1. Anxieties Motivate Actions
1.1. Play
1.1.1. Ben shows mercy towards Isobel when he is positioned on top of her about to kill her. This is because he can personally connect to the position she is in -- it reminds him of how he would be pinned under his Father when he was abused. Subsequently, Ben kills her in quicker way than he originally intended.
1.1.1.1. Resurfaced feelings and thoughts from unconscious
1.1.2. Ben kills Isobel based on the trauma suffered from his Father's abuse and Mother's ignorance.
1.1.2.1. Big, round eyes, like Isobel's, remind Ben of his Mom who did not see the Father's violent side.
1.1.2.1.1. Ben blames his mom for not noticing the abuse, not as much his Father who committed the violent acts.
1.2. Novel
1.2.1. McDermott commits murder because he does not want to be ruled by a woman (Nancy), or be in a lesser working class than her. This generates a moral anxiety which is fuelled by a patriarchal view point.
1.2.2. Grace's best friend, Mary, is killed with an abortion from a pregnancy with her wealthy employer -- leaving Grace distraught, deeply scarred and partly blaming the wealthy employer for her death. Nancy, later in the novel, also becomes pregnant with her employer, Mr. Kinnear's, child. The negative anxiety caused by Mary's death creates an "Evil" alter-ego or shadow in Grace that may have motivated her involvement in Mr. Kinnear and Nancy's murder. This is revealed in a hypnosis session with Grace where she speaks as if possessed by Mary and states that she killed them because Nancy and Mr. Kinnear are sinners -- Mr. Kinnear for getting her pregnant and Nancy for letting it happen. The traumatic event of Nancy's death motivated her actions in killing the Nancy and Mr. Kinnear.
2. Forgiveness
2.1. Novel
2.1.1. Grace forgives Walsh for testifying against her in prison
2.1.2. Grace seeks forgiveness from her Mother and Mary Whitney as she feels guilty for not letting their souls out of the window when they passed away -- a tradition very important to Grace. Also, she seeks forgiveness from Mary for assisting Mary in getting an abortion, which killed her. Grace's guilt weighs down on her psychologically and getting forgiveness from these important women in her life would provide closure.
2.1.3. Grace does not forgive her Father for abusing her Mother and herself. His actions continue to cause anxiety and are often the root of her negative unconscious thoughts and feelings.
2.2. Play
2.2.1. Ben does not forgive his Father for his abusive actions toward him, as well as his Mother for not noticing the abuse that was taking place.
2.2.2. Isobel forgives Ben and finds peace in that she no longer needs to search for the "lion in the streets" -- her murderer.
3. Marxism
3.1. Novel
3.1.1. Opinions of the Dominant class are valued more than that of the Subordinate class.
3.1.1.1. Wealthy Bourgeoisie, like Mr. Kinnear, dictate rule and societal norms.
3.2. Play
3.2.1. Opinion of the Dominant class are valued more than that of the Subordinate class.
3.2.1.1. Laura gets mad at Rhonda because of the food she feeds her kids at Daycare. Rhonda claims that is because Laura feels the food she feeds the children is unhealthy and meant for the lower class. Rhonda states that Laura teaches her children to be "higher people" who don't eat "Kraft slices and tuna casserole" (Thompson 33).
3.2.1.1.1. The tone of Laura's voice and her actions implies that she feels that she is of greater importance than Rhonda based on class.
4. What did Grace do that Ben did not to regain a balanced Tripartite Model and reach Self Individualization? Both characters did not forgive those who caused their anxiety, and in Grace's case, she did not receive forgiveness from those she hurt. Yet, Grace reaches self individualization and Ben did not.
5. What is the connection between forgiveness, self individualization and a balanced psyche? Can you have one without the other?
6. LEGEND:
7. Pink Arrow: Comparison
8. Blue Arrow: Contrast
9. Purple Arrow: Exemplification
10. Green Arrow: Question
11. Orange Arrow: Connecting Theme
12. Anxieties are motive for murder
13. Tripartite Model
13.1. Play
13.1.1. Ben was ruled by the Id when he killed Isobel -- the Super Ego was not there to use guilt and fear to modify his behaviour, and the Ego was not there to allow Ben to operate rationally. He then projected his anxieties on Isobel through violence. This is because she reminded him of his Mother who was oblivious to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his Father.
13.1.2. Ben, after the murder, still does not have Ego and Super Ego to regulate the Id and make him feel guilty or remorseful for his actions -- his tripartite model remains imbalanced. He continues to make impulsive decisions, like asking his Mother for $60,000. He is acting in accordance to the Pleasure Principle.
13.2. Novel
13.2.1. During the time of the murders, Grace was ruled by her Id. It caused her to act based on the Pleasure Principle and her unconscious anxieties.
13.2.2. Grace develops more of an Ego and balanced Tripartite Model after prison. She now regulates her violent impulses.
14. Gender Theory
14.1. Play
14.1.1. Gender Roles
14.1.1.1. Ben's Father forced Ben to be the submissive figure in their "relationship". The Father is the more dominant/masculine figure.
14.1.1.2. Bill cheats on his wife, Sue, as he states that she is not "fulfilling" him since having kids. Bill reacts like it is not big deal and is shocked to see Sue so distraught. Example of Patriarchal idea that it is not a large offence to cheat on a woman.
14.1.2. Setting
14.1.2.1. Set in modern day where women are not as oppressed as in the past. There are still patriarchal ideologies that dictate societal norms and mens' behaviour.
14.1.2.2. Society is more equitable and women are more free to pursue professions of their choice.
14.2. Novel
14.2.1. Gender Roles
14.2.1.1. Grace and her Mother are submissive in their household - particularly when the Father projects his anger on them.
14.2.2. Sexual Objectification
14.2.2.1. Grace is seen as a sexual prize and object to McDermott.
14.2.2.2. Grace is subject to cruel remarks made the prison guards like, "you know why God made women with skirts, it's so they can be pulled up over their heads and tied at the top, that way you don't get so much noise out of them"(Atwood 240)
14.2.3. Setting
14.2.3.1. Very patriarchal society where men occupy majority of power positions. Women are objectified and often opressed.
14.2.3.2. Women are expected to strictly conform to gender roles -- like certain professions and ways of dressing.
15. Self Infividualization
15.1. "Taking Back your Life"
15.1.1. Novel
15.1.1.1. Grace gains control of her life after confronting her inner shadow and anxieties. She does this through free association and self-acceptance at the end of the novel.
15.1.2. Play
15.1.2.1. At the end of the play Isobel overcomes her internal conflict of forgiveness vs vengeance. She overcomes the temptation of trying to kill her killer and instead says, "I love you" (Thomson 105). Through this action she reaches self-acceptance and peace, and is now able to pass onto heaven.
15.1.2.1.1. Ben, Isobel's killer, never reaches self individualization and remains tormented by his reality anxiety of his Father's abuse. He has also come to terms with his identity as a killer.