The Letterbox

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The Letterbox
by Ann Marie Di Mambro
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The Letterbox
Significance of the title

• It gives nothing away about the content of the
  play
• This reflects the efforts of the protagonist to
  give nothing away to society about her situation.
  
• A letterbox connects us to the wider world
  through mail. We cannot see the sender. Martha
  is sending verbal messages to Wendy loaded with
  significance about the complexities of adult
  relations which the little girl does not fully
  comprehend. She cannot see the whole picture.
• In a letter you might have to read between the
  lines. In Marthas spoken words you have to
  read between the lines because she is not being
  wholly honest and we have to guess at Wendys
  words.

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The Letterbox

• Jack and Jill frame the monologue
• This device represents wider society
• They choose to ignore Martha
• Their relationship contrast with Marthas plight.
• Jack and Jill are happy, carefree stereotypical
  lovers.
• However, the nursery rhyme itself is quite
  violent, but the violence is trivialised by the
  regular rhythm.
• Violence in Marthas life is not trivial, it is
  brutal
• Her domestic reality does not conform to
  societys expectation of the happy family.

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The Letterbox

• Discuss the significance of the names of Jack
  and Jill
• Discuss how they are used to contrast ideals and
  promises of romance with the brutal realities of
  abusive relationships
• Their parts are very short discuss what their
  presence adds to the play
• Discuss what would be lost were we to ignore
  their contribution
• Discuss how the snapshot of their behaviour
  hints at how romantic relationships start
• Discuss what Jacks final pissed comment
  suggests about wider male attitudes to violence
  and women

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The Letterbox

• The husband is sleeping like a baby. Discuss
  why
• Is he oblivious to the impact of his actions?
• Is he in a drunken stupor?
• How far does he think he has a right to abuse his
  family?
• How widespread do you think these attitudes are
  in our society?
• What point is the playwright trying to get across
  about male attitudes here?

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The Letterbox

• Does Martha think he has a right to treat her
  this way?
• How far is the author suggesting that Martha is
  responsible for her own plight?
• What do you think?
• Do some background thinking to support your
  understanding of the text.

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The Letterbox

• List all of Marthas reasons or excuses for her
  husbands violence towards her
• For each, decide
• Whether Martha really believes it
• or
• whether Martha is saying it to comfort her
  daughter
• or
• whether Martha is saying it out of fear of
  consequences

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The Letterbox

• Martha exhorts her daughter, Wendy, not to tell
  anyone about the incident
• What reasons does she give?
• For each decide if the reason is valid or just an
  excuse
• List all of the reasons that Wendy has to tell
  somebody
• List all of the reasons that she has to keep
  quiet.

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The Letterbox

• Martha also tries to downplay the seriousness of
  the abuse that she has suffered
• List all of the ways that she seeks to assure
  Wendy that the abuse is not serious
• For each try and decide
• whether it reflects her own genuine belief
• or
• is motivated by her desire to reassure her
  daughter
• or
• is motivated by fear of the consequences of
  telling Wendy the truth

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The Letterbox Themes

• The Letterbox is a short monologue.

Domestic Violence Female Solidarity Child
Abuse Denial Society being Judgemental and
ignoring truth
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The Letterbox Themes

• Domestic Abuse Research task
• Find statistics to show the prevalence ( how
  commonly it occurs) of Domestic Abuse in Scotland
• Find some evidence of organisations which are set
  up to tackle Domestic Abuse
• Find evidence of any strategies that are used to
  help end it

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The Letterbox Themes

• Female Solidarity
• What does the play say about the need for women
  to stick together?
• How is the portrayal of Jack ( basically an
  average decent young man) used to reveal wider
  attitudes amongst men?
• Why do you think the playwright chooses to make
  the child a daughter rather than a son?
• How valid is the implication here that men and
  women have different attitudes to violence and
  abuse?

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The Letterbox Themes

• Child Abuse
• List the effects of her mothers abuse on Wendys
  welfare in the play
• What dangers does Wendy now face given that she
  is trapped inside the house with her father?
• How might her mother feel that she is protecting
  Wendy by her reaction to the abuse by her
  husband?
• Why might she be wrong in assuming that she is
  helping to protect her daughter?

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The Letterbox Themes

• Society being Judgemental and ignoring truth
• What evidence do we have that the agencies
  involved with Wendys welfare are not aware of
  her home situation?
• What evidence might there actually be that is
  being ignored?
• Why might society choose to ignore such abuse?
• What evidence do we have of attitudes to Martha
  and the family which reveal the judgement of
  others who are unaware of the truth?
• What message do you think the playwright is
  trying to get across here about our attitudes as
  a society?
• How well do you think she succeeds in that aim?

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The Letterbox Themes

• Denial
• Denial is a strategy that is used to avoid truth
  and thereby avoid having to take action that
  would be painful.
• How do Jack and Jill show evidence of denial in
  their actions towards Martha?
• How does Marthas monologue reveal that she is in
  denial over the abuse that she faces
• What potentially could be the long term effect of
  those who could affect change being in denial
  about the situation?

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The Letterbox
Past Paper Question

• Choose a play in which one of the main concerns
  is injustice or cruelty or exploitation or
  betrayal. State the main concern and go on to
  show how the playwright deals with this concern
  in such a way as to involve your sympathies.
• Stating the main concern (the cruelty and
  injustice of domestic abuse) would be part of
  your introduction. Remember keep referring to
  throughout the essay not just at the end.

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The Letterbox

• Topic Sentences
• Open each paragraph with a key or topic sentence
• Develop the point made in the topic sentence (try
  to either use a quotation or make close reference
  to the text in each paragraph)
• Use a closing sentence that rounds off the
  paragraph and perhaps points the way to the next
  topic.

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Possible Topic sentences and paragraph endings.

• Our sympathies are immediately engaged when we
  realise that the young lovers have cruelly
  ignored Martha who is bleeding and in pain
• The range of emotions displayed, from stoical
  acceptance to straightforward tearfulness, keep
  the audience hooked and sympathetic to Marthas
  plight
• The elipses used to depict Wendys side of the
  conversation invites audience participation. We
  must create a voice for this character Being a
  child (and a child whose words we are actively
  creating) trapped in a terrible situation is
  enough to evoke sympathy in the audience.