Mother’s Day, a play by J. B.
Priestley, portraying the status of a mother in a household. Priestly
humorously explores the story when Mrs. Pearson, in her forties, stands up for
her rights and how her family reacts at this. Mrs. Pearson is very fond of her
family and works day and night to support her family members in the best
possible manner. However, she is upset at the way she is being treated. Nobody
cares for her or asks about her. All day long she stays at home doing all the
work. In the evening when the kids and her husband return she threw herself in
meeting their demands. She did not want any dislikeable thing to happen in her
household yet she craved for their attention and a little respect. She went to
her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald, a fortune teller and a magician. Older and
heavy, Mrs. Fitzgerald comes out with a plan. She proposed that they could
exchange bodies and then with Pearson’s body, she would teach a lesson to
Pearson’s family that Mrs. Pearson could not do herself for she was too humble
and nice to do that.
Though reluctant, Mrs. Pearson
agreed to the idea and the two exchanged their bodies. Mrs. Pearson was still
not sure and asked Mrs. Fitzgerald if she could get her body back. However,
determined Fitzgerald tells Pearson to not to worry and that she would handle
the matter carefully. She left for Pearson’s home with Mrs. Pearson’s body. She
entered the home and knew what she was to do to teach Pearsons a lesson so they
would not bother Mrs. Pearson in future unnecessarily. Mrs. Pearson
(Mrs.Fitzgerald’s soul) smoked a cigarette and was confident than ever. A few
moments later, her daughter, Doris Pearson, entered the house and started
demanding tea and her dress. Mrs. Pearson was sure to make her realise that she
was Doris’ mother and not a servant. She was stunned to see her mother smoking
and that she had not prepared tea for her and that her dress was not ready as
well. Doris told her mother that she was to go out with her beau Charles
Spencer on which the mother remarked if she could not find someone better. This
broke Doris and she left weeping.
Then came the son, Cyril Pearson,
who is amused at his mother’s strange behaviour. They get into an argument. The
children could not baffle the situation. When the mother left to fetch the
stout, the children discussed their mother’s behaviour. Doris felt that it
might have been that mother got her head hit. Then enters mother with a bottle
of stout and a glass half filled with it. The children began to laugh and the
mother chided them and asked them to behave like grown-ups. Doris then asked
her mother for her such behaviour and if they had done something wrong. Then
Mrs. Pearson tells them that it is actually the children’s and her husband’s
behaviour that has disturbed her. They always come and go without bothering
about her. They demand duties from her and she does her best to keep everyone
happy and still no body is bothered about her. She remarks that while the three
of them do a job of forty hours a week with two days as weekend, she goes on
working seven days round the clock. She proclaimed that she would do some work
on Saturday and Sunday only if she is thanked for everything.
When the mother scolded Doris and
Cyril duly, entered George Pearson and is annoyed at her wife sipping stout. He
told her that he would have supper at the club and that he did not want tea.
The wife told him that there was no tea. He got annoyed and the wife then said
that when he did not want tea then why was he fighting for it. Mr. Pearson is
flabbergasted at such conduct of his wife. The wife continues to rebuke the
husband telling him that why he goes to club when he is a joke among all there.
He is stunned and demanded the truth from his son. Cyril got upset at his
mother yet told the father that it was the truth. Then enters Mrs.Fitzgerald
(actually Mrs.Pearson). Mrs. Pearson (actually Mrs.Fitzgerald) told her that
she was just putting everyone at place and that the things were alright.
Mrs.Pearson(Mrs.Fitzgerald in body) requested to have her body then and
Mrs.Pearson(Mrs.Fitzgerald in body) on a condition that Pearson would not go
soft on her family again. They got into their original bodies and
Mrs.Fitzgerald left. The mother and the children and husband smiled at each
other and it was decided that they all will have the dinner together and play a
game of rummy.
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