Differing Perspectives Anonymous College

What would you do if a loved one nonchalantly informed you that later on in the night he or she planned to take his or her own life? This is the news Thelma Cates is faced with after returning home to her daughter Jessie, in the play 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman. Sick with Epilepsy, Jessie is a divorced middle aged woman who see's no point of going on any further in life. Unlike her almost emotionless daughter, Thelma see's life in a more positive and optimistic light. Thelma and Jessie have completely different ways of constructing meaning to their lives throughout the play. This results in conflict between the two characters and an unfortunate but foreshadowed ending.

At the beginning of the play, Thelma is coming home from a carnival with her friend Agnes, while Jessie is at home straightening up and preparing for her mother's manicure. The personality differences between Jessie and Thelma is the first piece of evidence that shows the audience how Jessie and her mother construct meaning differently in their lives. Thelma's character seems to be a social butterfly, who gets excitement out of talking with Jessie, spending time with her grandchildren, and her friend Agnes. Norman describes Thelma as, “chatty and nosy” before...