PuLLIP 4. ARMATO “Good and EviF? in Lillian Hellman‘s The Children’s Hour Educational Theatre Journal Vol. 25, No. 4(Dec., 1973), pp. 443-487 (5 pazes} Cc tities have often called The Children's Howe a melodrama, Those why have deme 90, see Karen Wright and Martha Dobie as “tgaod™ cheracrert who are victimized by ‘cvil” Mary Tilford. To Darrete H Clark and Brooks Atkinson, Mary Tilferd i a “monster! Even Hellman's mase perceptive critic calls her “the embodiment of pure evil"? IF Tbe Cbildeen'e Hour is the story of a tweet little teacher done to death By. Ja] tyrannical child,"* then we mest concur with Barrect Clark's reating of the play's ublimate eveaning: ™. here icevil «alae the Best of it? With great patience, Lillian Hellnan bas defended ber play against the armacks af those sho hive labelled i 4 meladrama. In a 1965 interview, fue example, she said that it Is wrong to view her chiracters 43 being entirely good or evil: "Yau [she author] have no fight to see your characters ex good ar bad, Such words have paching to-do with people you write about, Other people see them that way.” The intendewer reminded Hellman thar in the peeface to the 1942 edition of her plays she fad suid char The Céildven's Hour was abour goodness and badness. To this she replied, “Goodness and badness is different from good and bad people isn't i#?" Hee assertions suggest thar Hellman did nat intend to portray a melodramacic conflict berween twa "goad" teachers and an “evil child when she wrate her play. To clarify the play's aubstanos, we should ask what, within the world af the play, is pood and whaz evil Playwrights seldom underestimate the dramatic value of he scusl-surel impact ax curtain re. The opening of The Chifdteu's Hour, in a srudy-room of the WrightDabic school, seemeundramatic. Mrs. Lily Mortar, Martha Dobie's aunt, sleeping, the smadents are sewing. The action which would catch che eyes af the audience ix that of Evelyn Munn, “using er scissors tw trim the hair of Rosie, who sits, ncerouly, in front of hee She has Rosalie'r head bent back ac an awhward angle and ix enjoying herself" However, the audience sees chis ark simul image af the infantile pleasure of excreting cruclty Armiate received big Pb.th jrova Purdue Universly bx 1970, He jonhare Minas Oniversily. clark, "Lillian Hedlenan," College Emghieh, 6 Wee 18443, 123) Atkin, “York Times, ee. 1h 1953, p33. * Jecob 1, Adit, tation Hellman tAustin, 19091, p. 2 Eric Beatley, a linde mace maderare, merely cathe her a "llinn d!Hellaan's Ladigentog,” T8e Nem Republi. fan. 3. 195%. p. 71, mt Teligh ace cet her as “cbe summusion of fality, depreviny, and ervelry™ ¢Lillan Hellessn, Plapwripe an the Maxed.” Fesdte Are, 25 Lan 2441, pA. wencky, p31 Auta Professor he Pheri.” Neo {char p * John Phillips and Anne Mollaader, “Ritian Hetlaan, An Interview," Pent Reni, 9 ¢Winter 3963), p. 70. * Lifian Hellman, Ser Plays (Mew Vouk, 1960, 5, All subsequent clatlons are from ths nox. 444}4440 / EDUCATIONAL THEATRE JOURNAL awhile hearing sbout merey, for the fink words are those of a student reciting Portin's famous speech in The Merchant of Venice. Portia's ple for mercy should make on exceedingly strong impeestion on the aedience, for portions of it are interpolated six simes between the dialogue af Mrs. Mortar and her pupils. ‘The visual image of craelry is juxtapesed with the words "pity" and “merey," which arc cepeated seven times during the opening mammencs of che play. Im The Céiliron’s Haws Hellenan posits mercy as an ultimare good and mecctless smuelty a5 an ultimate evil But to understand the merciless world of Luncet and its ‘etuclty, one must inove beyond the notion that Mary THlfotd is the embodiment of it, The rantoruut structure of jnterpectinal relationships in The Cbildren’s four futtemed after the stricture of human assoc of Shakespeare's Merehene. This cam best be deseribed ag a victio-vietimizer spadroine, the most eunerete representation of which is the relationthip between Antonio and Shylack. Antonio is eonvineed thar his harsh meatment of Shylack ic “just,” because the Jew's interest rates are harch. As victim, Shylock suffers from spiritual agony, feelings of persecution, and dGasites revenge, (Ff he is able ta consummate his wlth, Shylack will hecome the sictimnizer cof che man who originally tictimized him. That the victim-sictimizer syndzome is finally self-destructive is seen in the courtoom scene, when cach victimiaer in turn is eeduced te the pasition of victim. Shylock's demand for Anconio's life is turned against him when Portia reminds the court that an allen few must suffer the death penalty if he plots against the life of o Venetion citizen, The Duke ond Antanio destroy the vicious eircle by shawing merey te Shylock, ion in the Veri im the first wo acts ef her play, Hellman develops three relasionships which are Gharacterized by the dveular form and destrucciée content of the victlon-lctimatser syndrome; these pairs are: Karen Weight—Mlary ‘Tilfond, Marcha Dabie—Lily Mortar, and Amelia Talford—Wright/Dobic. In The Merchant, 1 Jew who i socially inferior to a Christian i mistreated by the Christian and stcempes ta wee che Duke—the land's highest muthurity—es a vehicle for his revenge. tn The Children’s Mow, an adolescent papi why is eacher ja mistreated by the teaches and proceeds to use a—the powerful matron Amelia Tilford—as a vehicle for her ccvenge. Finally, in the much criticired third act, Hellman, like Shakespeare, posits iwerey as che enly salution ca the mora] dilemma which is created when we deal jusdy with each other Karen Wright's creatment of Mary Tilfurd bas.nrver been sensilively evluated Ne une has noticed that imenedsately preceding their inirial confrontation, | [ellman suggests that Karen is perhaps not as compassionate ai a teacher of young children should be, For when Mes. Mortar complains that ane af her students does nat “appreciate™ Portia's plea for mecey, Karen rephes: "Well 1 dido'c either. ( don't chink 1 da yee" (p. £1). The harshness of ber discipline will demonsicate the «ruth—tn a fae ena literal level thas she suspectemof hee remark. Mary Tilford's offense & a elnar one, She attempts to excuse her tardiness by saying shat she was picking flowers for Mrs, Mortar, The flowers, Karen knows, were “picked”445 | “GOOD AND EVIL" IN THE GAILDRENS HOUR from the top of a garbage can, and Mary's stubborn refusal to admit the trath convinces Karen that she must be panished, Fire, Mary is told to rake her recreation periods alone for two weelis. then, that her Friend Evelyn will no longer be her reammace, and that she mast now live with het enemy Tosalic. Mary i alsa ordered nor eu leave the grvunds for any reason, Hellman emphasizes Karen's harshness by adding demails—Mary is sperifically focbidden participation in hockey amt horseback riding—and by one further probil ‘Mary hopes chat Karen's rules apply only co weekdays; if so, she may still be able co attend an event she bas been looking forward to, the beatraces on Saturday. Unfortunately, she is told that she cannot attend them. While these restrictions might nor be cxtreme deprivation for an adult, they ate ao far a child, Mary feelsand rightly—that she is being persecuted, Frit wanting to éell her grandmother “how everybady eats me here and the way L ger punished foe every litte thing Udo" ¢p. 13), she moves lo a sense of her inner agony, objectified in her hysterical “hear problemas," and finally to a rebellious attitude: "They ean'c get away with mestieg me like this, and they don’t have ta think they can" (p. 31), She sets out to take her revenge, as is the victim's wont, She accuses Karen and Martha of lesbianism, and persisas in her lie, Her behavice is ugly. bur has been praveked by Karen's eurlice ugliness: she. seeks an eye for an eye, a teoth for a tooth, Karen's inabilisy to deal compassionacely with Mary Tillurd is paralleled in act 1 by ‘Martha Dobie's attitude coward he aunt Lily. Karen and Martha decide that she must be relieved of her teaching duties, and literally thrawn out of schol. Their decision is just, foe Mortar is a nuisance and an incompetent, yet they do bat consider foe a moment the effect sach a dismissal may have om an old wooman whose life has been the schoal. Again, justice is untempered by mercy, and agnin Hellman emphasives the rigidity of the decision's administration. Martha not only cells Lily chat she rust Jeawe, but makes fun of hee-“We dun’t want you around when we dig up the buried wessure" (p. 20}—aan threatens that “You ought to be glad 1 don't do worse" (p. 20}. Mortar pathetically attempts co save face: “1 absolutely refuse ra be shipped off three theesand miles away, Hm not going to: England. | shall go back to the stage. I write my agents tomomaw, and S000 48 they have something good fae me—" {p. 20). This is essentially a plea for mercy cast ina manner that will alow her so retain some semblance of dignity. The old ccone is Finished 02 the stage, her “agents! are imaginary, and if she does not leave until they Find her 4 part, she will never Leave at all. which is her wish. Iler suggestion is brusquely rejected, As Karen isoluees Many. Marcha exiles Morr, Lily's reaction is the sume as Mary's: "You always uke your spite out on me” (p. 21}. Ax sbe exits, sbe casts toward Martha a “malicious baifamile” (p, 23) and che malice of revenge is realized when she refuses to testify un Martha's behalf as the libel trial. In Act Ul, Karen and Martha suffer an ironic reversal of forrane: the victimizers kecome victims themselves. Ametia Tilford, an influential figure in ure commenity of Lancet, misuses her suthoricy ever Karen and Murhs just as surely as they had caken advantage of the weaker pestitions of Many and Lily. When Mary tells Amelia that ber two teachers are lesbian, the dowager immediately phones the parents of the children who ate ‘enrolled at Wright-Dabie and repeats the chatges, thus destroying the school, When Karen and Marcha come for an explanation, Amelia makes it clear that she does not want these two lepers in her house: "| don't think you should have come here, ... {shall oot call