Act 1, Scene 8 Flashcards
Mrs. Roeder have a casual conversation
started on stage R and sees Harriet in the tree
Harriet! Harriet you’ll come down from that tree at once!
H: Im waiting for Papa!
Fine! when he gets here, I’ll send him up after you!
H: there he is! Papa! Papa!
R: Harriet!
Harriet, Come down at once!
H: Papa! I can see clear to the church!
R: Can you? Do you see your grandfather?
You think this is funny?
R: Shes enjoying herself!
HARRIET! HARRIET!
R: Tell you what. If she has no one to shout to… she wont shout.
They can hear her all over the neighborhood.
R: Can they?
–leads me to our couch–
When she comes down, I want you to speak to her.
R: Shes nine years old Diane.
I trying to raise a daughter, not a son.
R: Time is on your side. In another year or two, shes loose all interest in trees… and develop a fascination with boys.
That’s so posed to scare me.
R: And when that day comes, you’ll be fanatic. because she no longer wants to climb trees.
pours each a glass
What’s this?
R: Something to give you vitality
You think I need vitality?
R: That’s what it says on the bottle.
Is it pure?
R: I’m his supplier. Want to try it?
If it will give me vitality, how can I refuse? Your father came by to see me today.
R: Another hard-luck case.
Four children at home. All under the age of six.
R: Let me guess-wife in the hospital with cancer.
Yes.
R: And the husbands been laid off from, lets see– the brickyard.
Yes.
R: Through no fault of his own?
How did you know?
R: Dad was around to see me yesterday. It’s never enough with him. Just to have a ordinary ambitions. You have to have a mission in life.
And you do.
R: No, I have a business plan.
You can’t tell me you wouldn’t help this man if you could.
R: If I could. but I cant give him a job that doesn’t exist.
What about Dan Lehman?
R: Dan?
Maybe he could use some help.
R: In the Laboratory? … Don’t you women have a social club for things like this?
The women’s club civics committee?
R: Right
Yes, the club takes an interest in such cases. but were not an employment service, either. which is why I thought you could help him.
R: oh you do love being married to the company president.
it has it advantages.
R: Ever think of trading it in
Do you?
R: I got my shoes shined this morning… no inventory, no warehouse, no health inspectors, no stock price-
And you’ll trade it all in for a shoes shine stand?!
R: fewer headaches that way.
so you’re in one of those moods again. what is it now? it cant be that market, it just went up today!
R: Now you’re reading the financial pages?
I have to entertain myself somehow. so what happened today? your acting very strange.
R: Am I? I’m sorry.
You can tell me you know.
R: Nothing to tell really. this is going to be the best year ever.
so its the prospect of success that you find so disheartening?
R: I’ll get my check book
What for?
R: Your bricklayer
Artie! he needs a job not charity. What is it your father always says? a working man needs work, it wears—
R: Its wears on his soul not to work… I’ll have a talk to Dan.
Artie!
R: But I make no promises, Diane.
No Promises.
