In The Children’s Hour,
Lillian Hellman makes several significant departures from the well-made play
formula. First, the stakes in The
Children’s Hour are higher than those in the typical well-made play. In
Eugene Scribe’s The Glass of Water,
for example, the stakes are fairly low. Even though a human life has been taken
and matters of state hang in the balance, these issues are handled flippantly.
However, in The Children’s Hour, the
lives and livelihoods of the characters hang in the balance. Cardin reinforces
this argument on pages 43-44 of Act 2, Scene 2 when he says, “That school meant
things to them: self-respect, and bread and butter, and honest work. Do you
know what it is to try so hard for anything? Well, now it’s gone.” Unlike in The Glass of Water, these matters are
treated with gravity.
Another significant departure from the well-made play
formula is the timing of the “just-in-time revelations.” In the final scene of The Children’s
Hour, Mrs. Tilford announces that she made a mistake and that she can fix
the situation—only after Martha has committed suicide. In the typical well-made
play, Mrs. Tilford would announce her discovery just before Martha kills
herself, and everyone would have lived happily ever after. But Hellman’s
decision to place Mrs. Tilford’s revelation after Martha’s suicide is a
significant deviation from the well-made play formula and alters the play’s
outcome.
This point leads to our final observation that the
characters of The Children’s Hour are
denied the typical happy ending of the well-made play. Mrs.
Tilford’s revelation comes too late, finding Martha dead and Karen separated
from Cardin. Even if Mrs. Tilford can convince the public that the scandal was
untrue, Martha’s life cannot be restored, and there is now a wedge in Karen and
Cardin’s relationship. In addition, Mrs. Tilford will have to cope with her
guilt for the rest of her days. On page 67 of the final scene, Karen says, “Ten,
fifteen years left for you. But what of me? It’s a whole life for me. A whole
God-damned life.” Karen’s statement impresses upon the audience that the consequences
for the characters are permanent. All these significant deviations from the
well-made play formula build up to devastating outcomes that have lasting
effects on the characters’ lives.
I found that the play was very different from a well made play in the same ways you did. The play didn't seem to be happy at all. The whole play is about this terrible little girl who ruins peoples lives. She might as well have killed someone, maybe then she would have been actually punished. I don't think a spanking is going to stop her from lying. She doesn't understand the consqequences because she thinks she is doing nothing wrong by lying.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your observation about the stakes in The Children's Hour being a lot higher than Glass of Water, as that is not something I ever considered. This aspect truly alters the entire tone of the play and separates this piece from the fun, crazy antics that come to mind when I'm thinking of a well-made play. I also like your take on the unsatisfying ending, because that is one of the major deviations that I found.
ReplyDeleteI too have found some of the same deviations. I like how you explain the ending as devastating because that is truly the best word to describe what happened. Although it is much higher stakes than Glass of Water, I do believe it is a story worth telling. I think it would teach kids who saw this play that their actions have consequences and that they cannot just go around lying and manipulating people without any.
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