The drama play 'night Mother, written by Marsha Norman, is a play that involves
a woman who decides to commit suicide in the midst of her depression, loneliness, and
antagonistic world. Jessie is a complex character that over the span of her lifetime has
suffered tremendously from epilepsy, and as a result ends up alone and living with her
mother. The two carry on life together, and have come to know exactly what the other is
about to do or say. They share a close yet bizarre relationship, but despite her mother's
every attempt to stop her plan, Jessie is determined to follow through with her decision,
and end her life. The play reveals just how dark Jessie's world is and how blind her
mother really is to the deterioration of her daughter through an extensive conversation
shared by the two characters in conflict. The author takes her audience on an emotional
roller coaster ride, as the two characters take each other through their highest and lowest
points in their lives, and they explore each other's real feelings.
The evening begins as any other evening would for the two women. Mama is
rummaging through the cabinets to find some tasty treat, and finds that she only has one
more snowball. She then calls out to her daughter to have her put it on their grocery list.
This is the first example of how Thelma treats the relationship with her daughter in
general. Thelma feels pity for her daughter, who she sees as helpless and fragile. She
feels that by acting dependent of Jessie, that it may satisfy her reason for being. This is
not the case, however because Jessie makes it very clear that she is aware of what her
mother is doing to her, "You've just been letting me do it so I'll have something to do,
haven't you?" (1720) So all the while that Thelma has seemed like she really needs Jessie
around, it was only a front because she felt sorry f...