Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Dead Man's Cell Phone Scenes 1-4 (pp 11-25)
Respond to one of the following questions, or comment on or ask about some other aspect of the play:
1. What are three adjectives that would describe Jean? Explain.
2. What possible evidence is there in these scenes that this play is a comedy?
3. Any thoughts as to why Jean makes things up that aren't true?
4. Periodically a character, not Jean, stops and doesn't say a word--instead she just thinks it (grief, p 16; lovers, p 19; dead?, p 23. Comment.
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I find it very interesting that Jean makes up things that aren't true. Jean lies about Gordon and how he responded to other people. She tells his mother that he called her before he died, and she told his "lover" that his last words were that he loved her. I think that Jean does this perhaps because she wants those people to feel more special. By saying that Gordon did these positive things before dying makes it seem that he is a better person then he might actually be. It gives the people that he is telling the lies to a very positive thought and remembrance of Gordon. Gordon's mother will feel special because she was supposedly the last person Gordon called, and his "lover" feels special because she believes his last words were that he loved her.
ReplyDeleteAnother lie that Jean says is that they worked together. I'm not sure why she does this, but it seems that Jean makes up a relationship with the dead man. I find this strange that she does this. It could possibly be because she felt a connection with him when they were at the cafe. She maybe wants to learn about his life and is truly intrigued with it. Either way, there is some feeling of helpfulness and curiosity that makes Jean feel the need to lie for Gordon. She makes up a connection for him and lies about the last moments of his life to make those around her feel more special. In a way she makes Gordon look like a better person.
I think Jane makes things up that aren't true because she really wants to be of service to Gordon's family in their time of need. She wants them to think that Gordon was thinking of them, lovingly, at his time of death. I think she gives Gordon's family this make-believe impression because she wants to help them heal. In a quirky way she is doing what she thinks she must do.
ReplyDeleteJane came across Gordon in his death, and by default, she has taken on the responsibility of relaying to those who knew him what happened in his last moments of life. In reality Jane didn't know Gordon until after he had passed, but she gives his family the impression that they go way back, and that she knows that Gordon was thinking of them on his last day on earth. It is a bit comical, but sweet, the way Jane hopes to make everyone feel good. Her intentions are to nurture, but these intentions seem to get a bit muddled along the way.
First, I think that Jane is a stereotypical city-woman who likes to blend in with crowds and not draw attention to herself. At one point, the mother asks Jane if she fits in a crowd, and I think they is a hint that Jane is a very "normal" person. Also, the fact that she dresses exactly like "Other Woman" could be elaborated to say she is a conformist, and bases her fashion and ideas on the crowd's.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not see much evidence that the play is a downright comedy, there are definitely parts that seem comedic. For instance, the eulogy by the mother seems very detached and all over the place: possibly not very well thought-out. She also uses profanity during a funeral which is traditionally disrespectful. Conversations between (so far) the different women also seem awkward, a trait possibly hinting at comedy. At one point, the mother and Jane speak at the same time, unable to take the social cue that the other is done. It could also speak to the spontaneous nature of the incident, and how it shakes up the people and makes them slightly more unpredictable than their normal lives make them. I also see a slight hatred from the "Other Woman" towards Jane. She describes how she hates women who do not put makeup on in public and do not carry themselves with pride (though I see more arrogance in her description).
As for the comments Jane makes up to Other Woman, I think she almost plays a game with the woman. Hardly do I see evidence of condolences and a wish to make the woman feel better. I think the beginning of their conversation made Jane aware of the shallow life this woman represents. The woman also says that he was quiet around the people Gordon respects, but the memory she brings back is of him being loud, and thus implies he does not necessarily respect this woman.
I believe that Jean makes up many things that aren't true because that his her way of coping with his death. In the beginning of this play, she just asks Gordon to turn off his phone and insist on having a conversation with him. Instead of coming to the conclusion of his death sooner she just proceeded to talk to people on his cell phone. And by that coincidence she was drawn into his life. She says she works with him yet we have no idea what Gordons line of work was. Furthermore, i find it deeply eerie that Jean chose to lie to his mother and to those around his life even though she has never met, or spoken to this man.
ReplyDeleteJane goes the extra mile with his death and took the personal responsibility to inform the Family members and close friends of him that she knew what his last words were. In all reality, she didn't speak to him at all until after he was dead.
Jean is secretive, shy/ self-conscious, and reserved.
ReplyDeleteJean is very secretive because she makes up a lot of stories that are not true. She lies about Gordon's last words, his phone call to his mother, and that she works with him. Although Jean's motives for doing this are not clear in this part of the story, I feel like she is somewhat of a dishonest person. Either she is doing this to be sneaky, or maybe she just wants to learn more about Gordon because she feels a connection with him.
Another prominent characteristic of Jean throughout these first scenes is that she is a very shy and self-conscious person. She is never bold in public or acts like she thinks she is beautiful. She does not speak up or stand firm to what she wants.
Also, I feel like there is a lot of things going on in Jean's head that she does not say. She is reserved because she does not voice her opinion or explain her motives or feelings. She is quiet and reserved in her speak and her body language. The way she scrunches her body up (the poor posture) and inwardly thinks to herself. She only agrees with what Gordon's mother says, and does not even seem to care what she is even saying.
The first time I read this play, when I was prepping for my original audition, I was so confused as to why Jean would make up stories to tell the different people she met through Gordon's death. She lied to his "other woman" about his last words, and she lied to his mother about Gordon trying to make contact with her on the day that he died. She also tells general lies about knowing him and working with him. It was bizarre to me why she would get involved with this dead man's life in the first place, but the fact that she involved herself so thoroughly into the personal business of a man that she had never even met was shocking. She owed him nothing, she would gain nothing in return, and yet she went very out of her way to reach out to those who had loved Gordon. After careful thought, I came to the conclusion that Jean was an empathetic person who was filled with such remorse upon experiencing the death of this man, that she felt it was her duty to ease the suffering of his loved ones in whatever way she could. Jean said exactly what both women wanted to hear. Without knowing anything about them or Gordon, she was able to give them each a precious gift that they would carry with them forever. Maybe this was all Jean wanted. Perhaps Jean wanted them to be able to experience happy closure from the man that they would never see again.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the most comical part of the story is that Jean does not know Gordon at all, yet pretends she was very good friends with him to satisfy his family. Although it is nice of her to provide the support to the mourning family members, it is quite odd that she would associate herself with a dead man. I think the little funny parts in this section of the play happen when Jean sees Gordon's mother. She asks her really interesting questions and tells odd stories. The questions "Are you religious?" and "Do you eat meat?" are very unrelated and different. Also, the story about her family's religious and Gordon's upbringing is quite odd. When she says they used to be German but aren't anymore, it struck me as comical.
ReplyDeleteIt did take me a while to understand the comedy in this play. At the beginning, I was very confused about what was going on and thought that Jean might have been imagining things. However, by the time she was talking to Gordon's mother, I understood what was happening and could understand the comical aspect more.
I think Jean makes up things that are not true because she wants to feel something for this person who in an instant changed her life. She lies to his family because she sees how much they are hurting from his death and she wants to be able to support them in their time of need. Since she in actuality has nothing to offer them she tells them what she thinks they want to hear. Jean is such a caring and empathetic person that she would be willing to put herself on the line to help a perfect stranger and his family.
ReplyDeleteJean is bizarre, blunt, and sympathetic.
ReplyDeleteJean is bizarre because she finds this dead stranger at a cafe, and doesn't freak out, which is what I expected her to do, and she isn't peticularly interested in who the person was or how he died. She was more fascinated with his family, his life, and his history with those characters. Then it's pretty interesting and funny how Jean feels comfortable taking the dead man's cell phone for safe keeping, and continues to answer his calls.
Jean is also very blunt because in the first place she is straight-forward enough to walk up to Gordon in the cafe in order to confront him about his cell phone constantly ringing and how it starts to aggravate her. She is very upfront and clear about her thoughts and emotions.
I would also describe Jean as sympathetic. This is because she tries to comfort Gordon's family once she realizes the terrible loss that they are enduring at this time, and how close all of them were. She tries to understand and listen to Gordon's mother and lover's thoughts. She even makes up stories about the last day Gordon was living, in order to heighten their importance, give them some sense of closure, as well as give them empathetic memories of Gordon.
P.S.- I'm really enjoying this play! :)
Stories like this one frustrate me. Too many short comedies have the same sort of setting as "Dead Man's Cell Phone" does... The awkward situation when the protagonist gets caught up in her lies, and then dragged into something she knows nothing about. Even when she/he didn't mean to lie in the first place... But its not the unorginiality of this story line that bothers me, its the improbability of it. In reality, no one would honestly let themselves be caught up in a situation like this (excluding those excessively submissive amongst us). We're simply just to smart. Which in turn means you'd have to be astonishingly stupid, or, like i said before, excessively submissive. For me, this story ("story" as in all stories that follow the same, or similar, plot) just ends up hurting my brain. I find myself yelling "No!" repetitively in my mind, and to always no avail.
ReplyDeleteBut, this is mainly speculation of what will probably occur in the story (I am of course only on page 25.) But who knows, maybe Ruhl will catch me by surprise. I certainly hope so.
After reading scenes 1 - 4 of “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”, I can agree with the New York Times review that this play is a comedy. It only feels like a comedy to me because of the casual references Jean makes to the dead man. It is funny to the viewer or reader that she doesn’t notice he is dead. Also, it’s comical that a dead man would be sitting at a table in a cafe with his nonstop ringing cellphone next to him. Jean even takes a note from the caller for the dead man. However, it takes a dark twist, in my opinion. Jean has to take on the job of answering all of the dead man’s calls, and telling each caller of the cell phone owner’s fate.
ReplyDeleteIf Jean's character were to be described in three words, based on scenes 1-4 of "Dead Man's Cell Phone", the words would be; lonely, comforting, and manipulative. Jean is first shown alone in a cafe, next to a dead man. At first she did not know he was dead, and during her phone call to 911 she notes that there is no one else in the cafe. The fact that Jean is alone in a cafe shows that she is alone and her affinity to reach out and communicate with others, so willingly, on the phone contributes to the notion that she is lonely. Jean is also seen comforting herself and Gordon's loved ones. Jean comforts herself in a way so that she feels that she has sent off Gordon and prays that he is safe and peaceful in the mass. Jean does this despite the fact that she notes to Gordon's mother that she is not very religious, but she goes to mass anyway. Jean also comforts others, this comforting others often involves being dishonest to ease Gordon's loved ones pain. She acts as the voice she wanted Gordon to have if her were still alive. For example, when Jean and Gordon's lover are meeting her tells her that he thought she "stopped time", and that he "loved her", in order to ease her mind. Jean also has the ability to manipulate others thought process, and subsequently she is able to see into the mind of the people she is trying to manipulate. Thus causing the reader to assume that Jean comes from a place of dishonesty because she is able to manipulate how people think of her and her relationship with Gordon, even with his closest relatives. For example, she is able to trick Gordon's mother into thinking that her and Gordon were close friends and even coworkers.
ReplyDelete