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Suicide In Night, Mother By Marsha Norman

Decent Essays

“Night, Mother,” by Marsha Norman deals with the topic of suicide and the thoughts associated with coming to this final conclusion. The reader is introduced to Jessie, a recently divorced woman and Thelma her mother. Jessie’s characterized as being in her thirties and epileptic. One would think that this epilepsy would be the main contributing factor in Jessie’s decision to commit suicide however it is but a minute factor in the final conclusion. Towards the ending of the play Mama is trying her hardest to keep Jessie from committing suicide but the scenes do not seem to only be about Jessie. There’s a mixture of emotions from Mama giving her words a double meaning. Is she really trying to convince Jessie to not commit suicide? Yes, she …show more content…

Mama’s character was not very happy in her own life, she did not have a happy marriage and held no loving feelings towards Jessie’s father. There went her love life. She also states she did not want any more kids, and there went her children. Mama spent her time making things with yarn like quilts and doilies and scarfing down sweets to fill all of her empty feelings. Instead of all this, she should have paid attention to her husband, whom she observed having these fits and said nothing of it. She should have not pushed her daughter to marry early on either. It seems like Mama attempted to navigate Jessie away from a life like hers but lead her right down the same path except with a different ending. Jessie’s actions seem to take other’s into thought as she was pushed into marrying, thought of her son and his mishaps and even stepped in to live with her mother after her own divorce. Every action or thought was with someone else in mind. However, suicide is a selfish act and Jessie may have realized. After thinking of everyone else being selfish may not necessarily be a bad thing and what else to be selfish about than the way one ends their own life. “This is how I have my say No. To Dawson and Loretta and the Red Chinese and epilepsy and Ricky and Cecil and you. And me. And hope. I say No!” (Norman 49). This act is the only thing Jessie has one hundred percent control over and after experiencing her epileptic episodes control is something to be cherished which is why she ends up coming to this

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