"I wish she were dead!’’
This quote is uttered by Bunny in the first act, when Bunny is discovered by Bananas hiding in the kitchen. This quote sums up the way through which Bananas was seen by the rest of the people around her. Bananas stood out from the rest of the characters because of her mental problems. In time, Bananas became a burden on those around her, especially on her husband, Artie. The husband tried to deal with these problems by shoving pills down Bananas’ throat. The other character had no other choice but to deal with her presence, especially those who wanted to be around Artie. While only Bunny admitted to wanting to see Bananas dead, her words may be representative for the other characters as well.
"I wanted to be a Bride of Christ but I guess now I'm a young divorcee.’’
This quote is uttered by Corrinne after entering the scene for the first time and she talks about the way she lived her life since Artie saw her last. The quote reveals the tendency many people had towards religion and their attempt to live a righteous life. This relationship is however compared with an unhappy marriage which eventually ends with divorce. This quote has the purpose of showing how the natural tendency every person has is towards negative matters instead of being towards the spiritual side or the righteous side. This quote may also be used as a way of explaining why so many characters behaved in an uncontrollable manner which is hard to understand and explain.
"Avoiding humiliation is the core of tragedy and comedy.’’
Artie suffered in the beginning of the play a huge humiliation when the audience to which he was singing to refused to listen to him and criticized him harshly. As an attempt to convince the audience why he continues to try and why he does not give up, he utters the quote from above. Artie believes that many people give up on their dreams because they are afraid of being humiliated in public. Through this, Artie looks down on those who give up on his dreams while he continues to run after his dreams until he eventually falls into madness and can no longer be saved.
