Mother’s Day – JB Priestley

J. B. Priestley

Born 13 September 1894

Manningham, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire,

England

Died 14 August 1984 (aged 89)

Stratford-upon-Avon,Warwickshire, England

Occupation Writer

Nationality British

The Good Companions, English Journey, Angel

Books
Pavements, etc.

Characters

Annie Pearson
A humble woman, mother of two teenage children. She is the sufferer in the play. Because
she is not fond of correcting her husband and children, Annie is expected to be a silent figure
in the family, doing all the work for all.

George Pearson
Annie’s husband. Though he is a man of self-importance, he is not respected in the society
as he expects. At the club that he is a member, people call him nicknames. The only place
he feels dominant is in front of Annie. He is gentle with his children, especially with daughter
Doris, a ruined girl.

Doris Pearson
Doris is a ruined girl of around 20, the elder. She is already into an affair with a young man
of the name Charlie Spence. She expects her mother to be doing works for her and doesn’t
understand her mother’s struggles.

Cyril Pearson
The boy. He too, like his sister Doris, takes his mother for granted.

Mrs. Fitzgerald
A neighbour. She had spent her years in the Eastern countries where her husband had been
a Lieutenant Quartermaster. She had learnt a little magic and black-magic there and is now
ready to apply a little magic to help Annie, her friend.

Magic
Fitzgerald applies a rare kind of magic to infuse her mighty personality into Annie and takes
her humble personality. When Doris and Cyril got home that evening, they found their
humble mother behaving differently, boldly and making fun of them all. When George came
home, he too had to face an out of the ordinary wife. The family realizes the worth of a
mother and wife. When everything was done, Fitzgerald returns with Annie’s personality and
gets her real personality back. Happy ending.

Opening
Annie Pearson was a mother and a wife and she had a ruined family. She saw that her
children and husband considered her like a slave at home, supposed to make food for them
and iron their clothes and all the rest of the household chores. She longed for a change but
was not prepared to make this change.

Mrs. Fitzgerald, a Good Neighbour

One day the impossible happened; Annie Pearson became Mrs. Fitzgerald and gave her
family an unforgettable shiver. How did this happen and here lies the drama.
One fine day, Annie was paid a visit by her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald. One thing you should
know about Mrs. Fitzgerald is that she was a very strong character, a symbol of feminism or
at least, a person who was much ahead of her time. Having found Annie in such a mess,
Mrs. Fitzgerald felt sorry for her so she decided to do something for the hapless. She
exchanged her character with Annie’s and Annie’s with hers. Call it magic and for the time
being, don’t raise questions.

A Changed Mother
She declared that she had decided not to cook for them, iron their clothes and wait for them
to have food. She made it very clear that she was not willing to work in the house unless she
were paid due respect and be thanked for every favour

.
Mr. George Pearson Arrives
Finally came the HEAD of the family – George Pearson. When he saw what his children had
seen and heard more than what the children had heard, George found no tongue in his
mouth. His wife had never been like this. She called him a name that his friends teased him
at the club and laughed at him.

The family learnt a great lesson that day. Mrs. Fitzgerald – oh, no, Annie, returned by this
time. Later, the two friends returned their characters and the play ends happily, Annie
Pearson duly accepted and respected.

Questions
1. What was wrong in the Pearson family?
2. What went well in the Pearson family?
Hints- Annie Pearson’s -a silent mother and wife, everything turned and moved
silently, husband and children –free, unquestioned, enjoyed a business class life,
half spent at workplaces and half spent with society, got their food prepared and
served in time and got their clothes washed, mended and ironed by someone who
never complained.
3. Why is Mrs. Fitzgerald insisting upon Mrs. Pearson’s being the boss of her family?
4. How was Annie Pearson responsible for her fate?
5. How did Doris and Cyril consider their mother?
6. What was Mrs. Fitzgerald’s unusual idea for helping Annie out?
7. What were the immediate effects of the magic spell?
8. Why didn’t Fitzgerald – as Doris’ mother – like her going out with Charlie Spence?
 9. Do you agree that Doris and Cyril’s behaviour with their mother was extremely rude
and unheard of?
10. At one point we see Mrs. Fitzgerald – as Mrs. Pearson – being laconic and sinister.
What do you mean by these two words?

(Hint- Laconic – Speaking meaningfully and more sensibly in very few words. That is,
when you are laconic, you speak a word or two but your hearers understand it easily.
Sinister – Threatening; frightening; wicked, etc.)

Reference to Context
11. “You all do talk like that. If there is something at home you don’t want to do, you don’t
do it. If it is something at your work, you get the union to bar it. Now all that happened
is that I have joined the movement.”
a. Who are being referred to as you?
b. What sort of talking do they all do?
c. What does the speaker mean by comparing the works at home and works at
work places?
d. What movement has the speaker joined?

12. “Do you think she is barmy?”

“No, you fathead! You know, concussion. She might have.”
“Sounds farfetched.”
“If she is going to be like this when Dad comes home… (She giggles)
(a) What is it like being barmy?
(b) Fathead. Does it suit Cyril at this time? Reasons?
(c) Why does Doris giggle?

13. “Here, steady, Mrs. Pearson – if you had to live my life, it wouldn’t be so bad. You
would have more fun as me than as you have had as you.”
(a) What is still unsteady about Mrs. Pearson?
(b) What is the essential sarcasm in Mrs. Fitzgerald’s tone?

14. “It is not I who is being silly – and I must say it is a bit much when I have been
working hard all day and you can’t even bother to get my tea ready. Did you hear
what I have said about my yellow silk?”
(a) Why does Doris think that her mother is being silly?
(b) Why didn’t Annie Pearson get tea ready for Doris?
(c) What for had Doris asked her mother to keep her yellow silk ready?

15. “I was yawning at your jokes before you were born.”

(a) What does this mean?
(b) What sent Doris into tears on hearing this?