Cassie is very confident and enjoys being the centre of attention. When informs her that everyone is watching her dance, Cassie says: ‘Let them.’ Cassie is very different to Marie. While Marie is uncomfortable with attention, Cassie thrives on it. Cassie is forthright and confrontational. When Marie fails to confront Deirdre over the thefts, Cassie takes it upon herself to do so: ‘I hope you’ve not taken a fancy to anything else that’s caught your eye, like my handbag.’ Cassie refuses to act in any way which may be considered weak. She is annoyed by Marie’s submissiveness and feels that protecting her friend is her duty. Cassie is selfish. ‘I leave her the children.’ Cassie is so desperate to escape that she is even willing to leave her own children behind. This again shows that she is not a kind and caring mother. Cassie views herself in a negative way. ‘Heart like a Brillo pad, that’s me.’ In both of these quotes, Cassie shows that she does not have a high opinion of herself. She sees herself as being unkind, uncaring and lacking in humanity. ‘I’m just wicked.’ Cassie is not a good friend. ‘That’s what I’m telling you Marie. We were both lying to you for years.’ Cassie has not only betrayed Marie but has kept this information to herself. She deliberately tries to destroy Marie’s happiness out of jealousy as she herself is deeply unhappy having learned that her money has been stolen. Nora Nora is fiercely protective of her family. ‘“I’m that boy’s mother-in law, and before you take him you’ll have to answer to me.”’ As Joe is being arrested, Nora bravely confronts the soldiers taking him even although she is risking her own safety. Cassie describes her as ‘lioness’ and this
Marie seems to agree with this when she tells Deirdre that she did not share the truths she knew with Michael and withheld the parts he would have found upsetting as they would have required him to change. Therefore, in reflecting upon the truth, the play seems to suggest that the full truth is a destructive force which causes deep unhappiness. Only truths which will fall on welcome ears should be shared in order to maintain happiness. The Role of Women in Society In the play, the respective roles of women and men in society (at the time of the play) are also considered. Men Women Fight for justice. Be good mothers. Work to provide for their family. To put the interests of the males in their lives before their own needs. Care about the appearance of their home. While Marie and Nora fit with the expected role of women in society at this time, Cassie and Deirdre are excluded. Cassie is excluded as she has been forced to stay at home by her personal circumstances. She is unable to create a happy household which will allow her to escape reality. Moreover, the presence of her mother stops her from developing her skills as a mother. Deirdre is excluded from this as she has been denied the presence of a male who she can look up to as a child. She has not had the opportunity to develop the skills she will need to successfully integrate into such a society. Food and Drink as a Symbol In the play, food and drink symbolises the subordinate position of females in Irish society during this historical period. Men and boys are always served first and it is the role of wives and daughters to prepare and serve meals. This is symptomatic of the wider role of women who are expected to use their domestic skills to make a nice home for their husbands and children. Nora’s treatment of Brian suggests that this is a vicious cycle which is being repeated. Cassie objects to this and as such is excluded from the form of escapism shared by Marie and Nora who use their domestic duties as a distraction from the harsh world outside of their doors.