Unit 4

Mother’s Day

J.B. Priestly

MLO: To understand the significance of mother in a family

CCL: Psychology, Arts, Sociology

RLA: How to behave to our parents properly

UAE LINK: The UAE gives high prominence to family relationships

.CORE VALUES: Love, care, sympathy, generosity

I. Answer the following questions

Question 1:

How are Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald contrasted?

Answer: The two ladies are sharply contrasted. Mrs Pearson is a pleasant but
worried looking woman in her forties. She speaks in a light, flurried sort of tone with
a touch of suburban cockney. Mrs Fitzgerald is older, heavier and has a strong and
sinister personality. She smokes. She has a deep voice, rather Irish tone.

Question 2:

What fortune does Mrs Fitzgerald predict for Mrs Pearson?

Answer: Mrs Fitzgerald is quite equivocal in her predictions. She says it could be a
good fortune or a bad one. All depends on Mrs Pearson herself now. She asks her
to decide firmly. Her fortune depends on it.

Question 3:

What problem does Mrs Pearson face? Who do you think is responsible for this
state of affairs?

Answer: Mrs Pearson devotes all her time and energy to serve her husband, son
and daughter. These thoughtless and selfish persons go out every night to enjoy
themselves leaving Mrs Pearson alone at home. She is no better than a servant in
her own home. Mrs Pearson herself is responsible for the ill-treatment, neglect and
lack of concern shown to her.

Question 4:

What course of action does Mrs Fitzgerald suggest to Mrs Pearson to tackle the
situation?
Answer: Mrs Fitzgerald tells Mrs Pearson to decide firmly and stick to her decision.
She must assert her position and become the real mistress of the house. Her own
initiative can help her. She must let them wait or look after themselves for once.

Question 5:

Why does Doris Pearson feel astounded on returning home?

Answer: Doris finds her mother smoking away—lighting another cigarette and laying
out the cards for patience on the table. She shoots her query about ironing her
yellow silk, but feel astounded on seeing her mother’s behaviour.

Question 6:

How does Mrs Pearson refute Doris’s argument about working hard?

Answer: Mrs Pearson tells Doris that she has a good idea how much Doris does.
Mrs Pearson claims that she puts in twice the hours that Doris does, and gets no
pay or thanks for it.

Question 7:

How does Mrs Pearson criticize Doris on going out with Charlie Spence?

Answer: Mrs Pearson asks Doris if she could not find anyone better than Charlie
Spence. He has buck-teeth and if half-witted. She wouldn’t be seen dead with
Charlie Spence. At her age she would either have found somebody better than
Charlie Spence or stopped dating boys on seeing no hope of success.

Question 8:

What changes in the behaviour of Mrs Pearson startle Doris and Cyril? What
possible reasons do they suggest?

Answer: Doris couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her mother smoking and
playing cards. Cyril too noted the change and asked her if she was feeling ill. She
looks just the same but her behaviour is suddenly different. Cyril asks if she has
gone slightly mad. Doris thinks that she has a concussion as a result of her head
hitting something.

Question 9:

How does Mrs Pearson teach her children to be responsible adults?

Answer: First she scolds them for their guffawing and giggling. Then she has a dig at
their lifestyle. They just-come in, ask for something, go out again and then return as
there’s nowhere else to go. When Doris and Cyril boast of doing their work all day,
Mrs Pearson tells them that she has also done her eight hours. She threatens to
have two days off at the weekend.
Question 10:

“But any of you forty-hour-a weekers who expect to be waited on hand and foot on
Saturday and Sunday with no thanks for it, are in for a nasty disappointment,” says
Mrs Pearson. How has she planned to spend the weekends?

Answer: She might do cooking or make a bed or two as a favour: only if she is asked
very nicely and thanked for it. They’ll have to pay attention to her and show care and
concern. Perhaps she might go off for the weekend. It will provide her a change. She
is bored of remaining at home all the time.

Question 11:

How, do you think, is George Pearson treated at the club?

Answer: The members of the club laugh at George Pearson. He is, in fact, one of
their standing jokes. They call him Pompy-Ompy Pearson because they think he is
quite slow and pompous. Although this joke is quite famous, George is unaware of it.

Question 12:

What objection does Mrs Pearson have against George’s going to club so
frequently?

Answer: Mrs Pearson fails to understand why her husband George wants to spend
so much time at the club where people are always laughing at him behind his back
and calling him names. He leaves his wife alone every night. She wouldn’t make him
look a fool if he went out with her.

Question 13:

Why is George Pearson incensed at Mrs Fitzgerald’s utterances?

Answer: George reacts with horror and surprise when his neighbour, Mrs Fitzgerald
addresses him by his first name, George, instead of the formal Mr George Pearson.
Her second remark “Oh-dear-I ought to have known” further incenses him as he
thinks she has no business to poke “her nose into their family affairs.

Question 14:

Why does Mrs Pearson threaten to slap her husband?

Answer: George feels angry at being humiliated in the presence of his neighbour. He
loses his temper and asks his wife if she has gone mad. This is too much for Mrs
Pearson to bear. She jumps up and threatens to slap George if he shouts at her
again.

Question 15:

What forces the real Mrs Pearson to come to the conclusion: “That’s enough quite
enough”?

Answer: Mrs Fitzgerald who has the body of Mrs Pearson, has been quite harsh to
George Pearson, Doris and Cyril. The real Mrs Pearson objects to her comments
about Charlie Spence. Later when she is a bit rude to George, the real Mrs Pearson
feels offended.

Question 16:

What is Mrs Fitzgerald’s final advice to Mrs Pearson after reversion to their original
personalities?

Answer: Mrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson not to go soft on the members of her
family again. She should not start explaining or apologizing. She should give them a
look or a rough tone of voice now and then to suggest that she might be tough with
them if she wanted to be so.

Question 17:

The play ‘Mother’s Day’ is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the
woman in a family. Bring out briefly the elements of humour and satire.

Answer: The play ‘Mother’s Day’ treats a serious theme in a light-hearted manner.
The humour in the play springs from an unusual situation where the personalities of
two ladies change bodies. Their subsequent behaviour, which is in total contrast to
their previous one, is a very powerful source of laughter. The ignorance of the
characters about the personality they are facing also creates humour. Suggestive
dialogues also provide a lot of fun. For example, consider the following:

“Mrs Pearson if you had to live my life it wouldn’t be so bad. You’d have more fun as
me than you’ve had as you.”

“It’s that silly old bag from next door—Mrs Fitzgerald.”

“Ticking her off now, are you, Annie?”

“They call you Pompy-Ompy Pearson because they think you’re so slow and
pompous.”

The actions, gestures and reactions of the characters also provide humour. The
housewife being given orders, treated like dirt and forced to stay home every night
while other members go out to amuse themselves is sharply contrasted with the
position at the end of the play where she is the mistress of the house. Then play
also satirises the eight hour work culture and threats to go on strike. Even the
housewife adopts this weapon.