Mother's Day by J B Priestly

Mother’s Day

By J.B.Priestley

· Mrs. Pearson is a dedicated wife and mother who tends to each and every demand of her husband George and children Doris and Lyril, both of whom are adults.

· Yet, she is disrespected and taken for granted by them. All the three family members lack gratitude towards her. In fact they treat her like a domestic help.

· Mrs. Pearson shares her grief with her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald. Mrs. Fitzgerald tells her that her own soft behaviour is responsible for the misgivings for the family members.

· Mrs. Fitzgerald has a plan for her. With the magic that she once learnt in the far east, she suggests that the two of them should exchange their spirits with each other.

· Initially reluctant, Mrs. Pearson agrees to the idea. They both hold hands and their spirits get exchanged when Mrs. Fitzgerald reads a spell.

· Doris is shocked to find her mother smoking when she comes home. She orders her mother to prepare tea. But Mrs. Pearson remains indifferent towards her demand. This sudden change baffles Doris.

· She goes to her room to find that her yellow dress has not been ironed. She gets really upset and almost scolds her mother for not doing this work.

· Upon hearing her words, Mrs. Pearson replies with disgust that Doris being a grown up should do her work on her own. Above that, she makes fun of her friend Charlie Spense and calls him a "half-witted buck tooth".

· Doris feels deeply offended and starts weeping.

· Then her son Cyril comes home and notices Doris crying and mother playing with cards. He too demands tea and snacks but is met with the same indifference from his mother.

· The children discuss their mother's strange behavior when they see her filling a glass of wine for herself.

· Doris hints that perhaps the mother has gone mad owing to some head injury after a fall or so.

· The mother chides them for their callousness and tries to give them a piece of mind.

· She tells them that she would not work for more than eight hours every day like them from then onwards and will also go for a vacation during weekend.

· She also proclaims that she would do some work on Saturday and Sunday only if she is thanked for everything.

· Her husband George Pearson enters the room and senses tension in the ambience.

· He is annoyed that instead of preparing tea his wife is sipping wine and relaxing. But Mrs. Pearson shows only indifference.

· He then tells her that he would have supper at the club. Mrs. Pearson gets annoyed at his attitude and rebukes him by telling him that people at the club make fun of him behind his back.

· All the family members are feeling miserable. Just then enters Mrs.Fitzgerald (actually Mrs.Pearson).

· Mrs. Pearson(actually Mrs.Fitzgerald) tells her that she was just putting everyone at place and that the things were alright.

· The family members look at each other in confusion when Mrs. Fitzgerald (actually Mrs.pearson) requests to have their spirits re-exchanged. Mrs. Pearson (actually Mrs. Fitzgerald) agrees on a condition that Mrs. Pearson would not go soft on her family again. They get into their original bodies and Mrs. Fitzgerald leaves.

· The mother, the children and husband smile at each other with relief and it is decided that they all will have the dinner together and play a game of rummy.

· This play provides a glimpse into the miserable lives of house-wives and mothers who work tirelessly from morning to night for keeping their family members happy. Their sacrifices are taken for granted and they are treated as domestic helps. It teaches us to be thoughtful and respectful for our mothers.

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1. This is a humorous play with many humorous situations. Which situation did you most?

Answer:The play indeed is very humorous. But the funniest moment was when Mrs. Pearson ( or Mrs Fitzgerald) insults and humiliates her husband George by telling him what they thought of him at the club. She even told him the nickname 'Pompy-Ompy Pearson', with which he was called at the club, behind his back.

2. How does the Pearson family finally spend the evening?

Answer:The evening was finally spent in the way Mrs. Pearson had always wanted. The children helped to prepare dinner. She could play rummy and chat with her husband. She was a happy and contented woman now.

3. What advice does Mrs. Fitzgerald give to Mrs. Pearson after they change back personalities?

Answer:She advises Mrs. Pearson not to give any explanations. She tells her to be assertive and give them a tough look or a rude tone occasionally.

4. What does Mrs. Pearson tell her husband about her visit to the bar?

Answer:George got a rude shock when his wife had not prepared tea for him although he had first said that he hadn’t wanted any. But he was annoyed when he found that tea wasn’t ready. She asked him if he had ever shouted at the bar for not giving something he had not wanted.

5. Doris says, ‘you’ll see’ to her father. What does she mean?

Answer:Doris was crying when her father returned from work. When he asked her the reason, she spoke these words to tell him about her mother’s peculiar behaviour. She also told him that mother had refused to do any work for anyone and was also talking rudely.

6. What is Doris’ reaction when Mrs. Pearson says she will work for only forty hours a week?

Answer:Doris was shocked at the answer. She also wondered where her mother would go away for the weekend. She thought her mother had gone crazy because of an accident or a hit in the head. 

7. Mrs. Pearson says, ‘……..I’ve joined the movement’. What does she mean?

Answer:Mrs. Pearson says this to Cyril, her son. She told him that just as he wouldn’t like to do anything that he doesn’t want to do when he was at work, she too would not do anything if she didn’t like to. She would also join the movement of Union – to bar what she doesn’t want to do.

8. Why does Doris say ‘Mum – what’s the matter with you?’?

Answer:Doris returns home to find that the mother has not got the tea ready. Her clothes are not ironed. The shock comes when the mother tells her to iron her dress herself as she was planning to go to Clarendon for a meal. This behaviour shocked Doris.

9. What advice does Mrs. Fitzgerald give Mrs. Pearson regarding being the boss in her family ?

Answer: Mrs. Fitzgerald tells Pearson to become the mistress of her own house. She should not allow herself to be dominated by others. Her family should learn to treat her with respect.

10. How does the end of the play justify the title?

Answer:Mrs. Pearson being a weak person was taken for granted by her family. They dominated her a lot and did not care for her feelings. But in the end she winds when Mrs. Fitzgerald takes over for sometime and is able to get the respect that Mrs Pearson deserves. She has her day.

11. What do Doris and Cyril think about their mother’s sudden change in the behaviour?

Answer:Both Doris and Cyril are utterly confused and bewildered at their mother’s strange behaviour. They have never seen her smoking, drinking, playing cards and speaking in such a strange and sarcastic manner. They think that she has hurt her head and is suffering from a concussion.

12. What plans does Mrs. Pearson have about her work in the future?

Answer:Mrs. Pearson declares that she had joined a Mother’s Movement. She had decided to work for only forty hours a week like workers in their places of work. She would even go out on weekends to amuse herself and take a break from the family.

13. Who is Charlie Spence? How does Mrs. Pearson talk about him to Doris?

Answer:Charlie Spence is Doris’s boyfriend. They had planned an evening out together. After undergoing change in personality tells Doris that Charlie is dull headed, foolish and has  bucked teeth. She advises her to find a better man to go out with.

14. How does Mrs. Fitzgerald plan to show the Pearsons their places?     

Answer:Mrs. Fitzgerald had learnt some magic during her few years stay in the east. She  offers to exchange her personality with Mrs. Pearson for some time. While she will look like Mrs. Pearson, she would still be able to use her domineering nature to show the Pearson family their place. This plan was a temporary arrangement.

15. Mrs. Pearson is sick of being ordered about by her family. Why is she so hesitant to  put her foot down?

Answer:Mrs. Pearson loves her family a lot. At the same time she gets dominated by each of  her family members. Her meek and timid nature prevents her from retaliating. Even though  she drops a hint here and there, but no one really cares about her. When her neighbour Mrs.  Fitzgerald asks her to be assertive, she doesn’t have the courage to do so.

16. How are Mrs. Pearson and Fitzgerald contrasted?

Answer:Both the ladies are in sharp contrast with each other. While Mrs. Pearson in passive  docile, submissive and confused. She is also timid and soft spoken. Mrs. Fitzgerald is  aggressive,dominating, sinister and bold. She has a deep voice.

17. Mrs. Annie Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald are totally opposite to each other in their attitude. Show the difference between their personalities.

Answer:The play ‘Mother’s Day’ by J.B Priestley brings out a sharp contrast in the characters of the two main protagonists, Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald. Mrs. Pearson is shown as a  quiet, submissive woman who thinks it to be her prime duty to serve her family. On the other  hand, her family consists of rude, arrogant and dominating members each of whom treat her  like a servant, ordering her about and talking rudely in the process hurting her sentiments and feelings. Mrs. Pearson suffers quietly, never speaks her mind, never retaliates all because she wants to avoid any kind of unpleasantness. Mrs. Fitzgerald, on the other hand is strong, domineering, frank and outspoken. She demands respect and takes pride in the fact that no one can take her for a ride. She has an identity of her own, speaks her mind and asserts herself. She is instrumental in bringing about a transformation in the family members of the Pearson family. She exchanges her personality with Pearson with the help of magic and then tackles her family members one by one. She openly insults, humiliates and offends them. She refuses to do any work. She rebels by smoking and drinking. All this was done to make them realise their mistakes and make them love and respect their mother. She succeeds in the end.

18. Bring out the humour of the play.

Answer:The dramatist has combined a serious theme with some comical concept of the magic trick which ensures that the theme of the play is effective in a very humorous manner. Despite being a sinister and aggressive character, Mrs. Fitzgerald is the one that evokes maximum laughter. The way in which she scolds, rebukes and mocks at each family member is an effective source of laughter. When she assumes Mrs. Pearson’s form and challenges the children with sarcasm and bitter jest, the two rude and demanding children are forced to mend their ways. Her clever remarks and indignant out burst provide an element of humour throughout the play.During her conversation with George Pearson, she is harsh and offensive towards him. It is amusing in the way she reprimands a grown man. It is even more amusing as she points out flaws in each of the family members. All in all the deeper meaning of the play has been displayed through humour making it not only moralistic but entertaining as well.

19. The chapter deals with a very serious issue in a humorous way. Do you think humour and satire can be used as a tool for social reformation? Give reasons for your answer keeping in mind the chapter ‘Mother’s Day.’

Answer:-The chapter presents a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of women, in particular, a housewife, in a household. Mrs. Pearson devotes all her time and energies to fulfill all the needs of her family yet is treated like a doormat by her children and husband. Her services are taken for granted and she rarely receives any gratitude and care in return. Her caring nature only accelerates the expectation of her family from her. Through the interchange of bodies, mrs. Pearson is empowered and starts asserting herself boldly and makes her family realize her importance. Her situation is the lot of most of the housewife who are neglected and who suffer in silence. The chapter raises important issues about female empowerment and the need for love and respect towards family members through the medium of satire and humor.