Stage directions played a key role in both Master Harold...and the boys and The Importance in Being Earnest in the development of characters in the play. In LDJN, the amount of stage directions far outweigh the dialogue in the play, thus indicating the importance of stage directions in shaping the dialogue of characters in the play. Stage directions in LDJN also reveal underlying character traits and how one reacts with body language as opposed to how one responds with verbal dialogue. Two instances in Act 4 where stage directions played a prominent role in the interaction between character were when James switches off three light bulbs and when Jamie pushes the bottle of whiskey to his father and Edmund and they all pour a glass for themselves.
Then as if this phrase automatically aroused an habitual association in his mind, he glances up at the chandelier disapprovingly.
He clicks out one bulb.
(dialogue)
He clicks out another bulb.
(dialogue)
He turns out the third bulb, so only the reading lamp is on, and sits down again heavily. Edmund suddenly cannot hold back a burst of strained ironical laughter. Tyrone is hurt.
(154)
In the beginning of act four, Edmund approaches James in the living room in the dark where only one reading lamp is turned on. Edmund complains when James insists that he turns the light bulb off once he comes into the living room, calling him out on the absurdity of his miserly cheap-skate ways. After several petty arguments were made on his thrifty behavior, James decides to dramatically switch on all of the lights in the living room. This greatly amuses Edmund. After a while, James returns to the whole "you don't know the value of a dollar" talk and this "automatically" causes him to glance disapprovingly up the chandelier. This automatic reaction is also described as a "habitual association", reinforcing James' stubborn character that is resistant to change. The way he glances up at the chandelier is also hilarious because he was the one who decided to switch on the lights to prove Edmund wrong.
I also liked how James switch off the light bulbs one by one, which I interpreted as James gradually returning to his thrifty habits, suggesting that will never fully embrace change. However, I do think that James does deserve credit for at least trying to give into change, even though his attempts were inevitably unsuccessful. The fact that Tyrone was hurt by Edmund's laughter due to the absurdity of his actions, I think suggests that Tyrone genuinely tried to change for the better, but he is incapable of change because the poverty he experienced when he was younger has permanently shaped who he is in the present.
Jamie pushes the bottle toward him. He pours a drink without disarranging the wedding gown he holds carefully over his other arm and on his lap, and shoves the bottle back. Jamie pours his and passes the bottle Edmund, who, in turn, pours one. Tyrone lifts his glass and his sons follow suit mechanically, but before they can drink Mary speaks and they slowly lower their drinks to the table, forgetting them.
(178)
This passage of stage directions indicate the hopelessness for Mary's recovery shared by all three male Tyrones as they pour whiskey into their glasses. I think that since Jamie leads this drinking ritual, he is the one who feels most let down by his mother's continuing delusional behavior. James' act of not letting go of Mary's wedding gown as he pours a drink suggests that he still clings to the remains of their marriage, despite how he's given up for the "real" and loving Mary to return back to the family. Edmund also pours a drink, despite his consumption, further reinforcing his lack of hope and his transition to deeper pessimism. Tyrone leads the ritual of lifting the glass as his sons follow suit, which can refer to how Tyrone is the one who first exposed and passed onto his sons his drinking habits. The mechanical way in which they both follow their father can also reveal how Jamie and Edmund are inevitably influenced by their father, perhaps in his stubbornness. However, despite the close homosocial bonds demonstrated through the pre-drinking ritual, Mary holds power over their actions because they immediately lower their drinks and instead direct their attention to Mary. Perhaps they haven't completely given their hopes up yet, but are still desperate for a miracle to happen...but at the end of the play Mary does not break out of her "dream" and she remains lost and detached from her family.
I really enjoyed this blog post! I like how you tied stage directions to the idea of homosocial vs. heterosocial bonds. I think it's especially interesting how you pointed out that James was the one who started raising his glass first. This shows that he had great influence over Edmund and Jamie. However, it is bizarre how all three men paused when Mary starts speaking. Here we have three extremely intoxicated men who all momentarily became sober and alert when a woman starts talking. The whole play also appears to revolve around Mary. Although they talk about each of their problems and flaws, Mary's issue ultimately outweighs everyone else's. It is also ironic how while she proves the most troublesome, Mary continues to talk about Edmund and his "summer cold," as if to divert attention away from herself.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a really insightful blog post! As you point out, stage directions far outweigh actual dialogue, pointing towards its importance in the portrayal of each character. Your analysis of Tyrone's gradual turning on of the chandelier lights was particularly interesting--I hadn't thought about the sympathetic angle of Tyrone, relative to this event! I completely agree, though, that, while ultimately unsuccessful, Tyrone's efforts to change are quite admirable. He makes that grand gesture to prove to Edmund that he's perfectly capable of improving upon his excessively frugal ways. I think Edmund laughing at Tyrone's failed efforts wasn't meant to poke fun at him for failing, but rather, simply to acknowledge that his father is not a man particularly susceptible to change. Looks like Edmund knows his father better than any of us expected!
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