Linda

Question 1

How was Linda presented in the first act?

Answer 1

• Presented as naturally kind and compassionate character

- Comes to Mickey’s aid both when he is suspended from school and when he is mocked by the other children

Question 2

How is Linda presented in the second act?

Answer 2

• Helpful and tries to be cooperative towards Mickey
• Then hurt and fed up by Mickey’s actions
• Could cause her to cheat on Mickey because she feels trapped and defeated

Question 3

Is Linda untrustworthy and cruel, or simply trapped and fed up? (Is her cheating a big regrettable mistake or intentional and malicious?)

Answer 3

• She asks Edward for help before having an affair with him
• Her betrayal of Mickey suggests that she is in some ways untrustworthy
• But this is also her only chance to escape from the circumstances that have trapped her
• Mickey has been pessimistic and uncooperative towards her, so maybe she just wanted to escape from that environment

Question 4

How does Linda’s background and marriage to Mickey affect her?

Answer 4

• Her lack of education and money allows her no real chance of happiness
• This is confirmed when Mickey becomes a depressed drug addict