MOTHER’S DAY

By J.B.Priestley

John Joseph
PGT English
JNV Pathanamthitta
 J.B.Priestley
• Full Name: John Boynton Priestley
• 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984
• English novelist, playwright, screenwriter
• Priestley served in the British army during
the First World War

Major Works
• The Good Companions (1929)
• Angel Pavement (1930)
• Dangerous Corner (1932)
• Mother's Day (1950)
What is a play ?
 What is a play ?
• A play is a work of drama

• Dialogue between characters

• Intended for theatrical performance
• The writer of a play is a playwright
• Genres: Comedy, Farce, Satirical, Tragedy etc.
 Common Terms
• Characters: They portray the feelings, conflicts etc. of a
person

• Theme: The main thread of the story, or the message it

conveys.

• Plot: Plot comprises exposition, a rising action as well as

a falling action, climax and resolution.

• Scene: Drama consists of different situations, taking

place at different places. Each time or place is portrayed
in different scenes.
 Characters
• Mrs. Annie Pearson: Wife/Mother

• George Pearson: Husband/Father

• Doris Pearson: Daughter
• Cyril Pearson: Son
• Mrs. Fitzgerald: Neighbour
Mrs. Pearson George Pearson

• Pleasant but worried • About fifty

looking woman in her • Decent but solemn

forties. • Self-important & pompous

• Light, flurried sort of • He is a heavy, slow moving

tone with a touch of type.
suburban cockney. • He likes drinking.
 Mrs. Fitzgerald
• Older & heavier
• Strong and sinister personality

• She smokes.

• Deep voice with Irish tone.

• Next-door neighbour
 Doris Cyril Pearson
• Daughter • Son

• Very careless • Commands service

• Commands service instead instead of request.

of request. • Never helps mother

• In relationship with Charlie

Spence.
The action takes place in the living-room of the Pearsons’
Comfortably furnished Suburban semi detached Villa in a London
suburb.

• Conversation between the 2 ladies

❑ To have a person to share their worries
❑ Mothers carry the burden of family, with none to share
❑ Gossiping
❑ What are the topics they might talk ?

• Contrasting voices
❑ Voices based on their personality
❑ Is it possible to guess the personality by their voice ?
❑ Not only visual appearance, even voice can be used to define a
character
 Neighbours

• Most often neighbours discuss their family matter.

• Good neighbour offer a helping hand of support
• The friendship between neighbours are diminishing
now a days
• What are the traits of a good neighbour ?
• Growing up in a good/bad neighbourhood and its
effect on children.
 “Mistress of the house rather than a slave”

• Mrs. Fitzgerald is a good fortune

teller. She had learnt it from the
East.

• She advises Mrs. Pearson to be

bold.

• She asks her not to be the servant

of the family, as she is worth
more.
 What is happening at the Pearson’s
• They are a pleasant family from outside

• All members take Mrs. Pearson for granted

• Mrs. Pearson carries all the burden

• Nobody even checks her welfare

• She is not helped by anybody in her hardship
• She doesn’t want any unpleasantness in the family
• She remains quiet about her worries
 Changing places-Changing bodies
• Mrs. Fitzgerald has tricks up her sleeve
• She learnt these from The East
• Once the spell is chanted, a body exchange take
place through magic.
• Mrs. Pearson becomes Mrs. Fitzgerald in
appearance and vice versa
• The chant: “Arshtatta dum-arshitatta
lam-arshitatta lamdumbona…”
 The element of Magic
• The magical spell and changing of bodies are a fantasy
• Even now, lot of people believe in magic and
superstitions.
• Here, the magic is used for the purpose of improving
Mrs. Pearson’s miserable life
• This dramatic transformation should be a feast to the
eyes when the skit is performed.
• The author wishes to show us, when a single person in a
family changes their personality abruptly, what all things
happen.
 After the Magic Spell
Mrs. Pearson Mrs. Fitzgerald
• Strong & sinister • Soft and gentle
• Authoritative • Polite
• Confident • Nervous
• Commanding nature • Servant nature
• Has a plan about what • Does not know what
she must do she must do
 The new Mrs. Pearson
• Smoking and laying cards on the table
• Daughter Doris is shocked
• Doris demands tea and mother snaps, quite
unusual.
• Doris’ usual commands are not accepted by
her mother.
• Mrs. Pearson’s sharp reactions leave Doris
surprised
 The new Mrs. Pearson
• She says bad remarks on Charlie Spence, Doris’
boyfriend
• Doris becomes sad and dejected
• Same happens for Cyril who enters the scene
• Cyril too, is shocked by the change of behavior of his
mother.
• Mrs. Pearson is drinking stout and starts blabbering
about the inefficiency of Doris and Cyril.
• She says her children doesn’t have maturity of their
age.
 The new Mrs. Pearson
• The next to face Mrs. Pearson’s wrath:
Mr. George Pearson
• He is shocked too.
• Mrs. Pearson comments on her husband’s
drinking and warns that she too can do the
same
• She conveys her honest remarks about her
husband, which he didn’t know earlier
• People used to call him Pompy-Ompy
 “You never understand our jokes, Mum”

• In modern family, there are always issues between mother

and children
• Children tend to see their mother as unprogressive and old
• The statement said by Doris is what happens in real life.
• Think about what happens in your home.
• The age of adolescence is a phase of change for children
• Mother’s guidance and sermons may seem to annoy children
• Doris and Cyril are perfect examples of how you should not
behave with your mother.
• Husband and children also have duties to perform in a family
• Not all burden should be on the mother.
 Issues in Modern Family
• Lack of respect between each other
• Taking mother for granted
• Not taking part in household chores.
• Lack of sharing responsibilities
• Lack of effective and open communication
• Focus on gadgets and other media
• Undue rely on friend circle.
• Lack of family reunion
 In the end
• Mrs. Fitzgerald and Mrs. Pearson undo the
magic and reverse the body exchange.
• Things are back to normal with some changes
• The Pearson family realises the importance of
Mrs. Pearson
• They repent on their behaviour towards her
• The family cluster around and they live happily
ever-after
 Moral
• Role of mother is paramount
• She is not the servant of the family
• She is the light, mentor and soul of the family
• “My Mother is a walking miracle”
• Sharing responsibilities lead to peace and
harmony in a family