Analysis Of Andre's Mother By Terrence Mcnally

“Andre’s Mother” was a drama written by Terrence McNally in 1988. It’s a short story about a mother coming to accept the death of her son through the stories of her son’s lover. It’s an eye-opening drama that shows the importance of accepting yourself, the necessity of learning to let go, and the bravery of McNally in choosing to portray homosexuality as a normalized facet of the story, as this was a time when homosexuality was still seen as unacceptable. The story opens with Cal, the protagonist, and his father and sister walking with Andre’s mother, each of them holding a while balloon on a string. As the story progresses, Cal talks about Andre’s love for theatre, “God, how much he wanted to play Hamlet again. He would have gone to Timbuktu to have another go at that part” (McNally 1).

Cal’s father, Arthur, talks about how much he and his wife valued and cared for Andre.

Penny, Cal’s sister, goes on to state, “Cal, I don’t understand about the balloons” (McNally 2). Cal explains that they represent the soul. He says that when you’re willing to let go and break the final earthly tie, you need only let go of the balloon. Penny and Arthur say their goodbyes to Arthur, let go of their balloons, and walk away. Once it is only Cal and Andre’s mother, Cal goes on to talk about what Andre told him of his mother, how he was afraid of disapproval from him and how was afraid to hurt her, yet how Cal wished they could be friends. Cal talks about how Andre died, how brave he was, and that he was bitter about it. Cal then says “I’m beginning to feel your disapproval and it’s making me ill. Sorry, old friend. I blew it (McNally 3). After this, he too lets go of his balloon and walks

away. Throughout the entirety of the drama, Andre’s mother never speaks, but we can see how she feels by the end of it where it says
[She] stands alone holding her white balloon. Her lips tremble. She looks on the verge of breaking down. She is about to let go of the balloon when she pulls it down to her. She looks at it awhile before she gently kisses it. She lets go of the balloon. She follows it with her eyes as it rises and rises (McNally 3)
From these actions we can see how far she has come. She once didn’t understand her own son, but she has since found how to accept him, and found it in herself to move on. Finally, we can see the way McNally felt about the subject of homosexuality, as this was written during a time where it was still widely unaccepted, yet he chose to write about it. While the story was later praised, to write this drama was a risk, but one worth taking.