Genera Analysis In Marsha Norman's Night, Mother

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Corrine Fizer
Play Analysis: Genera Analysis

Analysis of Night, Mother
Marsha Norman’s Night, Mother is a well-written, much-discussed play. It has become a classic piece of dramatic work and has also gone on to win a Pulitzer Prize award.
It can be examined from a few different standpoints, from the dramatic, psychological, and even mythical. Although this play has so many different views to explore, they all mainly focus on the protagonist of the play, Jessie, and her motivations for her decision to take her own life. Through further exploration, I will analyze one of the major scenes before Jesse takes her own life and would like to further explore the character of Mama.
When reading the ending of the play or even just reading throughout the script, we find ourselves asking, “Why suicide?” Jessie could have survived, but she chose not to for a few different reasons. The scene I am examining starts on page 46 where, I believe, is the initial point in which Mama begins to feel helpless and breaks down. Mama starts by manipulating her into feeling guilty. She says “Maybe I fed yo...

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