes that her mother now hates her for things she's done, and she hates her mother for her actions as well. Claudia argues that simply claiming to love someone is meaningless, as love can sometimes be destructive rather than nurturing.

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6K views1 page

Nuts by Tom Topor

Claudia is on trial for manslaughter charges and is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. During questioning by the prosecuting attorney, Claudia reflects on her childhood relationship with her mother. She recalls telling her mother that she loved her to the moon and back, and her mother saying she loved her to the sun and back. Claudia questions what went wrong between them, as they clearly loved each other deeply as children. However, she notes that her mother now hates her for things she's done, and she hates her mother for her actions as well. Claudia argues that simply claiming to love someone is meaningless, as love can sometimes be destructive rather than nurturing.

Uploaded by

Lily Steven
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Background Narrative: Presents a personal story involving Claudia, detailing her emotions and experiences related to a significant life event.

Background Info: Claudia has been arrested on manslaughter charges.

But before her trial, the


prosecuting attorney requires she undergo psychiatric examination to see if she is able to stand trial.
Claudia and her lawyer countersue, and in this scene, is grilled by the prosecuting attorney on whether or
not she is "nuts". She does very well, and just previous to this monologue, the prosecutor has just asked
Claudia if she loves her mother.

When I was a little girl, I used to say to her, I love you to the moon and down again, and around the world
and back again; and she used to say to me, I love you to the sun and down again, and around the stars and
back agian. Do you remember, Mama? And I used to think, wow, I love Mama and Mama loves me, and
what can go wrong? What went wrong, Mama? I love you and you love me, and what went wrong? You
see, I know she loves me, and I know I love her, and- so what? So what? She's over there, and I'm over
here, and she hates me because of things I've done to her, and I hate her because of things she's done to me.
You stand up there asking, do you love you daughter, and they say "yes", and you think you've asked
something real, and they think they've said something real. You think because you throw the word love
around like a frisbee that we're all going to get warm and runny. No. Something happens to some people.
They love you so much, they stop noticing you're there, because they're so busy loving you. They love you
so much, their love is a gun, and they fire it straight into your head. They love you so much you go right
into the hospital. Yes, I know my mother loves me. Mama, I know you love me. And I know the one thing
you learn when you grow up is that love is not enough. It's too much, and it's not enough.

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