'night, Mother: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: Marsha Norman

First published: 1983

Genre: Play

Locale: Rural United States

Plot: Psychological realism

Time: The late 1970's or early 1980's

Jessie Cates, a pale and somewhat physically unsteady woman in her late thirties or early forties. Overweight, afflicted with epilepsy, unable to hold a job, abandoned by her husband, and plagued by a delinquent son, Jessie faces a discouraging future: life with an aging mother and years of thoughtless holiday gifts from an insensitive brother and sister-in-law. Deciding finally to make a choice about her life, she calmly announces early in the play, “I'm going to kill myself, Mama” and then single-mindedly goes about the business of setting the household affairs in order. She explains the details of running the house to her mother, fends off the older woman's attempts to change her plans, describes how her mother should act after the suicide, and finally goes into her bedroom, locks the door, and shoots herself. Jessie's suicide is not an act of despair; on the contrary, her decision to kill herself is a positive act—an attempt to take control of her life, to act instead of passively allowing life to diminish her.

Thelma Cates, Jessie's mother, a woman in her late fifties or early sixties who possesses a mental sturdiness that allows her to believe that things are what she says they are. Before the evening on which the play takes place, no one has challenged her beliefs. She denied Jessie's epilepsy, stating instead that Jessie simply suffered from “fits.” She is a home-body whose living room is decorated with her needlework and whose greatest pleasure in life seems to be the consumption of the candy and pastries with which her kitchen is liberally stocked. A talkative woman, she tries to prevent Jessie's suicide by asking questions, making suggestions, demanding explanations, scolding, reminiscing, even briefly baring her soul, and finally simply forcing conversation. Reduced to frantic hysteria when she finally realizes her powerlessness to stop Jessie, Thelma—after she hears the shot from the bedroom—succumbs to a lifetime of stoic coping and proceeds to follow Jessie's last instructions by telephoning her daughter-in-law.

Dawson, Jessie's brother. He does not appear onstage. She does not want him to come before she kills herself because she says that he will make her feel stupid for not having committed suicide ten years ago.

Loretta, Jessie's sister-in-law, who does not appear onstage.

Cecil, Jessie's husband, picked for her by Thelma. Jessie says that she tried to please him, but he knew that she was trying, so it did not work. He has left Jessie and moved away; she says that he gave her a choice either to quit smoking or to quit him, and she chose to smoke.

Ricky, Jessie and Cecil's son, a teenager who has “gone bad.” Jessie does not know where he is. He does not appear onstage but comes up in conversation.