Getting Out: Analysis of Major Characters
"Getting Out" is a poignant exploration of the struggles faced by Arlene Holsclaw, a young woman grappling with the psychological aftermath of an eight-year prison sentence for a crime rooted in her traumatic past. The narrative centers on Arlene's quest for redemption and self-acceptance as she navigates the complexities of her relationships and her own history of abuse. Key characters, including Bennie, a former prison guard who views Arlene as an extension of his control, and her mother, who embodies neglect and emotional distance, complicate her journey toward reclaiming her identity.
Arlene's internal conflict is vividly represented by flashbacks of her troubled teenage self, Arlie, who relives the painful memories of victimization, including familial abuse and dehumanizing prison experiences. The presence of supportive yet pragmatic figures like Ruby, a former convict, highlights the potential for resilience and healing in the face of adversity. The narrative also introduces Carl, a figure from Arlene's past who tempts her with a return to crime, presenting a stark contrast to her aspirations for a normal life and custody of her son.
Through the lens of these characters, "Getting Out" delves into themes of empowerment, the struggle against dehumanization, and the quest for personal freedom, offering a rich examination of the intersections between trauma, recovery, and the search for dignity in a challenging world.
Getting Out: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Marsha Norman
First published: 1979
Genre: Play
Locale: Louisville, Kentucky
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1970's
Arlene Holsclaw, a young woman in her late twenties, just released from an eight-year prison term for accidentally killing a cabdriver during a robbery. Although physically free, Arlene is psychologically captive to the dehumanization and abuse suffered since early childhood, and her struggle to overcome her past and the self-destructive behavior it engendered forms her central conflict. Arlene, who is driven by her desire to acquire custody of her son and who is fighting to live a normal life and be treated respectfully, encounters people from her past who, in refusing to acknowledge her as a human being, make difficult her struggle to achieve self-fulfillment and self-love. Her strength and courage, both in confronting these ghosts from her past that have molded her into a hostile, cynical, and dispassionate woman and in rejecting their inhumanity toward her, enable her reconciliation with the past and her resignation to live free from the psychological prison and conditioning of her youth.
Arlie Holsclaw, Arlene as an abusive, volatile, and troublemaking teenager, recalled in flashbacks. Arlie is the psyche of Arlene, reliving those painful childhood experiences that shaped and molded Arlene into a displaced, lonely, and bitter child. The memories Arlie enacts, all depicting her life of victimization, particularly the sexual molestation by her father as well as dehumanized treatment of her in prison, are those incidents that robbed her of self-esteem and that she must now confront and exorcise if she is to survive psychologically and emotionally.
Bennie, a retired prison guard who accompanies Arlene home after her release from prison. While he was Arlie's guard in prison, Bennie manipulated her and viewed her as subhuman, an animal in need of taming. Now, Bennie still regards Arlene as his possession, and his initial unwillingness to accept her as a free human being is manifested by his attempt to rape her. He offers Arlene a friendship that she ultimately rejects because it is founded on the typical patriarchal master-slave relationship to which she has been subjected all of her life.
Mrs. Holsclaw, usually called Mother, Arlene's mother, a cabdriver. She is a callous, uncaring mother whose neglect of her children resulted in their life of crime. Although aware that her husband sexually molested Arlene, she did nothing to stop it, and now, at Arlene's release from prison, she does not ask Arlene's forgiveness for her injury to her but only offers criticism and indirect refusals to allow Arlene back into her home.
Ruby, a thirty-year-old short-order cook, a former convict who lives in Arlene's apartment complex. Ruby is a pragmatist who, like Arlene, has been victimized by others and has successfully overcome her past. She helps Arlene accept the cruelty in the world, realize the possibility of self-improvement, and understand the need for self-acceptance.
Carl, an escaped convict and small-time hustler who is Arlene's former pimp and the father of her child, though he does not know the latter. He tries to tempt Arlene, with the lure of big money, to travel with him to New York and to return to crime and prostitution.
Ronnie, a juvenile offender who is beaten by Arlie for sexually taunting her.
Principal, a woman in her fifties, another maternal-authority figure whom Arlie defies and who in turn punishes Arlie by coldly admitting that her mother wants her put away somewhere.
Evans and Caldwell, prison guards who bring Arlie food and break up her fights. Their depersonalized treatment of her and their sexual innuendoes exemplify other degrading experiences Arlie has suffered at the hands of men who control her life.
Warden, another authority figure in Arlie's life who controls her by vague references to parole but affords her no direct help or comfort.
Doctor, a prison physician whose only assistance to Arlie is sedation.