MOTHER’S DAY (Notes)

Q1. This play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of
the status of the mother in the family.

1. What are the issues it raises?

2. Do you think it caricatures these issues or do you think that the problems
it raises are genuine? How does the play resolve the issues? Do you agree
with the resolution?

1. The play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the
status of the mother in the family. It raises many serious issues. The first and
foremost is, appreciation of a housewife’s role and responsibilities and not
take her for granted. Those who work eight hours a day and forty hours a
week treat the housewife as an unpaid domestic servant, who must carry out
their orders. They neither request her nor thank her for her services. The day
she refuses to attend to them, they are outraged.
The second issue is the reciprocity of love and gratitude towards the mother
or wife. The husband, son and daughter leave the lady of the house alone
every night and go out to enjoy themselves in their several ways. They do
not take any notice of her and have become thoughtless and selfish. The
mother’s excessive love, care and readiness to serve them also spoil them.

2. The problems the play raises are serious. The treatment is of course, comic.
The playwright adopts an unusual method to resolve the issues. He takes the
help of the magic of the East. Incantation of a magical spell helps in the
interchange of the personalities. Now Mrs. Pearson, with the strong and
sinister personality of Mrs. Fitzgerald, gives a rough treatment to the
daughter, son and husband. Her stern looks and commanding tone suggests
to them that she can be really tough. The spoilt members are brought round
by the heavy dose of exposure of reality to them. The children agree to stay
and help in preparing the supper while the mother has a talk with her
husband.
The resolution of the issues seems far-fetched and unnatural but extreme
means have to be adopted in disaster management.

Q2. Is drama a good medium for conveying a social message? Discuss.

Ans2. Yes, drama is certainly a good medium for conveying a social message.
Direct moralising is often resented and usually ignored. Drama is a presentation of
a slice of life through characters placed in various situations. The attention of the
audience centres around their actions and reactions. Most of them feel fully
involved with the protagonists. The working out of the theme generally leaves a
message—sometimes obvious and explicit but in most of the cases, indirect and
implicit. The social message of these plays seems to come out of the interactions of
the characters and their traits of character. The victory of evil over good is usually
portrayed indirectly. These days we find many plays centered around themes
creating social awareness such as evils of drinking and smoking; dangers of
pollution, child labour, the decreasing female ratio and need to empower women.

Q3. How are Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald contrasted?

Ans3. 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 and drinks. She has a deep voice, rather Irish tone.
She is confident and can handle adversities independently.

Q4. What problem does Mrs. Pearson face? Who do you think is responsible
for this state of affairs?

Ans 4. Mrs. Pearson devotes all her time and energy to serve her husband, son and
daughter. She waits hand and foot on them while they treat her like a servant.
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.

Q5. What does Mrs. Fitzgerald offer to do for Mrs. Pearson?

Ans 5. Mrs. Fitzgerald sensed that Mrs. Pearson was far too gentle, submissive
and generous to tackle her family. Mrs. Fitzgerald offered to make them realise the
error of their ways not as Mrs. Fitzgerald but as Mrs. Pearson. With the help magic
she offered to change their personalities and change back again.

Q6. What are the two reasons that annoy Doris Pearson?

Ans6. Firstly, Doris is annoyed that her mother has not ironed her yellow silk dress
which she has to wear that night. Secondly, she has returned home after working
hard all day and mother hasn’t even bothered to get her tea ready. She also insulted
Charlie Spence by calling him bucktoothed and half-witted.

Q7. What changes in the behaviour of Mrs. Pearson startle Doris and Cyril?
What possible reasons do they suggest?

Ans7. Doris couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her mother smoking and
playing cards and drinking. Cyril too noted the change and asked her if she was
feeling unwell. 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.

Q8. How is George Pearson treated at the club?

Ans8. 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.

Q9. What objection does Mrs. Pearson have against George’s going to club so
frequently?

Ans9. Mrs. Pearson feels neglected and 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.

Q10. What impression do you form of Mrs. Annie Pearson?

Ans10. Mrs. Pearson is the main character in the play ‘Mother’s Day’. She is a
pleasant but worried-looking woman in her forties. She speaks in a light, flurried
sort of tone, with a touch of cockney. She loves her husband and children very
much and gives in to all their wishes. Her excessive love and care have spoilt them
and they have become thoughtless and selfish. She feels neglected and lonely but
lacks the courage to discuss things with them. However, she dislikes any
unpleasantness. She is not willing to act as a tough mom as she is nervous and is
also dedicated to her family. She is so tender-hearted that she is shocked to see the
rough treatment meted out to her children. She decides to change back to her
original personality to deal with her family herself. She is indeed a loving and
affectionate mother and a devoted wife.

Q11. Write a note on the role of Mrs. Fitzgerald in the play.

Ans11. Mrs. Fitzgerald plays a very important role in the play. She is introduced as
a fortune teller and the next-door neighbour of the Pearsons. It is through the initial
conversation between her and Mrs. Pearson that we come to know the problems
that Mrs. Pearson faces. Mrs. Fitzgerald analyses the situation quite objectively and
becomes the playwright’s mouthpiece. She also suggests the ways and methods of
tackling the situation. Since Mrs. Pearson does not have the courage to stand for
her rights, Mrs. Fitzgerald suggests a novel approach—exchange of personalities.
Now as Mrs. Pearson, Mrs. Fitzgerald puts the plan of reformation in action. She
smokes, drinks and plays cards. All this is unusual for the family. She further
shocks them by being tough with them in words and action. She asks them to do
the chores themselves. She clearly tells them that she has already worked for more
than eight hours that day. She tells them plainly how they behave at home and
workplace. She is brutally blunt with Mr. George Pearson, who goes away every
evening to his club, leaving his wife alone at home. She reveals to him how the
people at the club make fun of him. In short, she makes them realise their
responsibility towards the mother. At the end, she changes their real personalities
once again. Thus she plays the main role in the initial action, climax and
denouement.

Q12. Write a note on the title of the play ‘Mother’s Day’.

Ans12. The title of the play is quite appropriate. It sums up the theme of the play. It
suggests that the action of the play revolves round a mother. The playwright
confronts us at the outset with the problems the mother faces from her grown up
children and their father. The novel technique employed to tackle the spoilt
children and the husband is quite amusing and thought provoking. The bold and
dominating mother acts tough with the children and makes them realise the need of
proper attention and gratitude towards their mother. They are made to learn a
lesson in courtesy and polite behaviour not only towards the mother but also
towards the visiting neighbour. The mother certainly has her day as the children
learn to treat her properly. The supper being prepared by the children, their stay at
home and the family game of rummy is a rare gift that the mother receives on this
important day.