I don't really like the acronym for the title of this book, and it's much more fun to write all the way out, so that's what I did. Let me get this straight, because it seems to be confusing: I really don't think this is a depressing play. I originally thought it looked that way, but once I really read it, I realized it wasn't.
Anyway, the ending seemed really short. I felt like it was just "Oh, I won, she killed the rabbit, and we're finally opening the shop". It was all just sort of weird, especially with the whole 'boil the skin off the cat' and all. Everything just seemed to move really fast. There's the whole frantic thing before the taxi and while it's waiting. I hate that, when the driver honks the horn over and over. It drives me crazy! What is he accomplishing by honking over and over? It annoys everyone, and it only makes them feel really rushed to get there. It's terrible!
Next, Ruth has to make the comment to Beatrice, and she gets all crazy about it, so Ruth goes with her instead to the science fair. Then we listen to this terrible girl talk about how much she (evidently) enjoyed using the cat for her project. Then she suggested that she would use a dog another year! I can't believe she did well with that!
Meanwhile, of course, Beatrice is going crazy back at home, but I thought it was an important and possibly sort of symbolistic when she pulled the paper down off the window or shop window. It just sort of showed everything was going to change, or that it all finally made Beatrice break, if they never did end up having the tea shop.
That's the other thing I'm not sure about - Is it a happy ending? I think the ending is definitely one of my favorite parts of this short play, but I'm not sure whether to be happy or not. It would make me really happy if they did open up the tea shop, and she did just win the science fair, but then Beatrice did kill the rabbit. So I'm still not sure if it's happy. I guess it all goes with that theme of 'growing a flower (Tillie) out of an unhealthy environment (Her mother and sister)' So maybe it is supposed to be a sort of happy ending. It seems like it might really be happy for them after that. I also liked how she brought back again the idea of the atoms. I liked this play a lot, actually, and, I'm not sure yet, but I think better than The Catcher in the Rye.
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OH! I understand the title and the science fair project. [sorry if I sound crazy, it was the 5th sentance in the 5th paragraph that made it click] Thank you, Clara! :)
ReplyDeleteYes! Good reading of the theme of this play. I think that's what makes the ending hopeful -- that Tillie, despite all she has working against her, is who she is and not a copy of her mother.
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