In the well-made play Better Living by George F Walker, the world of the play is shaped around the effect of Tom, the family’s absent Father returning after many years of financial and emotional despair. Through the mechanical analysis the background story shows the struggle of working class families and how the background story shapes the characters prior to the curtains opening that also later affects their decisions in the play. On the other hand, a key element found through the given circumstances was how the mother Nora’s main goal is to keep the family intact. However, keeping the family intact in this play seems that Nora’s goal is only keeping the family from moving forward in their lives.
Through the mechanical analysis, there is one large piece of the background story shapes the world of the play. The piece is the fact that Tom was gone …show more content…
She mentions in the play how happy she is that everything is back to normal, and that everyone is back under the same roof. The same idea is applied when Nora speaks about wanting all her girls to come have their kids at home. Sadly, Nora’s goal limits her daughters from their ambitions in life and leave them almost still in time, never moving forward but only remaining where they started at the beginning of the play if not less. Elizabeth is a lawyer, but prefers to stuff envelopes for a living, only to be at home. In Mary Ann’s case, she actually starts up a life with her husband Larry and has a baby, but is taken back to her state of fright and constant concern of her life when she comes back home. Gail also says that she wants to quit college to become a hairdresser. All three of the daughters lose motivation to become something because of their stir crazy mother’s influences. These choices shape the world of the play and the characters progress in the