Apropos to our little series
on realism, we have now pit-stopped on an intriguing spot of sorts, tailing with
gusto, onto psychological realism!
Indeed, there were quite a
few of Laurents’s ilk and Wilder’s stamp who rebelled – kit and caboodle –
against the superficial realism practised hitherto on stage. On this connect,
then, psychological realism proved their biggest gun and greatest weapon to
exact retribution for these ‘superficial’ onslaughts on stage.
And as we’ve discussed
earlier on, psychological realism is essentially
character-driven! One reason why psychological realism focuses on an individual
character, and tells us, ‘why they do, what they do’, by seeking to give us all
a peek into their inner lives and struggles. Most of such plays, hence seek to
portray the individual vis-à-vis their society!
Psychological realism,
has strategies galore on this count!
By seeking to
highlight the ‘inner conflict’ within their characters, playwrights sought to
be passionate advocates for individual liberty and individual freedom, which
was, by all means, at cross purposes with the stifling strictures and muggy
norms of the society and religion of their times.
In that spirit,
psychological realism made a subtle but eloquent plea for ethical relativism,
which promoted a non-judgmental, prejudice-free and non-discriminatory
inclusivity towards individuals.
Proponents to ethical relativism have always argued that, there aren’t any absolute truths per se in the ethical realm; which as a consequence, props up the very fact that morality is relative; which in turn goes on to say that, what is ethically right or wrong, what is truth or falsehood, what is good or bad etc., would vary from individual to individual, and from society to society, and from culture to culture!
Robert Anderson is one
such playwright who bears witness to this premise, whole hog!
His Silent Night, Lonely Night produced in
the year 1959 is able testament to this, his credo!
But the crowning
stroke for Andy would sure be his famous play of all time, Tea and Sympathy.
Tea is on Tom!
Tom Lee, a young
boarding school student faces false accusations leveled against him on charges
of homosexuality. He faces these accusatory taunts and jibes, not only at
school, but also back at home by his homophobic father! [Remember Shyam
Selvadurai’s Funny Boy?].
The only character who
is sympathetic to his plight is Laura, a lady who’s married to a course instructor
in the boarding school. She always stands up bold for Tom all of the time,
supporting him in front of her husband and before all the other students as
well.
[Even the very title Tea and Sympathy refers symbolically to
the comfort, consideration and consolation anyone of her stature would have
possibly offered! The play delves into a psychological portrayal of Tom, alongside
Laura’s sympathy for him, which soon turns into a romantic pursuit! Laura’s
intentions on this count are more than meets the eye! She wanted to make
romantic overtures towards Tom to make prove that he has a masculine character
on him.]
In a world-view with
such huge strictures and rigid rules on sexuality, all the other boys
(including Tom’s father) believe that to be masculine is to conform to certain
societal norms, expectations and strictures. Since Tom has an artistic
inclination [he was passionate about folk music], has an ‘effeminate’ walk
(mincing walk), takes on female roles in his school plays, has longyyy hair on
him, and often goes without any friends, they come to a ‘conclusion’ that he
musta really be gay! In Anderson’s own words, an irregular guy’!
Moreover, they want
him to be gay, so that they can revile him, taunt him, and be what he is NOT,
to tom-tom high their own masochistic impulses!
Laura’s lines are
noteworthy on this count, that ably bear witness to the character delineations which
happen in plays with such a bent of psychological realism to its playline!
‘It’s quite easy, she
says, ‘to smear a person’ and attribute to him what he isn’t!’, says Laura. ‘Manliness’, then, to
Laura, ‘is not all swagger and mountain climbing. It’s also about tenderness!’.
Character delineation,
in especial, on psychological realism mode, happens through the intense
dialogue exchange between the main characters. Hence, me thought of producing a
few amazing snippets from off the play from the book itself!
LAURA: (She is very
friendly with Tom, comradely) If it won’t spoil your supper, come on down for a
cup of tea.
(TOM goes back into
his room and brushes his hair, then he comes on down the stairs, and enters the
study. He enters this room as though it were something rare and special. This
is where LAURA lives.)
LAURA (Has gone out to
the other part of the house. Comes to doorway for a moment pouring cream from
bottle to pitcher) I’ve just about finished your costume for the play, and we
can have a fitting.
TOM: Sure. That’d be
great. Do you want the door open or shut?
LAURA (Goes off again)
It doesn’t make any difference
(TOM shuts the door.
He is deeply in love with this woman, though he knows nothing can come of it.
It is a sort of delayed puppy love. It is very touching and very intense. They
are easy with each other, casual, though he is always trying in thinly veiled
ways to tell her he loves her. LAURA enters with tea tray and sees him closing
the door. She puts tray on table) Perhaps you’d better leave it ajar, so that
if some of the other boys get out of class early, they can come in too.
TOM (Is disappointed) Oh,
sure!
LAURA: Well, I guess
she wasn’t that kind of woman. Now stand up. Let’s see if this fits. (She rises
with dress in her hands.)
TOM: (Gets up) My Dad’s
going to hit the roof when he hears I’m playing another girl.
LAURA: I think you’re
a good sport not to mind. Besides, it’s a good part. Lady Teazle in The School For Scandal.
TOM (Puts on top of
dress) It all started when I did Lady Macbeth last year. You weren’t here yet
for that. Lucky you.
TOM: You should have
read a letter I got from my father. They printed a picture of me in the Alumni
Bulletin, in costume. He was plenty peeved about it.
LAURA: He shouldn’t
have been.
LAURA (Handing him
skirt of the dress) You must have done something before Lady Macbeth. When did
you play that character named Grace?
TOM (Stiffens): I
never played anyone called Grace.
LAURA: But I hear the
boys sometimes calling you Grace. I thought . . . (She notices that he’s
uncomfortable) I’m sorry. Have I said something terrible?
TOM: No.
LAURA: But I have. I’m
sorry
TOM: It’s all right.
But it’s a long story. Last year over at the movies, they did a revival of
Grace Moore in One Night of Love. I’d
seen the revival before the picture came. And I guess I oversold it, or
something. But she was wonderful! . . . Anyway, some of the guys started
calling me Grace. It was my own fault, I guess.
LAURA: Nicknames can
be terrible. I remember at one time I was called “Beany.” I can’t remember why,
now, but I remember it made me mad. (She adjusts the dress a little)
***
[Laura and her husband,
Bill]
BILL: All right, so a
woman doesn’t notice these things. But a man knows a queer when he sees one. (He
has opened a letter. Reads) The bookstore now has the book you wanted . . . The Rose and The Thorn. What’s that?
LAURA: A book of
poems. Do you know, Bill, I’ll bet he doesn’t even know the meaning of the word
. . . queer.
***
[Herb, Tom’s father
arrives]
HERB: But what’s the
matter? What’s happened, Bill? Why isn’t my boy a regular fellow? He’s had
every chance to be since he was knee-high to a grasshopper – boys’ camps every
summer, boarding schools. What do you think, Laura?
LAURA: I’m afraid I’m
not the one to ask, Mr. Lee. (She breaks away from BILL.)
HERB: He’s always been
with men and boys. Why doesn’t some of it rub off?
LAURA: You see, I feel
he’s a “regular fellow” . . . whatever that is!
HERB: You do?
LAURA: If it’s sports
that matter, he’s an excellent tennis player.
HERB: But Laura, he
doesn’t even play tennis like a regular fellow. No hard drives and cannon-ball
serves. He’s a cut artist. He can put more damn twists on that ball
LAURA: He wins. He’s
the school champion. And isn’t he the champion of your club back home? (TOM
comes down the stairs and enters his bedroom with the costume skirt and towel.)
***
LAURA: But I could,
and I almost would to show you how easy it is to smear a person, and once I got
them believing it, you’d be surprised how quickly your . . . manly virtues
would be changed into suspicious characteristics
BILL: Now look, Laura,
I know this is a shock to you, because you were fond of this boy. But you did
all you could for him, more than anyone would expect. After all, your
responsibility doesn’t go beyond -
LAURA: I know. Doesn’t
go beyond giving him tea and sympathy on Sunday afternoons.
BILL: For God’s sake,
Laura, what are you talking about?
LAURA: I’m talking
about love and honor and manliness, and tenderness, and persecution. I’m
talking about a lot. You haven’t understood any of it... Manliness is
not all swagger and swearing and mountain climbing. Manliness is also
tenderness, gentleness, consideration. You men think you can decide on who is a
man, when only a woman can really know.
BILL: They are boys
without privileges.
LAURA: And I became a
wife without privileges.
And finally the
curtain falls after Laura’s last lines which are a sort of plea and a wish too!
She says,
‘Years from now . . .
when you talk about this . . . and you will . . . be kind’.
In fact, she offers
herself to him, to remove all his aspersions, and his self-doubt and to restore
unto him his sense of manliness! The play’s impact continues to resonate even
today, across years, across cultures and across continents, mainly because, it
sends out a message that’s loud and clear – Don’t be judgmental! Have a
capacity for celebrating alterity and differences in all its myriad forms!
That’s then the
catchphrase and the watchword to an inclusive, holistic outlook to life and
living!
To be continued…
image: amazondotcom, asterix-goscinny
No comments:
Post a Comment