Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
In Act One, George warns Martha not to “bring up the kid.” Martha scoffs at his warning, and ultimately the topic of their son comes up into conversation. This upsets and annoys George. Martha hints that George is upset because he is not certain that the child is his. George confidently denies this, stating that if he is certain of anything, he is confident of his connection to the creation of their son.
By the end of the play, Nick learns the shocking and bizarre truth. George and Martha do not have a son. They were unable to conceive children – a fascinating contrast between Nick and Honey who apparently can (but do not) have children. George and Martha’s son is a self-created illusion, a fiction they have written together and have kept private.
Even though the son is a fictional entity, great thought has been put into his creation. Martha shares specific details about the delivery, the child’s physical appearance, his experiences at school and summer camp, and his first broken limb. She explains that the boy was a balance between George’s weakness and her “necessary greater strength.”
George seems to have approved of all of these fictional accounts; in all likelihood he has assisted with their creation. However, a creative fork-in-the-road appears when they discuss the boy as a young man. Martha believes that her imaginary son resents George’s failures. George believes that his imaginary son still loves him, still writes him letters, in fact. He claims that the “boy” was smothered by Martha, and that he could not take living with her anymore. She claims that the “boy” doubted being related to George.
The imaginary child reveals a deep intimacy between these now bitterly disappointed characters. They must have spent years together, whispering various fantasies of parenthood, dreams that would never come true for either of them. Then, in later years of their marriage, they turned their illusionary son against one another.
In Act One, George warns Martha not to “bring up the kid.” Martha scoffs at his warning, and ultimately the topic of their son comes up into conversation. This upsets and annoys George. Martha hints that George is upset because he is not certain that the child is his. George confidently denies this, stating that if he is certain of anything, he is confident of his connection to the creation of their son.
By the end of the play, Nick learns the shocking and bizarre truth. George and Martha do not have a son. They were unable to conceive children – a fascinating contrast between Nick and Honey who apparently can (but do not) have children. George and Martha’s son is a self-created illusion, a fiction they have written together and have kept private.
Even though the son is a fictional entity, great thought has been put into his creation. Martha shares specific details about the delivery, the child’s physical appearance, his experiences at school and summer camp, and his first broken limb. She explains that the boy was a balance between George’s weakness and her “necessary greater strength.”
George seems to have approved of all of these fictional accounts; in all likelihood he has assisted with their creation. However, a creative fork-in-the-road appears when they discuss the boy as a young man. Martha believes that her imaginary son resents George’s failures. George believes that his imaginary son still loves him, still writes him letters, in fact. He claims that the “boy” was smothered by Martha, and that he could not take living with her anymore. She claims that the “boy” doubted being related to George.
The imaginary child reveals a deep intimacy between these now bitterly disappointed characters. They must have spent years together, whispering various fantasies of parenthood, dreams that would never come true for either of them. Then, in later years of their marriage, they turned their illusionary son against one another.