Frightening

Had a flash of inspiration when talking about Act 3 last night after the show:

Is Angie is the product of incest? Hence Marlene's failure to 'go to the doctor' or'tell' that she was pregnant and also perhaps why Angie is rather mentally slow. Marlene obviously feels huge resentment towards her father and lines like 'Did he? I don't think he ever gave me a bath. Did he ever give you a bath Joyce?' and 'I had to get out, I knew it when I was thirteen. Out of their house, out of them, never let that happen to me, never let him...' hint at a darker, abusive relationship. What happened to Marlene when she was thirteen? Why does she cry? All the women at the dinner party with the possible excpetion of Isabella Bird have been mistreated and abused by men in ways related to their children. Marlene imagined them as her guests because that is what she shares with them.

This also leads me to an alternative interpretation of the final lines of the play. Did Marlene in fact come downstairs and tell her mother she was frightened? Did her mother choose to ignore/refuse to 'know' what was going on as is so often the case in parental child abuse? Nobody comforted Marlene so does she choose not to comfort Angie -'Well, you're awake now, aren't you pet?' Angie will have to toughen up just like Marlene had to.

Better late than never...