Costumes are a crucial part of acting and shaping the display of a character in a play, as they help establish characters while conveying a play’s context and theme. In Norman’s Night Mother, the choice of costume leads the audience to understand the time period in which the play was written, which is in the early eighties. Further, the costume guides the audience to comprehend and relate to the situation and mood of the characters. Jessie, a young girl, is one of the main characters in the play who interacts with her mother to clarify the intention of committing suicide. In the first scene at the beginning of the play, Jessie is described as wearing long black sweater and slacks, which is simple attire. The costume indicates the character’s traits, which help the audience identify themes such as unhappiness, depression, fear, uncertainty, formality and hopelessness.
The simple costume by Jessie replicates a theme of simplicity and the period in which the play was formed, which is the early eighties. The play was presented in December 1983, a time when oversized blouses were a common fashion. During the early 1980s, many dressed in simple clothes, as shown in the play, because there was a transition from unpretentious costumes to the modern era experienced in current literature. The characters are not stylish city people living in the current era, but they live in their simple home in a small town not recognized by many.
Jessie’s use of a black dress color indicates the mood and turn of event from the beginning of the play. Black color symbolizes evil, darkness, hopelessness, and despair. The color can indicate a character’s external struggle, especially when used with white. Further, the black color represents formality and authority, as Jessie proves that no effort can change the decision to commit suicide. She has already made her decision with authority and finality. Finally, the color can represent the intention to hide vulnerabilities, as shown in Jessie’s action to assist Mama in house chores and other necessitates. While Jessie is depressed, she appears determined to achieve her only self-harm goals.
Dull color represents the sadness, fear, and unhappiness displayed in the play. Since Jessie’s epilepsy was genetic, she was doomed to a life of misery. These people are very different from the rest of society since they cannot fully participate in everyday activities. Due to the unpredictable nature of epileptic seizures, Jessie could not obtain a driver’s license and was consequently prohibited from operating a motor vehicle (Norman 22).
In addition, she was unable to secure employment due to her illness, as businesses want to hire only fit individuals. As a result, Jessie was essentially a prisoner in her mother’s home. Jessie’s sickness makes her life even more terrible than it already is; this is in contrast to her mother, who also deserves some pity owing to the death of her husband and her daughter’s decision to kill herself. Since Jessie is an outsider and a disabled person unable to enjoy her life to the fullest, she can be regarded as the play’s most sympathetic character.
It is worth noting that Jessie failed to start the kind of stable, happy family that every woman dreams about. While Mama married and gave birth to a son, she was never content. “I never was what he wanted to see, so it was easier when he wasn’t looking at me all the time,” she said of her husband, who never loved her (Norman 41). Nothing is worse for a woman than a husband who does not love and cherish her, a spouse who makes her recognize her loss of beauty and appeal. Therefore, this fact may evoke more sympathy than her illness itself. Jessie’s mother, Thelma, was never happy with her husband, as she claims when communicating with her daughter.
Unlike Jessie, who was left to raise her kid by herself, Mama said “No” (Norman 31), and she remained at his side till the end. In addition, Jessie could not provide an appropriate upbringing for her son, who turned out to be a disruptive, delinquent, drug-addicted adult. If a mother has difficulty parenting her child, she may feel guilty about failing to provide adequate care and education.
In conclusion, the costume used by Jessie in the first scene symbolizes the era, the occurrences, traits, and themes displayed in the play. The choice and use of a play’s costume by the actors have a significant role in the success of that production. Characters can be more easily identified, and their clothing can communicate a play’s plot and overall tone. The play’s clothing gives the audience a clear perception of the era in which Night Mother was written.
Sadness and unhappiness are depicted in Jessie’s challenging life due to a long-term illness acquired since birth. Since the start of the play, simple costume enables the audience to comprehend that the play is old, preferably in the early eighties. Black color helps the readers realize that Jessie is probably hiding disappointments, fear, or unhappiness, and she has already made a final decision to commit suicide.
Work Cited
Norman, Marsha. ‘Night, Mother’. Dramatists Play Service Inc, 1983.