The Children's Hour

In her notes about the play, Lillian Hellman suggested that some of Mary’s impetus for attacking the headmistresses could be her questions about her own sexuality. Do you see anything in the text that suggests that? What words are used to describe Mary? Are any of those words also used to describe Martha or Karen? Is there anyone in the text other than Martha who hints at hidden homosexuality?

Based on your interpretation of the text, is Mary evil? Is she a child who does not understand what she is doing? What evidence helps you draw your conclusion? If you were reviving the play today, how might you portray Mary’s character, in order to stay in line with current ideas about childhood and child psychology?

How does the play define homosexuality? Is it a behavior? An identity? A choice? How does this idea align with current thoughts and theory about the nature of sexuality? Based on these ideas, would you categorize Martha as a lesbian?

How does Martha’s suicide function in the play? What does it say about sexual identity? Do you think that it is an appropriate way for her character to end? How might you rewrite her ending for a different outcome?

Based on the end of the play, what do you think will happen after? What do you imagine Karen will do? Mrs. Mortar? Mrs. Tilford?

Analyze the scene in which Karen ends her relationship with Joe. Consider her previous interactions with him. What do they tell you about their relationship? Why do you think Karen sends him away? Why do you think she is sure he will not return? Use evidence from the text to support your argument.

Consider the title of the play. Given the events that occur, what do you think the title means? Read the poem “The Children’s Hour,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. How does the poem inform your interpretation of the title?

What does the play say about childhood in the 1930s? How do the adults in the play describe children? How do the children either uphold or undermine those descriptions? Do these attitudes about children seem relevant today?