Response Paper
A 1-2 Page Paper About personal Reaction To An Assigned Play.
L O R R A I N E H A N S B E R R Y
A Raisin in the Sun
Characters
RUTH YOUNGER GEORGE MURCHISON
TRAVIS YOUNGER MRS. JOHNSON
WALTER LEE YOUNGER (BROTHER) KARL LINDNER
BENEATHA YOUNGER BOBO
LENA YOUNGER (MAMA) MOVING MEN
JOSEPH ASAGAI
The action of the play is set in Chicago’s South side, sometime
between World War II and the present.
Act I
Scene I Friday morning.
Scene II The following morning.
Act II
Scene I Later, the same day.
Scene II Friday night, a few weeks later.
Scene III Moving day, one week later.
Act III
An hour later.
ACT I
S C E N E I
The YOUNGER living room would be a comfortable and well-
ordered room if it were not for a number of indestructible contra-
dictions to this state of being. Its furnishings are typical and un-
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distinguished and their primary feature now is that they have
clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too
many years—and they are tired. Still, we can see that at some time,
a time probably no longer remembered by the family (except per-
haps for MAMA), the furnishings of this room were actually selected
with care and love and even hope—and brought to this apartment
and arranged with taste and pride.
That was a long time ago. Now the once loved pattern of the
couch upholstery has to fight to show itself from under acres of
crocheted doilies and couch covers which have themselves finally
come to be more important than the upholstery. And here a table
or a chair has been moved to disguise the worn places in the carpet;
but the carpet has fought back by showing its weariness, with
depressing uniformity, elsewhere on its surface.
Weariness has, in fact, won in this room. Everything has been
polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed too often. All pretenses
but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere
of this room.
Moreover, a section of this room, for it is not really a room unto
itself, though the landlord’s lease would make it seem so, slopes
backward to provide a small kitchen area, where the family pre-
pares the meals that are eaten in the living room proper, which
must also serve as dining room. The single window that has been
provided for these “two” rooms is located in this kitchen area.
The sole natural light the family may enjoy in the course of a day
is only that which fights it way through this little window.
At left, a door leads to a bedroom which is shared by MAMA
and her daughter, BENEATHA. At right, opposite, is a second room
(which in the beginning of the life of this apartment was probably
the breakfast room) which serves as a bedroom for WALTER and
his wife, RUTH.
Time Sometime between World War II and the present.
Place Chicago’s South side.
At rise It is morning dark in the living room. TRAVIS is asleep
on the make-down bed at center. An alarm clock sounds from
within the bedroom at right, and presently RUTH enters from that
room and closes the door behind her. She crosses sleepily toward
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
the window. As she passes her sleeping son she reaches down and
shakes him a little. At the window she raises the shade and a dusky
Southside morning light comes in feebly. She fills a pot with water
and puts it on to boil. She calls to the boy, between yawns, in a
slightly muffled voice.
RUTH is about thirty. We can see that she was a pretty girl, even
exceptionally so, but now it is apparent that life has been little
that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang
in her face. In a few years, before thirty-five even, she will be
known among her people as a “settled woman.”
She crosses to her son and gives him a good, final, rousing shake.
RUTH: Come on now, boy, it’s seven thirty! (Her son sits up at
last, in a stupor of sleepiness.) I say hurry up, Travis! You ain’t
the only person in the world got to use a bathroom! (The child,
a sturdy, handsome little boy of ten or eleven, drags himself out
of the bed and almost blindly takes his towels and “today’s
clothes” from drawers and a closet and goes out to the bath-
room, which is in an outside hall and which is shared by another
family or families on the same floor. RUTH crosses to the bed-
room door at right and opens it and calls in to her husband.)
Walter Lee! . . . It’s after seven thirty! Lemme see you do some
waking up in there now! (She waits.) You better get up from
there, man! It’s after seven thirty I tell you. (She waits again.)
All right, you just go ahead and lay there and next thing you
know Travis be finished and Mr. Johnson’ll be in there and
you’ll be fussing and cussing round here like a madman! And
be late too! (She waits, at the end of patience.) Walter Lee-
it’s time for you to GET UP!
She waits another second and then starts to go into the bedroom,
but is apparently satisfied that her husband has begun to get up.
She stops, pulls the door to, and returns to the kitchen area. She
wipes her face with a moist cloth and runs her fingers through her
sleep-disheveled hair in a vain effort and ties an apron around her
housecoat. The bedroom door at right opens and her husband
stands in the doorway in his pajamas, which are rumpled and
mismated. He is a lean, intense young man in his middle thirties,
inclined to quick nervous movements and erratic speech habits—
and always in his voice there is a quality of indictment.
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WALTER: Is he out yet?
RUTH: What you mean out? He ain’t hardly got in there good
yet.
WALTER (wandering in, still more oriented to sleep than to a new
day): Well, what was you doing all that yelling for if I can’t
even get in there yet? (Stopping and thinking.) Check coming
today?
RUTH: They said Saturday and this is just Friday and I hopes to
God you ain’t going to get up here first thing this morning and
start talking to me ’bout no money—’cause I ’bout don’t want
to hear it.
WALTER: Something the matter with you this morning?
RUTH: No—I’m just sleepy as the devil. What kind of eggs you
want?
WALTER: Not scrambled. (RUTH starts to scramble eggs.) Paper
come? (RUTH points impatiently to the rolled up Tribune on the
table, and he gets it and spreads it out and vaguely reads the
front page.) Set off another bomb yesterday.
RUTH (maximum indifference): Did they?
WALTER (looking up): What’s the matter with you?
RUTH: Ain’t nothing the matter with me. And don’t keep asking
me that this morning.
WALTER: Ain’t nobody bothering you. (reading the news of the
day absently again) Say Colonel McCormick is sick.
RUTH (affecting tea-party interest): Is he now? Poor thing.
WALTER (sighing and looking at his watch): Oh, me. (He waits.)
Now what is that boy doing in that bathroom all this time? He
just going to have to start getting up earlier. I can’t be being late
to work on account of him fooling around in there.
RUTH (turning on him): Oh, no he ain’t going to be getting up no
earlier no such thing! It ain’t his fault that he can’t get to bed
no earlier nights ’cause he got a bunch of crazy good-for-nothing
clowns sitting up running their mouths in what is supposed to
be his bedroom after ten o’clock at night. . .
WALTER: That’s what you mad about, ain’t it? The things I want
to talk about with my friends just couldn’t be important in your
mind, could they?
He rises and finds a cigarette in her handbag on the table and
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
crosses to the little window and looks out, smoking and deeply
enjoying this first one.
RUTH (almost matter of factly, a complaint too automatic to de-
serve emphasis): Why you always got to smoke before you eat
in the morning?
WALTER (at the window): Just look at ’em down there . . . Running
and racing to work . . . (He turns and faces his wife and watches
her a moment at the stove, and then, suddenly) You look young
this morning, baby.
RUTH (indifferently): Yeah?
WALTER: Just for a second—stirring them eggs. Just for a second
it was—you looked real young again. (He reaches for her; she
crosses away. Then, drily) It’s gone now—you look like yourself
again!
RUTH: Man, if you don’t shut up and leave me alone.
WALTER (looking out to the street again): First thing a man ought
to learn in life is not to make love to no colored woman first
thing in the morning. You all some eeeevil people at eight o’clock
in the morning.
TRAVIS appears in the hall doorway, almost fully dressed and quite
wide awake now, his towels and pajamas across his shoulders. He
opens the door and signals for his father to make the bathroom in
a hurry.)
TRAVIS (watching the bathroom): Daddy, come on!
WALTER gets his bathroom utensils and flies out to the bathroom.
RUTH: Sit down and have your breakfast, Travis.
TRAVIS: Mama, this is Friday, (gleefully) Check coming tomor-
row, huh?
RUTH: You get your mind off money and eat your breakfast.
TRAVIS (eating): This is the morning we supposed to bring the fifty
cents to school.
RUTH: Well, I ain’t got no fifty cents this morning.
TRAVIS: Teacher say we have to.
RUTH: I don’t care what teacher say. I ain’t got it. Eat your break-
fast, Travis.
TRAVIS: I am eating.
RUTH: Hush up now and just eat!
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The boy gives her an exasperated look for her lack of
understanding, and eats grudgingly.
TRAVIS: You think Grandmama would have it?
RUTH: No! And I want you to stop asking your grandmother for
money, you hear me?
TRAVIS (outraged): Gaaaleee! I don’t ask her, she just gimme it
sometimes!
RUTH: Travis Willard Younger—I got too much on me this morn-
ing to be—
TRAVIS: Mabe Daddy —
RUTH: Travisl
The boy hushes abruptly. They are both quiet and tense for several
seconds.
TRAVIS (presently): Could I maybe go carry some groceries in front
of the supermarket for a little while after school then?
RUTH: Just hush, I said. (Travis jabs his spoon into his cereal bowl
viciously, and rests his head in anger upon his fists.) If you
through eating, you can get over there and make your bed.
The boy obeys stiffly and crosses the room, almost mechanically,
to the bed and more or less folds the bedding into a heap, then
angrily gets his books and cap.
TRAVIS (sulking and standing apart from her unnaturally): I’m
gone.
RUTH (looking up from the stove to inspect him automatically):
Come here. (He crosses to her and she studies his head.) If you
don’t take this comb and fix this here head, you better! (TRAVIS
puts down his books with a great sigh of oppression, and crosses
to the mirror. His mother mutters under her breath about his
“slubbornness.”) ‘Bout to march out of here with that head
looking just like chickens slept in it! I just don’t know where
you get your stubborn ways . . . And get your jacket, too. Looks
chilly out this morning.
TRAVIS (with conspicuously brushed hair and jacket): I’m gone.
RUTH: Get carfare and milk money — (waving one finger) —and not
a single penny for no caps, you hear me?
TRAVIS (with sullen politeness): Yes’m.
He turns in outrage to leave. His mother watches after him as in
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A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
his frustration he approaches the door almost comically. When she
speaks to him, her voice has become a very gentle tease.
RUTH (mocking, as she thinks he would say it): Oh, Mama makes
me so mad sometimes, I don’t know what to do! (She waits and
continues to his back as he stands stock-still in front of the door.)
I wouldn’t kiss that woman good-bye for nothing in this world
this morning! (The boy finally turns around and rolls his eyes
at her, knowing the mood has changed and he is vindicated; he
does not, however, move toward her yet.) Not for nothing in
this world! (She finally laughs aloud at him and holds out her
arms to him and we see that it is a way between them, very old
and practiced. He crosses to her and allows her to embrace
him warmly but keeps his face fixed with masculine rigidity.
She holds him back from her presently and looks at him and
runs her fingers over the features of his face. With utter gentle-
ness—) Now—whose little old angry man are you?
TRAVIS (the masculinity and gruffness start to fade at last.): Aw
gaalee—Mama . . .
RUTH (mimicking): Aw—gaaaaalleeeee, Mama! (She pushes him,
with rough playfulness and finality, toward the door.) Get on
out of here or you going to be late.
TRAVIS (in the face of love, new aggressiveness): Mama, could I
please go carry groceries?
RUTH: Honey, it’s starting to get so cold evenings.
WALTER (coming in from the bathroom and drawing a make-
believe gun from a make-believe holster and shooting at his son):
What is it he wants to do?
RUTH: Go carry groceries after school at the supermarket.
WALTER: Well, let him go …
TRAVIS (quickly, to the ally): I have to —she won’t gimme the fifty
cents . . .
WALTER (to his wife only): Why not?
RUTH (simply, and with flavor): ‘Cause we don’t have it.
WALTER (to RUTH only): What you tell the boy things like that
for? (Reaching down into his pants with a rather important
gesture) Here, son —
(He hands the boy the coin, but his eyes are directed to his wife’s.
TRAVIS takes the money happily.)
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TRAVIS: Thanks, Daddy.
He starts out. RUTH watches both of them with murder in her eyes.
WALTER stands and stares back at her with defiance, and suddenly
reaches into his pocket again on an afterthought.
WALTER (without even looking at his son, still staring hard at his
wife): In fact, here’s another fifty cents . . . Buy yourself some
fruit today—or take a taxicab to school or something!
TRAVIS: Whoopee —
He leaps up and clasps his father around the middle with his legs,
and they face each other in mutual appreciation; slowly WALTER
LEE peeks around the boy to catch the violent rays from his wife’s
eyes and draws his head back as if shot.
WALTER: You better get down now—and get to school, man.
TRAVIS (at the door): O.K. Good-bye. (He exits.)
WALTER (after him, pointing with pride): That’s my boy. (She
looks at him in disgust and turns back to her work.) You know
what I was thinking ’bout in the bathroom this morning?
RUTH: No.
WALTER: How come you always try to be so pleasant!
RUTH: What is there to be pleasant ’bout!
WALTER: You want to know what I was thinking ’bout in the
bathroom or not!
RUTH: I know what you thinking ’bout.
WALTER (ignoring her): ‘Bout what me and Willy Harris was talk-
ing about last night.
RUTH (immediately—a refrain): Willy Harris is a good-for-nothing
loudmouth.
WALTER: Anybody who talks to me has got to be a good-for-
nothing loudmouth, ain’t he? And what you know about who
is just a good-for-nothing loudmouth? Charlie Atkins was just
a “good-for-nothing loudmouth” too, wasn’t he! When he
wanted me to go in the dry-cleaning business with him. And
now—he’s grossing a hundred thousand a year. A hundred thou-
sand dollars a year! You still call him a loudmouth!
RUTH (bitterly): Oh, Walter Lee . . .
She folds her head on her arms over the table.
WALTER (rising and coming to her and standing over her): You
tired, ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
live—this beat-up hole—everything. Ain’t you? (She doesn’t
look up, doesn’t answer.) So tired—moaning and groaning all
the time, but you wouldn’t do nothing to help, would you? You
couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you?
RUTH: Walter, please leave me alone.
WALTER: A man needs a woman to back him up …
RUTH: Walter —
WALTER: Mama would listen to you. You know she listen to you
more than she do me and Bennie. She think more of you. All
you have to do is just sit down with her when you drinking your
coffee one morning and talking ’bout things like you do and—
(He sits down beside her and demonstrates graphically what he
thinks her methods and tone should be.)—you just sip your cof-
fee, see, and say easy like that you been thinking ’bout that deal
Walter Lee is so interested in, ’bout the store and all, and sip
some more coffee, like what you saying ain’t really that impor-
tant to you—And the next thing you know, she be listening good
and asking you questions and when I come home—I can tell her
the details. This ain’t no fly-by-night proposition, baby. I mean
we figured it out, me and Willy and Bobo.
RUTH (with a frown): Bobo?
WALTER: Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost
seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on
the place be ’bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand
each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s
you don’t spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let
your license get approved—
RUTH: You mean graft?
WALTER (frowning impatiently): Don’t call it that. See there, that
just goes to show you what women understand about the world.
Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ‘less you pay
somebody off!
RUTH: Walter, leave me alone! (She raises her head and stares at
him vigorously—then says, more quietly.) Eat your eggs, they
gonna be cold.
WALTER (straightening up from her and looking off): That’s it.
There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His
woman say: Eat your eggs. (Sadly, but gaining in power.) Man
say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman
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will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. (Passionately now.)
Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby!
And his woman say — (in utter anguish as he brings his fists down
on his thighs)— Your eggs is getting cold!
RUTH (softly): Walter, that ain’t none of our money.
WALTER (not listening at all or even looking at her): This morning,
I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking
about i t . . .
I’m thirty-
five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who
sleeps in the living room —(very, very quietly) —and all I got to
give him is stories about how rich white people live . . .
RUTH: Eat your eggs, Walter.
WALTER (slams the table and jumps up): —DAMN MY EGGS —
DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!
RUTH: Then go to work.
WALTER (looking up at her): See —I’m trying to talk to you ’bout
myself— (shaking his head with the repetition) —and all you can
say is eat them eggs and go to work.
RUTH (wearily): Honey, you never say nothing new. I listen to you
every day, every night and every morning, and you never say
nothing new. (shrugging) So you would rather be Mr. Arnold
than be his chauffeur. So—I would rather be living in Buck-
ingham Palace.
WALTER: That is just what is wrong with the colored woman in
this world . . . Don’t understand about building their men up
and making ’em feel like they somebody. Like they can do some-
thing.
RUTH (drily, but to hurt): There are colored men who do things.
WALTER: No thanks to the colored woman.
RUTH: Well, being a colored woman, I guess I can’t help myself
none.
She rises and gets the ironing board and sets it up and attacks a
huge pile of rough-dried clothes, sprinkling them in preparation
for the ironing and then rolling them into tight fat balls.
WALTER (mumbling): We one group of men tied to a race of
women with small minds!
His sister BENEATHA enters. She is about twenty, as slim and intense
as her brother. She is not as pretty as her sister-in-law, but her
lean, almost intellectual face has a handsomeness of its own. She
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
wears a bright-red flannel nightie, and her thick hair stands wildly
about her head. Her speech is a mixture of many things; it is
different from the rest of the family’s insofar as education has
permeated her sense of English—and perhaps the Midwest rather
than the South has finally—at last—won out in her inflection; but
not altogether, because over all of it is a soft slurring and
transformed use of vowels which is the decided influence of the
Southside. She passes through the room without looking at either
RUTH or WALTER and goes to the outside door and looks, a little
blindly, out to the bathroom. She sees that it has been lost to the
Johnsons. She closes the door with a sleepy vengeance and crosses
to the table and sits down a little defeated.
BENEATHA: I am going to start timing those people.
WALTER: You should get up earlier.
BENEATHA (Her face in her hands. She is still fighting the urge to
go back to bed.): Really—would you suggest dawn? Where’s
the paper?
WALTER (pushing the paper across the table to her as he studies
her almost clinically, as though he has never seen her before):
You a horrible-looking chick at this hour.
BENEATHA (drily): Good morning, everybody.
WALTER (senselessly): How is school coming?
BENEATHA (in the same spirit): Lovely. Lovely. And you know,
biology is the greatest, (looking up at him) I dissected some-
thing that looked just like you yesterday.
WALTER: I just wondered if you’ve made up your mind and every-
thing.
BENEATHA (gaining in sharpness and impatience): And what did I
answer yesterday morning—and the day before that?
RUTH (from the ironing board, like someone disinterested and old):
Don’t be so nasty, Bennie.
BENEATHA (still to her brother): And the day before that and the
day before that!
WALTER (defensively): I’m interested in you. Something wrong
with that? Ain’t many girls who decide—
WALTER and BENEATHA (in unison): —”to be a doctor.” (silence)
WALTER: Have we figured out yet just exactly how much medical
school is going to cost?
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RUTH: Walter Lee, why don’t you leave the girl alone and get out
of here to work?
BENEATHA (exits to the bathroom and bangs on the door): Come
on out of there, please! (She comes back into the room.)
WALTER (looking at his sister intently): You know the check is
coming tomorrow.
BENEATHA (turning on him with a sharpness all her own): That
money belongs to Mama, Walter, and it’s for her to decide how
she wants to use it. I don’t care if she wants to buy a house or
a rocket ship or just nail it up somewhere and look at it. It’s
hers. Not ours—hers.
WALTER (bitterly): Now ain’t that fine! You just got your mother’s
interest at heart, ain’t you, girl? You such a nice girl—but if
Mama got that money she can always take a few thousand and
help you through school too —can’t she?
BENEATHA: I have never asked anyone around here to do anything
for me!
WALTER: No! And the line between asking and just accepting when
the time comes is big and wide —ain’t it!
BENEATHA (with fury): What do you want from me, Brother—that
I quit school or just drop dead, which!
WALTER: I don’t want nothing but for you to stop acting holy
’round here. Me and Ruth done made some sacrifices for you—
why can’t you do something for the family?
RUTH: Walter, don’t be dragging me in it.
WALTER: You are in it—Don’t you get up and go work in some-
body’s kitchen for the last three years to help put clothes on her
back?
RUTH: Oh, Walter—that’s not fair . . .
WALTER: It ain’t that nobody expects you to get on your knees
and say thank you, Brother; thank you, Ruth; thank you,
Mama —and thank you, Travis, for wearing the same pair of
shoes for two semesters —
BENEATHA (dropping to her knees): Well—I do —all right?—thank
everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at
all! (pursuing him on her knees across the floor) FORGIVE
ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME!
RUTH: Please stop it! Your mama’ll hear you.
WALTER: Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so
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crazy ’bout messing ’round with sick people—then go be a nurse
like other women—or just get married and be quiet. . .
BENEATHA: Well—you finally got it said . . . It took you three years
but you finally got it said. Walter, give up; leave me alone—it’s
Mama’s money.
WALTER: He was my father, too!
BENEATHA: So what? He was mine, too —and Travis’ grand-
father—but the insurance money belongs to Mama. Picking on
me is not going to make her give it to you to invest in any liquor
stores —(underbreath, dropping into a chair) —and I for one say,
God bless Mama for that!
WALTER (to RUTHJ: See—did you hear? Did you hear!
RUTH: Honey, please go to work.
WALTER: Nobody in this house is ever going to understand me.
BENEATHA: Because you’re a nut.
WALTER: Who’s a nut?
BENEATHA: You—you are a nut. Thee is mad, boy.
WALTER (looking at his wife and his sister from the door, very
sadly): The world’s most backward race of people, and that’s a
fact.
BENEATHA (turning slowly in her chair): And then there are all
those prophets who would lead us out of the wilderness — (WAL-
TER slams out of the house.)—into the swamps!
RUTH: Bennie, why you always gotta be pickin’ on your brother?
Can’t you be a little sweeter sometimes? (Door opens. WALTER
walks in. He fumbles with his cap, starts to speak, clears throat,
looks everywhere but at RUTH. Finally:)
WALTER (to RUTH,): I need some money for carfare.
RUTH (looks at him, then warms; teasing, but tenderly): Fifty
cents? (She goes to her bag and gets money.) Here—take a
taxi!
WALTER exits. MAMA enters. She is a woman in her early sixties,
full-bodied and strong. She is one of those women of a certain
grace and beauty who wear it so unobtrusively that it takes a while
to notice. Her dark-brown face is surrounded by the total
whiteness of her hair, and, being a woman who has adjusted to
many things in life and overcome many more, her face is full of
strength. She has, we can see, wit and faith of a kind that keep her
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eyes lit and full of interest and expectancy. She is, in a word, a
beautiful woman. Her bearing is perhaps most like the noble
bearing of the women of the Hereros of Southwest Africa—rather
as if she imagines that as she walks she still bears a basket or a
vessel upon her head. Her speech, on the other hand, is as careless
as her carriage is precise—she is inclined to slur everything—but
her voice is perhaps not so much quiet as simply soft.
MAMA: Who that ’round here slamming doors at this hour?
She crosses through the room, goes to the window, opens it, and
brings in a feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on
the window sill. She feels the dirt and puts it back out.
RUTH: That was Walter Lee. He and Bennie was at it again.
MAMA: My children and they tempers. Lord, if this little old plant
don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to
see spring again. (She turns from the window.) What’s the
matter with you this morning, Ruth? You looks right peaked.
You aiming to iron all them things? Leave some for me. I’ll get
to ’em this afternoon. Bennie honey, it’s too drafty for you to
be sitting ’round half dressed. Where’s your robe?
BENEATHA: In the cleaners.
MAMA: Well, go get mine and put it on.
BENEATHA: I’m not cold, Mama, honest.
MAMA: I know—but you so thin . . .
BENEATHA (irritably): Mama, I’m not cold.
MAMA (seeing the make-down bed as TRAVIS has left it): Lord have
mercy, look at that poor bed. Bless his heart—he tries, don’t he?
She moves to the bed TRAVIS has sloppily made up.
RUTH: No—he don’t half try at all ’cause he knows you going to
come along behind him and fix everything. That’s just how come
he don’t know how to do nothing right now—you done spoiled
that boy so.
MAMA (folding bedding): Well—he’s a little boy. Ain’t supposed
to know ’bout housekeeping. My baby, that’s what he is. What
you fix for his breakfast this morning?
RUTH (angrily): I feed my son, Lena!
MAMA: I ain’t meddling— (underbreath; busy-bodyish) I just no-
ticed all last week he had cold cereal, and when it starts getting
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
this chilly in the fall a child ought to have some hot grits or
something when he goes out in the cold—
RUTH (furious)-. I gave him hot oats—is that all right!
MAMA: I ain’t meddling, (pause) Put a lot of nice butter on it?
(RUTH shoots her an angry look and does not reply.) He likes
lots of butter.
RUTH (exasperated): Lena—
MAMA (To BENEATHA. MAMA is inclined to wander conversationally
sometimes.): What was you and your brother fussing ’bout this
morning?
BENEATHA: It’s not important. Mama.
She gets up and goes to look out at the bathroom, which is
apparently free, and she picks up her towels and rushes out.
MAMA: What was they fighting
about?
RUTH: Now you know as well as I do.
MAMA (shaking her head): Brother still worrying hisself sick about
that money?
RUTH: You know he is.
MAMA: You had breakfast?
RUTH: Some coffee.
MAMA: Girl, you better start eating and looking after yourself
better. You almost thin as Travis.
RUTH: Lena —
MAMA: Un-hunh?
RUTH: What are you going to do with it?
MAMA: Now don’t you start, child. It’s too early in the morning
to be talking about money. It ain’t Christian.
RUTH: It’s just that he got his heart set on that store—
MAMA: You mean that liquor store that Willy Harris want him to
invest in?
RUTH: Yes —
MAMA: We ain’t no business people, Ruth. We just plain working
folks.
RUTH: Ain’t nobody business people till they go into business.
Walter Lee say colored people ain’t never going to start getting
ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things
in the world—investments and things.
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MAMA: What done got into you, girl? Walter Lee done finally sold
you on investing.
RUTH: No. Mama, something is happening between Walter and
me. I don’t know what it is—but he needs something—some-
thing I can’t give him any more. He needs this chance, Lena.
MAMA (frowning deeply): But liquor, honey —
RUTH: Well—like Walter s a y — I spec people going to always be
drinking themselves some liquor.
MAMA: Well—whether they drinks it or not ain’t none of my busi-
ness. But whether I go into business selling it to ’em is, and I
don’t want that on my ledger this late in life, (stopping suddenly
and studying her daughter-in-law) Ruth Younger, what’s the
matter with you today? You look like you could fall over right
there.
RUTH: I’m tired.
MAMA: Then you better stay home from work today.
RUTH: I can’t stay home. She’d be calling up the agency and
screaming at them, “My girl didn’t come in today —send me
somebody! My girl didn’t come in!” Oh, she just have a fit…
MAMA: Well, let her have it. I’ll just call her up and say you got
the flu-
RUTH (laughing): Why the flu?
MAMA: ‘Cause it sounds respectable to ’em. Something white peo-
ple get, too. They know ’bout the flu. Otherwise they think you
been cut up or something when you tell ’em you sick.
RUTH: I got to go in. We need the money.
MAMA: Somebody would of thought my children done all but
starved to death the way they talk about money here late. Child,
we got a great big old check coming tomorrow.
RUTH (sincerely, but also self-righteously): Now that’s your
money. It ain’t got nothing to do with me. We all feel like that—
Walter and Bennie and me—even Travis.
MAMA (thoughtfully, and suddenly very far away): Ten thousand
dollars —
RUTH: Sure is wonderful.
MAMA: Ten thousand dollars.
RUTH: You know what you should do, Miss Lena? You should
take yourself a trip somewhere. To Europe or South America or
someplace —
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
MAMA (throwing up her hands at the thought): Oh, child!
RUTH: I’m serious. Just pack up and leave! Go on away and enjoy
yourself some. Forget about the family and have yourself a ball
for once in your life—
MAMA (drily): You sound like I’m just about ready to die. Who’d
go with me? What I look like wandering ’round Europe by my-
self?
RUTH: Shoot—these here rich white women do it all the time. They
don’t think nothing of packing up they suitcases and piling on
one of them big steamships and—swoosh!—they gone, child.
MAMA: Something always told me I wasn’t no rich white woman.
RUTH: Well—what are you going to do with it then?
MAMA: I ain’t rightly decided. (Thinking. She speaks now with
emphasis.) Some of it got to be put away for Beneatha and her
schoolin’ —and ain’t nothing going to touch that part of it. Noth-
ing. (She waits several seconds, trying to make up her mind
about something, and looks at RUTH a little tentatively before
going on.) Been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes
on a little old two-story somewhere, with a yard where Travis
could play in the summertime, if we use part of the insurance
for a down payment and everybody kind of pitch in. I could
maybe take on a little day work again, few days a week—
RUTH (studying her mother-in-law furtively and concentrating on
her ironing, anxious to encourage without seeming to): Well,
Lord knows, we’ve put enough rent into this here rat trap to
pay for four houses by now . . .
MAMA (looking up at the words “rat trap9′ and then looking
around and leaning back and sighing—in a suddenly reflective
mood—): “Rat trap”—yes, that’s all it is. (smiling) I remember
just as well the day me and Big Walter moved in here. Hadn’t
been married but two weeks and wasn’t planning on living here
no more than a year. (She shakes her head at the dissolved
dream.) We was going to set away, little by little, don’t you
know, and buy a little place out in Morgan Park. We had even
picked out the house, (chuckling a little) Looks right dumpy
today. But Lord, child, you should know all the dreams I had
’bout buying that house and fixing it up and making me a little
garden in the back— (She waits and stops smiling.) And didn’t
none of it happen, (dropping her hands in a futile gesture)
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RUTH (keeps her head down, ironing): Yes, life can be a barrel of
disappointments, sometimes.
MAMA: Honey, Big Walter would come in here some nights back
then and slump down on that couch there and just look at the
rug, and look at me and look at the rug and then back at me—
and I’d know he was down then . . . really down. (After a second
very long and thoughtful pause; she is seeing back to times that
only she can see.) And then, Lord, when I lost that baby—little
Claude—I almost thought I was going to lose Big Walter too.
Oh, that man grieved hisself! He was one man to love his chil-
dren.
RUTH: Ain’t nothin’ can tear at you like losin’ your baby.
MAMA: I guess that’s how come that man finally worked hisself to
death like he done. Like he was fighting his own war with this
here world that took his baby from him.
RUTH: He sure was a fine man, all right. I always liked Mr.
Younger.
MAMA: Crazy ’bout his children! God knows there was plenty
wrong with Walter Younger—hard-headed, mean, kind of wild
with women—plenty wrong with him. But he sure loved his
children. Always wanted them to have something—be some-
thing. That’s where Brother gets all these notions, I reckon. Big
Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes,
lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say,
“Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but
dreams —but He did give us children to make them dreams seem
worth while.” (She smiles.) He could talk like that, don’t you
know.
RUTH: Yes, he sure could. He was a good man, Mr. Younger.
MAMA: Yes, a fine m a n — j u s t couldn’t never catch up with his
dreams, that’s all.
BENEATHA comes in, brushing her hair and looking up to the
ceiling, where the sound of a vacuum cleaner has started up.
BENEATHA: What could be so dirty on that woman’s rugs that she
has to vacuum them every single day?
RUTH: I wish certain young women ’round here who I could name
would take inspiration about certain rugs in a certain apartment
I could also mention.
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
BENEATHA (shrugging): How much cleaning can a house need, for
Christ’s sakes.
MAMA (not liking the Lord’s name used thus): Bennie!
RUTH: Just listen to her—just listen!
BENEATHA: Oh God!
MAMA: If you use the Lord’s name just one more time—
BENEATHA (a bit of a whine): Oh, Mama—
RUTH: Fresh—just fresh as salt, this girl!
BENEATHA (drily): Well—if the salt loses its savor—
MAMA: Now that will do. I just ain’t going to have you ’round
here reciting the scriptures in vain—you hear me?
BENEATHA: How did I manage to get on everybody’s wrong side
by just walking into a room?
RUTH: If you weren’t so fresh—
BENEATHA: Ruth, I’m twenty years old.
MAMA: What time you be home from school today?
BENEATHA: Kind of late, (with enthusiasm) Madeline is going to
start my guitar lessons today.
(MAMA and RUTH look up with the same expression.)
MAMA: Your what kind of lessons?
BENEATHA: Guitar.
RUTH: Oh, Father!
MAMA: How come you done taken it in your mind to learn to play
the guitar?
BENEATHA: I just want to, that’s all.
MAMA (smiling): Lord, child, don’t you know what to get tired of
this now—like you got tired of that little do with yourself? How
long it going to be before you play-acting group you joined last
year? (looking at RUTH) And what was it the year before that?
RUTH: The horseback-riding club for which she bought that fifty-
five-dollar riding habit that’s been hanging in the closet ever
since!
MAMA (to BENEATHA): Why you got to flit so from one thing to
another, baby?
BENEATHA (sharply): I just want to learn to play the guitar. Is there
anything wrong with that?
MAMA: Ain’t nobody trying to stop you. I just wonders sometimes
why you has to flit so from one thing to another all the time.
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You ain’t never done nothing with all that camera equipment
you brought home —
BENEATHA: I don’t flit! I — I experiment with different forms of
expression—
RUTH: Like riding a horse?
BENEATHA: —People have to express themselves one way or an-
other.
MAMA: What is it you want to express?
BENEATHA (angrily): Me! (MAMA and RUTH look at each other and
burst into raucous laughter.} Don’t worry—I don’t expect you
to understand.
MAMA (to change the subject): Who you going out with tomorrow
night?
BENEATHA (with displeasure): George Murchison again.
MAMA (pleased): Oh—you getting a little sweet on him?
RUTH: You ask me, this child ain’t sweet on nobody but herself—
(underbreath) Express herself!
(They laugh.)
BENEATHA: O h — I like George all right, Mama. I mean I like him
enough to go out with him and stuff, but—
RUTH (for devilment): What does and stuff mean?
BENEATHA: Mind your own business.
MAMA: Stop picking at her now, Ruth. (She chuckles—then a sus-
picious sudden look at her daughter as she turns in her chair for
emphasis.) What DOES it mean?
BENEATHA (wearily): Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever really be
serious about George. He’s—he’s so shallow.
RUTH: Shallow—what do you mean he’s shallow? He’s Rich!
MAMA: Hush, Ruth.
BENEATHA: I know he’s rich. He knows he’s rich, too.
RUTH: Well—what other qualities a man got to have to satisfy
you, little girl?
BENEATHA: You wouldn’t even begin to understand. Anybody who
married Walter could not possibly understand.
MAMA (outraged): What kind of way is that to talk about your
brother?
BENEATHA: Brother is a flip—let’s face it.
MAMA (to RUTH, helplessly): What’s a flip?
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
RUTH (glad to add kindling): She’s saying he’s crazy.
BENEATHA: Not crazy. Brother isn’t really crazy yet—-he—he’s an
elaborate neurotic.
MAMA: Hush your mouth!
BENEATHA: As for George. Well. George looks good—he’s got a
beautiful car and he takes me to nice places and, as my sister-
in-law says, he is probably the richest boy I will ever get to know
and I even like him sometimes — b u t if the Youngers are sitting
around waiting to see if their little Bennie is going to tie up the
family with the Murchisons, they are wasting their time.
RUTH: You mean you wouldn’t marry George Murchison if he
asked you someday? That pretty, rich thing? Honey, I knew you
was odd—
BENEATHA: No I would not marry him if all I felt for him was
what I feel now. Besides, George’s family wouldn’t really like it.
MAMA: Why not?
BENEATHA: Oh, Mama—The Murchisons are honest-to-God-real-
live-rich colored people, and the only people in the world who
are more snobbish than rich white people are rich colored peo-
ple. I thought everybody knew that. I’ve met Mrs. Murchison.
She’s a scene!
MAMA: You must not dislike people ’cause they well off, honey.
BENEATHA: Why not? It makes just as much sense as disliking
people ’cause they are poor, and lots of people do that.
RUTH (A wisdom-of-the-ages manner. To MAMA.J: Well, she’ll get
over some of this —
BENEATHA: Get over it? What are you talking about, Ruth? Listen,
I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going
to marry yet—if I ever get married.
MAMA and RUTH: If!
MAMA: Now, Bennie —
BENEATHA: Oh, I probably will. . . but first I’m going to be a
doctor, and George, for one, still thinks that’s pretty funny. I
couldn’t be bothered with that. I am going to be a doctor and
everybody around here better understand that!
MAMA (kindly): ‘Course you going to be a doctor, honey, God
willing.
BENEATHA (drily): God hasn’t got a thing to do with it.
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MAMA: Beneatha—that just wasn’t necessary.
BENEATHA: Well—neither is God. I get sick of hearing about God.
MAMA: Beneatha!
BENEATHA: I mean it! I’m just tired of hearing about God all the
time. What has He got to do with anything? Does he pay tuition?
MAMA: You ’bout to get your fresh little jaw slapped!
RUTH: That’s just what she needs, all right!
BENEATHA: Why? Why can’t I say what I want to around here,
like everybody else?
MAMA: It don’t sound nice for a young girl to say things like that—
you wasn’t brought up that way. Me and your father went to
trouble to get you and Brother to church every Sunday.
BENEATHA: Mama, you don’t understand. It’s all a matter of ideas,
and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important. I am
not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don’t
believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get
tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race
achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no
blasted God—there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!
MAMA absorbs this speech, studies her daughter and rises slowly
and crosses to BENEATHA and slaps her powerfully across the face.
After, there is only silence and the daughter drops her eyes from
her mother’s face, and MAMA is very tall before her.
MAMA: Now—you say after me, in my mother’s house there is still
God. (There is a long pause and BENEATHA stares at the floor
wordlessly. MAMA repeats the phrase with precision and cool
emotion.) In my mother’s house there is still God.
BENEATHA: In my mother’s house there is still God. (a long pause)
MAMA (walking away from BENEATHA, too disturbed for trium-
phant posture. Stopping and turning back to her daughter.):
There are some ideas we ain’t going to have in this house. Not
as long as I am at the head of this family.
BENEATHA: Yes, ma’am. (MAMA walks out of the room.)
RUTH (almost gently, with profound understanding): You think
you a woman, Bennie —but you still a little girl. What you did
was childish —so you got treated like a child.
BENEATHA: I see. (quietly) I also see that everybody thinks it’s all
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene I
right for Mama to be a tyrant. But all the tyranny in the world
will never put a God in the heavens! (She picks up her books
and goes out. Pause.)
RUTH (goes to MAMA’S door): She said she was sorry.
MAMA (coming out, going to her plant): They frightens me, Ruth.
My children.
RUTH: You got good children, Lena. They just a little off some-
times—but they’re good.
MAMA: No—there’s something come down between me and them
that don’t let us understand each other and I don’t know what
it is. One done almost lost his mind thinking ’bout money all
the time and the other done commence to talk about things I
can’t seem to understand in no form or fashion. What is it that’s
changing, Ruth?
RUTH (soothingly, older than her years): Now . . . you taking it all
too seriously. You just got strong-willed children and it takes a
strong woman like you to keep ’em in hand.
MAMA (looking at her plant and sprinkling a little water on it):
They spirited all right, my children. Got to admit they got
spirit—Bennie and Walter. Like this little old plant that ain’t
never had enough sunshine or nothing—and look at i t . . .
She has her back to RUTH, who has had to stop ironing and lean
against something and put the back of her hand to her forehead.
RUTH (trying to keep MAMA from noticing): You . . . sure . . . loves
that little old thing, don’t you? . . .
MAMA: Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see some-
times at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close
as I ever got to having one. (She looks out of the window as
she replaces the plant.) Lord, ain’t nothing as dreary as the view
from this window on a dreary day, is there? Why ain’t you
singing this morning, Ruth? Sing that “No Ways Tired.” That
song always lifts me up so —(She turns at last to see that RUTH
has slipped quietly to the floor, in a state of semiconsciousness.)
Ruth! Ruth honey—what’s the matter with you . . . Ruth!
508
S C E N E II
It is the following morning; a Saturday morning, and house clean-
ing is in progress at the YOUNGERS. Furniture has been shoved
hither and yon and MAMA is giving the kitchen-area walls a wash-
ing down. BENEATHA, in dungarees, with a handkerchief tied
around her face, is spraying insecticide into the cracks in the walls.
As they work, the radio is on and a Southside disk-jockey program
is inappropriately filling the house with a rather exotic saxophone
blues. TRAVIS, the sole idle one, is leaning on his arms, looking out
of the window.
TRAVIS: Grandmama, that stuff Bennie is using smells awful. Can
I go downstairs, please?
MAMA: Did you get all them chores done already? I ain’t seen you
doing much.
TRAVIS: Yes’m —finished early. Where did Mama go this morning?
MAMA (looking at BENEATHA,): She had to go on a little errand.
The phone rings. BENEATHA runs to answer it and reaches it before
WALTER, who has entered from bedroom.
TRAVIS: Where?
MAMA: To tend to her business.
BENEATHA: Haylo . . . (disappointed) Yes, he is. (She tosses the
phone to WALTER, who barely catches it.) It’s Willie Harris
again.
WALTER (as privately as possible under MAMA’S gaze): Hello, Wil-
lie. Did you get the papers from the lawyer? . . . No, not yet. I
told you the mailman doesn’t get here till ten-thirty . . . No, I’ll
come there . . . Yeah! Right away. (He hangs up and goes for
his coat.)
BENEATHA: Brother, where did Ruth go?
WALTER (as he exits): How should I know!
TRAVIS: Aw come on, Grandma. Can I go outside?
MAMA: Oh, I guess so. You stay right in front of the house, though,
and keep a good lookout for the postman.
TRAVIS: Yes’m. (He darts into bedroom for stickball and bat,
reenters, and sees BENEATHA on her knees spraying under sofa
with behind upraised. He edges closer to the target, takes aim,
and lets her have it. She screams.) Leave them poor little cock-
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
roaches alone, they ain’t bothering you none! (He runs as she
swings the spray gun at him viciously and playfully.) Grandma!
Grandma!
MAMA: Look out there, girl, before you be spilling some of that
stuff on that child!
TRAVIS (safely behind the bastion of MAMA): That’s right—look
out, now! (He exits.)
BENEATHA (drily): I can’t imagine that it would hurt him—it has
never hurt the roaches.
MAMA: Well, little boys’ hides ain’t as tough as Southside roaches.
You better get over there behind the bureau. I seen one marching
out of there like Napoleon yesterday.
BENEATHA: There’s really only one way to get rid of them,
Mama—
MAMA: How?
BENEATHA: Set fire to this building! Mama, where did Ruth go?
MAMA (looking at her with meaning): To the doctor, I think.
BENEATHA: The doctor? What’s the matter? (They exchange
glances.) You don’t think—
MAMA (with her sense of drama): Now I ain’t saying what I think.
But I ain’t never been wrong ’bout a woman neither. (The phone
rings.)
BENEATHA (at the phone): Hay-lo .. . (pause, and a moment of
recognition.) Well—when did you get back! . . . And how was
it? … Of course I’ve missed you—in my way . . . This morning?
No . . . house cleaning and all that and Mama hates it if I let
people come over when the house is like this . . . You have? Well,
that’s d i f f e r e n t . . . What is it—Oh, what the hell, come on
over .. . Right, see you then. Arrividerci. (She hangs up.)
MAMA (who has listened vigorously, as is her habit): Who is that
you inviting over here with this house looking like this? You
ain’t got the pride you was born with!
BENEATHA: Asagai doesn’t care how houses look Mama—he’s an
intellectual.
MAMA: Who?
BENEATHA: Asagai— Joseph Asagai. He’s an African boy I met on
campus. He’s been studying in Canada all summer.
MAMA: What’s his name?
BENEATHA: Asagai, Joseph. Ah-sah-guy . . . He’s from Nigeria.
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Lorraine Hansberry
MAMA: Oh, that’s the little country that was founded by slaves
way back . . .
BENEATHA: No, Mama—that’s Liberia.
MAMA: I don’t think I never met no African before.
BENEATHA: Well, do me a favor and don’t ask him a whole lot of
ignorant questions about Africans. I mean, do they wear clothes
and all that—
MAMA: Well, now, I guess if you think we so ignorant ’round here
maybe you shouldn’t bring your friends here —
BENEATHA: It’s just that people ask such crazy things. All anyone
seems to know about when it comes to Africa is Tarzan —
MAMA (indignantly): Why should I know anything about Africa?
BENEATHA: Why do you give money at church for the missionary
work?
MAMA: Well, that’s to help save people.
BENEATHA: You mean save them from heathenism —
MAMA (innocently): Yes.
BENEATHA: I’m afraid they need more salvation from the British
and the French.
RUTH comes in forlornly and pulls off her coat with dejection. They
both turn to look at her.
RUTH (dispiritedly): Well, I guess from all the happy faces—every-
body knows.
BENEATHA: You pregnant?
MAMA: Lord have mercy, I sure hope it’s a little old girl. Travis
ought to have a sister.
BENEATHA and RUTH give her a hopeless look for this
grandmotherly enthusiasm.
BENEATHA: How far along are you?
RUTH: Two months.
BENEATHA: Did you mean to? I mean did you plan it or was it an
accident?
MAMA: What do you know about planning or not planning?
BENEATHA: Oh, Mama.
RUTH (wearily): She’s twenty years old, Lena.
BENEATHA: Did you plan it, Ruth?
RUTH: Mind your own business.
BENEATHA: It is my business—where is he going to live, on the
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
roof? (There is silence following the remark as the three women
react to the sense of it.) Gee—I didn’t mean that, Ruth, honest.
Gee, I don’t feel like that at all. I — I think it is wonderful.
RUTH (dully): Wonderful.
BENEATHA: Yes—really.
MAMA (looking at RUTH, worried): Doctor say everything going to
be all right?
RUTH (far away): Yes—she says everything is going to be fine . . .
MAMA (immediately suspicious): “She”—What doctor you went
to?
RUTH folds over, near hysteria.
MAMA (worriedly hovering over RUTH): Ruth honey—what’s the
matter with you—you sick?
RUTH has her fists clenched on her thighs and is fighting hard to
suppress a scream that seems to be rising in her.
BENEATHA: What’s the matter with her, Mama?
MAMA (working her fingers in RUTH’S shoulders to relax her): She
be all right. Women gets right depressed sometimes when they
get her way. (speaking softly, expertly, rapidly) Now you just
relax. That’s right. . . just lean back, don’t think ’bout nothing
at a l l . . . nothing at all—
RUTH: I’m all right. . .
The glassy-eyed look melts and then she collapses into a fit of heavy
sobbing. The bell rings.
BENEATHA: Oh, my God—that must be Asagai.
MAMA (to RUTH): Come on now, honey. You need to lie down
and rest awhile . . . then have some nice hot food.
They exit, RUTH’S weight on her mother-in-law. BENEATHA, herself
profoundly disturbed, opens the door to admit a rather dramatic-
looking young man with a large package.
ASAGAI: Hello, Alaiyo —
BENEATHA (holding the door open and regarding him with
pleasure): Hello . . . (long pause) Well—come in. And please
excuse everything. My mother was very upset about my letting
anyone come here with the place like this.
ASAGAI (coming into the room): You look disturbed too . . . Is
something wrong?
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BENEATHA: (still at the door, absently): Yes . . . we’ve all got acute
ghetto-itus. (She smiles and comes toward him, finding a ciga-
rette and sitting.) So—sit down! No! Wait! (She whips the
spraygun off sofa where she had left it and puts the cushions
back. At last perches on arm of sofa. He sits.) So, how was
Canada?
ASAGAI (a sophisticate): Canadian.
BENEATHA (looking at him): Asagai, I’m very glad you are
back.
ASAGAI (looking back at her in turn): Are you really?
BENEATHA: Yes—very.
ASAGAI: Why?—you were quite glad when I went away. What
happened?
BENEATHA: You went away.
ASAGAI: Ahhhhhhhh.
BENEATHA: Before—you wanted to be so serious before there was
time.
ASAGAI: How much time must there be before one knows what
one feels?
BENEATHA (Stalling this particular conversation. Her hands pressed
together, in a deliberately childish gesture.): What did you bring
me?
ASAGAI (handing her the package): Open it and see.
BENEATHA (eagerly opening the package and drawing out some
records and the colorful robes of a Nigerian woman): Oh, As-
agai! . . . You got them for me! . . . How beautiful. . . and the
records too! (She lifts out the robes and runs to the mirror with
them and holds the drapery up in front of herself.)
ASAGAI (coming to her at the mirror): I shall have to teach you
how to drape it properly. (He flings the material about her for
the moment and stands back to look at her.) Ah —Oh-pay-gay –
day, oh-gbah-mu-shay. (a Yoruba exclamation for admiration)
You wear it well. . . very well. . . mutilated hair and all.
BENEATHA (turning suddenly): My hair—what’s wrong with my
hair?
ASAGAI (shrugging): Were you born with it like that?
BENEATHA (reaching up to touch it): No . . . of course not. (She
looks back to the mirror, disturbed.)
ASAGAI (smiling): How then?
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
BENEATHA: You know perfectly well h o w . . . as crinkly as
yours . . . that’s how.
ASAGAI: And it is ugly to you that way?
BENEATHA (quickly): Oh, no—not ugly . . . (more slowly, apolo-
getically) But it’s so hard to manage when it’s, well—raw.
ASAGAI: And so to accommodate that—you mutilate it every
week?
BENEATHA: It’s not mutilation!
ASAGAI (laughing aloud at her seriousness): Oh . . . please! I am
only teasing you because you are so very serious about these
things. (He stands back from her and folds his arms across his
chest as he watches her pulling at her hair and frowning in the
mirror.) Do you remember the first time you met me at
school? . . . (He laughs.) You came up to me and you said—
and I thought you were the most serious little thing I had ever
seen—you said: (He imitates her.) “Mr. Asagai—I want very
much to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am
looking for my identity!” (He laughs.)
BENEATHA (turning to him, not laughing): Yes — . (Her face is
quizzical, profoundly disturbed.)
ASAGAI (still teasing and reaching out and taking her face in his
hands and turning her profile to him): W e l l . . . it is true that
this is not so much a profile of a Hollywood queen as perhaps
a queen of the Nile— (a mock dismissal of the importance of
the question) But what does it matter? Assimilationism is so
popular in your country.
BENEATHA (wheeling, passionately, sharply): I am not an assimi-
lationist!
ASAGAI (the protest hangs in the room for a moment and ASAGAI
studies her, his laughter fading): Such a serious one. (There is
a pause.) So—you like the robes? You must take excellent care
of them—they are from my sister’s personal wardrobe.
BENEATHA (with incredulity): You—you sent all the way home —
for me?
ASAGAI (with charm): For y o u — I would do much more . . . Well,
that is what I came for. I must go.
BENEATHA: Will you call me Monday?
ASAGAI: Yes . . . We have a great deal to talk about. I mean about
identity and time and all that.
Lorraine Hansberry
BENEATHA: Time?
ASAGAI: Yes. About how much time one needs to know what one
feels.
BENEATHA: You see! You never understood that there is more than
one kind of feeling which can exist between a man and a
woman —or, at least, there should be.
ASAGAI (shaking his head negatively but gently): No. Between a
man and a woman there need be only one kind of feeling. I have
that for you . . . Now even . . . right this moment. . .
BENEATHA: I know—and by itself—it won’t do. I can find that
anywhere.
ASAGAI: For a woman it should be enough.
BENEATHA: I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels
that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh — b u t I’m not
interested in being someone’s little episode in America or—(with
feminine vengeance) —one of them! (ASAGAI has burst into
laughter again.) That’s funny as hell, huh!
ASAGAI: It’s just that every American girl I have known has said
that to me. White —black—in this you are all the same. And the
same speech, too!
BENEATHA (angrily): Yuk, yuk, yuk!
ASAGAI: It’s how you can be sure that the world’s most liberated
women are not liberated at all. You all talk about it too much!
MAMA enters and is immediately all social charm because of the
presence of a guest.
BENEATHA: Oh—Mama —this is Mr. Asagai.
MAMA: How do you do?
ASAGAI (total politeness to an elder): How do you do, Mrs.
Younger. Please forgive me for coming at such an outrageous
hour on a Saturday.
MAMA: Well, you are quite welcome. I just hope you understand
that our house don’t always look like this, (chatterish) You
must come again. I would love to hear all about— (not sure of
the name)—your country. I think it’s so sad the way our Amer-
ican Negroes don’t know nothing about Africa ‘cept Tarzan and
all that. And all that money they pour into these churches when
they ought to be helping you people over there drive out them
French and Englishmen done taken away your land.
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
The mother flashes a slightly superior look at her daughter upon
completion of the recitation.
ASAGAI (taken aback by this sudden and acutely unrelated expres-
sion of sympathy): Yes . . . yes . . .
MAMA (smiling at him suddenly and relaxing and looking him
over): How many miles is it from here to where you come from?
ASAGAI: Many thousands.
MAMA (looking at him as she would WALTERJ: I bet you don’t half
look after yourself, being away from your mama either. I spec
you better come ’round here from time to time to get yourself
some decent home-cooked meals . . .
ASAGAI (moved): Thank you. Thank you very much. (They are
all quiet, then—) W e l l . . . I must go. I will call you Monday,
Alaiyo.
MAMA: What’s that he call you?
ASAGAI: Oh—”Alaiyo.” I hope you don’t mind. It is what you
would call a nickname, I think. It is a Yoruba word. I am a
Yoruba.
MAMA (looking at BENEATHAJ: I — I thought he was from—(uncer-
tain)
ASAGAI (understanding): Nigeria is my country. Yoruba is my
tribal origin—
BENEATHA: You didn’t tell us what Alaiyo means . . . for all I
know, you might be calling me Little Idiot or something . . .
ASAGAI: W e l l . . . let me see … I do not know how just to explain
i t . . . The sense of a thing can be so different when it changes
languages.
BENEATHA: You’re evading.
ASAGAI: No—really it is difficult. . . (thinking) It means . . . it
means One for Whom Bread —Food —Is Not Enough. (He looks
at her.) Is that all right?
BENEATHA (understanding, softly): Thank you.
MAMA (looking from one to the other and not understanding any
of it): Well. . . that’s nice . . . You must come see us again—
Mr.
ASAGAI: Ah-sah-guy . . .
MAMA: Yes . . . Do come again.
ASAGAI: Good-bye. (Re exits.)
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MAMA (after him): Lord, that’s a pretty thing just went out here!
(insinuatingly, to her daughter) Yes, I guess I see why we done
commence to get so interested in Africa ’round here. Mission-
aries my aunt Jenny! (She exits.)
BENEATHA: Oh, Mama! . . .
She picks up the Nigerian dress and holds it up to her in front of
the mirror again. She sets the headdress on haphazardly and then
notices her hair again and clutches at it and then replaces the
headdress and frowns at herself. Then she starts to wriggle in front
of the mirror as she thinks a Nigerian woman might. TRAVIS enters
and stands regarding her.
TRAVIS: What’s the matter girl, you cracking up?
BENEATHA: Shut Up.
She pulls the headdress off and looks at herself in the mirror and
clutches at her hair again and squinches her eyes as if trying to
imagine something. Then, suddenly, she gets her raincoat and
kerchief and hurriedly prepares for going out.
MAMA (coming back into the room): She’s resting now. Travis,
baby, run next door and ask Miss Johnson to please let me have
a little kitchen cleanser. This here can is empty as Jacob’s kettle.
TRAVIS: I just came in.
MAMA: Do as you told. (He exits and she looks at her daughter.)
Where you going?
BENEATHA (halting at the door): To become a queen of the Nile!
She exits in a breathless blaze of glory. RUTH appears in the
bedroom doorway.
MAMA: Who told you to get up?
RUTH: Ain’t nothing wrong with me to be lying in no bed for.
Where did Bennie go?
MAMA (drumming her fingers): Far as I could make out—to Egypt.
(RUTH just looks at her.) What time is it getting to?
RUTH: Ten twenty. And the mailman going to ring that bell this
morning just like he done every morning for the last umpteen
years.
TRAVIS comes in with the cleanser can.
TRAVIS: She say to tell you that she don’t have much.
MAMA (angrily): Lord, some people I could name sure is tight-
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
fisted! (directing her grandson) Mark two cans of cleanser
down on the list there. If she that hard up for kitchen cleanser,
I sure don’t want to forget to get her none!
RUTH: Lena—maybe the woman is just short on cleanser—
MAMA (not listening): —Much baking powder as she done bor-
rowed from me all these years, she could of done gone into the
baking business!
The bell sounds suddenly and sharply and all three are
stunned—serious and silent—mid-speech. In spite of all the other
conversations and distractions of the morning, this is what they
have been waiting for, even TRAVIS, who looks helplessly from
his mother to his grandmother. RUTH is the first to come to life
again.
RUTH (to TRAVIS,): Get down them steps, boy! (TRAVIS snaps to
life and flies out to get the mail.)
MAMA (her eyes wide, her hand to her breast): You mean it done
really come?
RUTH (excited): Oh, Miss Lena!
MAMA (collecting herself): W e l l . . . I don’t know what we all so
excited about ’round here for. We known it was coming for
months.
RUTH: That’s a whole lot different from having it come and being
able to hold it in your hands . . . a piece of paper worth ten
thousand dollars . . . (TRAVIS bursts back into the room. He
holds the envelope high above his head, like a little dancer, his
face is radiant and he is breathless. He moves to his grandmother
with sudden slow ceremony and puts the envelope into her
hands. She accepts it, and then merely holds it and looks at it.)
Come on! Open i t . . . Lord have mercy, I wish Walter Lee was
here!
TRAVIS: Open it, Grandmama!
MAMA (staring at it): Now you all be quiet. It’s just a check.
RUTH: Open i t . . .
MAMA (still staring at it): Now don’t act silly . . . We ain’t never
been no people to act silly ’bout no money—
RUTH (swiftly): We ain’t never had none before—OPEN IT!
MAMA finally makes a good strong tear and pulls out the thin blue
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slice of paper and inspects it closely. The boy and his mother study
it raptly over MAMA’S shoulders.
MAMA: Travis! (She is counting off with doubt.) Is that the right
number of zeros?
TRAVIS: Yes’m . . . ten thousand dollars. Gaalee, Grandmama, you
rich.
MAMA (She holds the check away from her, still looking at it.
Slowly her face sobers into a mask of unhappiness.): Ten thou-
sand dollars. (She hands it to RUTH.) Put it away somewhere,
Ruth. (She does not look at RUTH; her eyes seem to be seeing
something somewhere very far off.) Ten thousand dollars they
give you. Ten thousand dollars.
TRAVIS (to his mother, sincerely): What’s the matter with Grand-
mama—don’t she want to be rich?
RUTH (distractedly): You go on out and play now, baby. (TRAVIS
exits. MAMA starts wiping dishes absently, humming intently to
herself. RUTH turns to her, with kind exasperation.) You’ve
gone and got yourself upset.
MAMA (not looking at her): I spec if it wasn’t for you a l l . . . I
would just put that money away or give it to the church or
something.
RUTH: Now what kind of talk is that. Mr. Younger would just be
plain mad if he could hear you talking foolish like that.
MAMA (stopping and staring off): Yes . . . he sure would, (sighing)
We got enough to do with that money, all right. (She halts then,
and turns and looks at her daughter-in-law hard; RUTH avoids
her eyes and MAMA wipes her hands with finality and starts to
speak firmly to RUTH.,) Where did you go today, girl?
RUTH: To the doctor.
MAMA (impatiently): Now, Ruth . . . you know better than that.
Old Doctor Jones is strange enough in his way but there ain’t
nothing ’bout him make somebody slip and call him “she” —
like you done this morning.
RUTH: Well, that’s what happened—my tongue slipped.
MAMA: You went to see that woman, didn’t you?
RUTH (defensively, giving herself away): What woman you talking
about?
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
MAMA (angrily): That woman who —(WALTER enters in great ex-
citement.)
WALTER: Did it come?
MAMA (quietly): Can’t you give people a Christian greeting before
you start asking about money?
WALTER (to RUTH): Did it come? (RUTH unfolds the check and
lays it quietly before him, watching him intently with thoughts
of her own. WALTER sits down and grasps it close and counts
off the zeros.) Ten thousand dollars—(He turns suddenly, fran-
tically to his mother and draws some papers out of his breast
pocket.) Mama—look. Old Willy Harris put everything on pa-
per—
MAMA: Son — I think you ought to talk to your wife . . . I’ll go on
out and leave you alone if you want—
WALTER: I can talk to her later—Mama, look—
MAMA: Son—
WALTER: WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!
MAMA (quietly): I don’t ‘low no yellin’ in this house, Walter Lee,
and you know it—(WALTER stares at them in frustration and
starts to speak several times.) And there ain’t going to be no
investing in no liquor stores.
WALTER: But, Mama, you ain’t even looked at it.
MAMA: I don’t aim to have to speak on that again, (a long pause)
WALTER: You ain’t looked at it and you don’t aim to have to speak
on that again? You ain’t even looked at it and you have de-
cided— (crumpling his papers) Well, you tell that to my boy
tonight when you put him to sleep on the living-room couch . . .
(turning to MAMA and speaking directly to her) Yeah—and tell
it to my wife, Mama, tomorrow when she has to go out of here
to look after somebody else’s kids. And tell it to me, Mama,
every time we need a new pair of curtains and I have to watch
you go and work in somebody’s kitchen. Yeah, you tell me then!
(WALTER starts out.)
RUTH: Where you going?
WALTER: I’m going out!
RUTH: Where?
WALTER: Just out of this house somewhere —
RUTH (getting her coat): I’ll come too.
WALTER: I don’t want you to come!
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RUTH: I got something to talk to you about, Walter.
WALTER: That’s too bad.
MAMA (still quietly): Walter Lee—(She waits and be finally turns
and looks at her.) Sit down.
WALTER: I’m a grown man, Mama.
MAMA: Ain’t nobody said you wasn’t grown. But you still in my
house and my presence. And as long as you are—you’ll talk to
your wife civil. Now sit down.
RUTH (suddenly): Oh, let him go on out and drink himself to
death! He makes me sick to my stomach! (She flings her coat
against him and exits to bedroom.)
WALTER (violently flinging the coat after her): And you turn mine
too, baby! (The door slams behind her.) That was my biggest
mistake—
MAMA (still quietly): Walter, what is the matter with you?
WALTER: Matter with me? Ain’t nothing the matter with me!
MAMA: Yes there is. Something eating you up like a crazy man.
Something more than me not giving you this money. The past
few years I been watching it happen to you. You get all nervous
acting and kind of wild in the eyes —(WALTER jumps up impa-
tiently at her words.) I said sit there now, I’m talking to you!
WALTER: Mama—I don’t need no nagging at me today.
MAMA: Seem like you getting to a place where you always tied up
in some kind of knot about something. But if anybody ask you
’bout it you just yell at ’em and bust out the house and go out
and drink somewheres. Walter Lee, people can’t live with that.
Ruth’s a good, patient girl in her way — b u t you getting to be
too much. Boy, don’t make the mistake of driving that girl away
from you.
WALTER: Why—what she do for me?
MAMA: She loves you.
WALTER: Mama —I’m going out. I want to go off somewhere and
be by myself for a while.
MAMA: I’m sorry ’bout your liquor store, son. It just wasn’t the
thing for us to do. That’s what I want to tell you about—
WALTER: I got to go out, Mama— (He rises.)
MAMA: It’s dangerous, son.
WALTER: What’s dangerous?
MAMA: When a man goes outside his home to look for peace.
52,1
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act I Scene II
WALTER (beseechingly): Then why can’t there never be no peace
in this house then?
MAMA: You done found it in some other house?
WALTER: No—there ain’t no woman! Why do women always think
there’s a woman somewhere when a man gets restless, (picks
up the check) Do you know what this money means to me? Do
you know what this money can do for us? (puts it back)
Mama—Mama—I want so many things . . .
MAMA: Yes, son —
WALTER: I want so many things that they are driving me kind of
crazy . . . Mama—look at me.
MAMA: I’m looking at you. You a good-looking boy. You got a
job, a nice wife, a fine boy and—
WALTER: A job. (looks at her) Mama, a job? I open and close
car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine
and I say, “Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive,
sir?” Mama, that ain’t no kind of job . . . that ain’t nothing at
all. (very quietly) Mama, I don’t know if I can make you un-
derstand.
MAMA: Understand what, baby?
WALTER (quietly): Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched
out in front of m e — j u s t plain as day. The future, Mama. Hang-
ing over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me — a
big, looming blank space—full of nothing. Just waiting for me.
But it don’t have to be. (Pause. Kneeling beside her chair.)
Mama—sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool,
quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back
and talking ’bout things . . . sitting there turning deals worth
millions of dollars . . . sometimes I see guys don’t look much
older than me —
MAMA: Son—how come you talk so much ’bout money?
WALTER (with immense passion): Because it is life, Mama!
MAMA (quietly): Oh —(very quietly) So now it’s life. Money is life.
Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I
guess the world really do change . . .
WALTER: No —it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know
about it.
MAMA: No . . . something has changed. (She looks at him.) You
52,2.
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something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being
lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay
alive and still have a pinch of dignity too . . . Now here come
you and Beneatha—talking ’bout things we never even thought
about hardly, me and your daddy. You ain’t satisfied or proud
of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept
you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to
ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar—You my chil-
dren—but how different we done become.
WALTER (A long beat. He pats her hand and gets up): You just
don’t understand, Mama, you just don’t understand.
MAMA: Son—do you know your wife is expecting another baby?
(“WALTER stands, stunned, and absorbs what his mother has said.)
That’s what she wanted to talk to you about. (WALTER sinks
down into a chair.) This ain’t for me to be telling—but you
ought to know. (She waits.) I think Ruth is thinking ’bout
getting rid of that child.
WALTER (slowly understanding): — N o — n o —Ruth wouldn’t do
that.
MAMA: When the world gets ugly enough — a woman will do any-
thing for her family. The part thafs already living.
WALTER: You don’t know Ruth, Mama, if you think she would
do that.
RUTH opens the bedroom door and stands there a little limp.
RUTH (beaten): Yes I would too, Walter. (Pause.) I gave her a
five-dollar down payment.
There is total silence as the man stares at his wife and the mother
stares at her son.
MAMA (presently): Well—(tightly) Well —son, I’m waiting to hear
you say something . . . (She waits.) I’m waiting to hear how
you be your father’s son. Be the man he was . . . (Pause. The
silence shouts.) Your wife say she going to destroy your child.
And I’m waiting to hear you talk like him and say we a people
who give children life, not who destroys them — (She rises.) I’m
waiting to see you stand up and look like your daddy and say
we done give up one baby to poverty and that we ain’t going to
give up nary another one . . . I’m waiting.
52-3
A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
WALTER: Ruth—(He can say nothing.)
MAMA: If you a son of mine, tell her! (WALTER picks up his keys
and his coat and walks out. She continues, bitterly.) You . . .
you are a disgrace to your father’s memory. Somebody get me
my hat!
A C T I I
S C E N E I
Time Later the same day.
At rise RUTH is ironing again. She has the radio going. Presently
BENEATHA’S bedroom door opens and RUTH’S mouth falls and she
puts down the iron in fascination.
RUTH: What have we got on tonight!
BENEATHA (emerging grandly from the doorway so that we can see
her thoroughly robed in the costume Asagai brought): You are
looking at what a well-dressed Nigerian woman wears — (She
parades for RUTH, her hair completely hidden by the headdress;
she is coquettishly fanning herself with an ornate oriental fan,
mistakenly more like Butterfly than any Nigerian that ever was.)
Isn’t it beautiful? (She promenades to the radio and, with an
arrogant flourish, turns off the good loud blues that is playing.)
Enough of this assimilationist junk! (RUTH follows her with her
eyes as she goes to the phonograph and puts on a record and
turns and waits ceremoniously for the music to come up. Then,
with a shout-) OCOMOGOSIAY!
RUTH jumps. The music comes up, a lovely Nigerian melody.
BENEATHA listens, enraptured, her eyes far away—if back to the
past.” She begins to dance. RUTH is dumfounded.
RUTH: What kind of dance is that?
BENEATHA: A folk dance.
RUTH (Pearl Bailey): What kind of folks do that, honey?
BENEATHA: It’s from Nigeria. It’s a dance of welcome.
RUTH: Who you welcoming?
BENEATHA: The men back to the village.
Lorraine Hansberry
RUTH: Where they been?
BENEATHA: How should I know—out hunting or something. Any-
way, they are coming back now . . .
RUTH: Well, that’s good.
BENEATHA (with the record):
Alundi, alundi
Alundi alunya
Jop pu a jeepua
Ang gu soooooooooo
Ai yai yae . . .
Ayehaye—alundi. . .
WALTER comes in during this performance; he has obviously been
drinking. He leans against the door heavily and watches his sister,
at first with distaste. Then his eyes look off—”back to the past”—
as he lifts both his fists to the roof, screaming.
WALTER: YEAH . . . AND ETHIOPIA STRETCH FORTH HER
HANDS AGAIN! .. .
RUTH (drily, looking at him): Yes —and Africa sure is claiming her
own tonight. (She gives them both up and starts ironing again.)
WALTER (all in a drunken, dramatic shout): Shut up! . . . I’m dig-
ging them drums . . . them drums move me! . . . (He makes his
weaving way to his wife’s face and leans in close to her.) In my
heart of hearts—(He thumps his chest.)—I am much warrior!
RUTH (without even looking up): In your heart of hearts you are
much drunkard.
WALTER (coming away from her and starting to wander around
the room, shouting): Me and Jomo . . . (Intently, in his sister’s
face. She has stopped dancing to watch him in this unknown
mood.) That’s my man, Kenyatta. (shouting and thumping his
chest) FLAMING SPEAR! HOT DAMN! (He is suddenly in
possession of an imaginary spear and actively spearing enemies
all over the room.) OCOMOGOSIAY. . .
BENEATHA (to encourage WALTER, thoroughly caught up with this
side of him): OCOMOGOSIAY, FLAMING SPEAR!
WALTER: THE LION IS WAKING . . . OWIMOWEH! (He pulls
his shirt open and leaps up on the table and gestures with his
spear.)
52-5
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
BENEATHA: OWIMOWEH!
WALTER (On the table, very far gone, his eyes pure glass sheets.
He sees what we cannot, that he is a leader of his people, a great
chief, a descendant of Chaka, and that the hour to march has
come.): Listen, my black brothers —
BENEATHA: OCOMOGOSIAY!
WALTER: —Do you hear the waters rushing against the shores of
the coastlands —
BENEATHA: OCOMOGOSIAY!
WALTER: —Do you hear the screeching of the cocks in yonder hills
beyond where the chiefs meet in council for the coming of the
mighty war—
BENEATHA: OCOMOGOSIAY!
And now the lighting shifts subtly to suggest the world of WALTER’S
imagination, and the mood shifts from pure comedy. It is the inner
WALTER speaking: the Southside chauffeur has assumed an
unexpected majesty.
WALTER: —Do you hear the beating of the wings of the birds flying
low over the mountains and the low places of our land—
BENEATHA: OCOMOGOSIAY!
WALTER: Do you hear the singing of the women, singing the war
songs of our fathers to the babies in the great houses? Singing
the sweet war songs! (The doorbell rings.) OH, DO YOU
HEAR, MY BLACK BROTHERS!
BENEATHA (completely gone): We hear you, Flaming Spear—
RUTH shuts off the phonograph and opens the door. GEORGE
MURCHISON enters.
WALTER: Telling us to prepare for the GREATNESS OF THE
TIME! (Lights back to normal. He turns and sees GEORGE.)
Black Brother! (He extends his hand for the fraternal clasp.)
GEORGE: Black Brother, hell!
RUTH (having had enough, and embarrassed for the family):
Beneatha, you got company—what’s the matter with you?
Walter Lee Younger, get down off that table and stop acting
like a fool. . .
WALTER comes down off the table suddenly and makes a quick
exit to the bathroom.
5*6
Lorraine Hansberry
RUTH: He’s had a little to drink . . . I don’t know what her excuse
is.
GEORGE (to BENEATHA): Look honey, we’re going to the theatre—
we’re not going to be in i t . . . so go change, huh?
BENEATHA looks at him and slowly, ceremoniously, lifts her hands
and pulls off the headdress. Her hair is close-cropped and
unstraightened. GEORGE freezes mid-sentence and RUTH’S eyes all
but fall out of her head.
GEORGE: What in the name o f —
RUTH (touching BENEATHA’S hair): Girl, you done lost your natural
mind!? Look at your head!
GEORGE: What have you done to your head—I mean your hair?
BENEATHA: Nothing—except cut it off.
RUTH: Now that’s the truth—it’s what ain’t been done to it! You
expect this boy to go out with you with your head all nappy
like that?
BENEATHA (looking at GEORGE): That’s up to George. If he’s
ashamed of his heritage —
GEORGE: Oh, don’t be so proud of yourself, Bennie—just because
you look eccentric.
BENEATHA: How can something that’s natural be eccentric?
GEORGE: That’s what being eccentric means —being natural. Get
dressed.
BENEATHA: I don’t like that, George.
RUTH: Why must you and your brother make an argument out of
everything people say?
BENEATHA: Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!
RUTH: Will somebody please tell me what assimila-whoever
means!
GEORGE: Oh, it’s just a college girl’s way of calling people Uncle
Toms — b u t that isn’t what it means at all.
RUTH: Well, what does it mean?
BENEATHA (cutting GEORGE off and staring at him as she replies to
RUTH): It means someone who is willing to give up his own
culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and
in this case oppressive culture!
GEORGE: Oh, dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the Af-
rican past! On our Great West African Heritage! In one second
52-7
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Son-
ghay civilizations; and the great sculpture of Benin—and then
some poetry in the Bantu—and the whole monologue will end
with the word heritage* (nastily) Let’s face it, baby, your her-
itage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some
grass huts!
BENEATHA: GRASS HUTS! (RUTH crosses to her and forcibly
pushes her toward the bedroom.) See there . . . you are standing
there in your splendid ignorance talking about people who were
the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth! (RUTH is pushing
her through the door.) The Ashanti were performing surgical
operations when the English —(RUTH pulls the door to, with
BENEATHA on the other side, and smiles graciously at GEORGE.
BENEATHA opens the door and shouts the end of the sentence
defiantly at GEORGE.,)—were still tatooing themselves with blue
dragons! (She goes back inside.)
RUTH: Have a seat, George. (They both sit. RUTH folds her hands
rather primly on her lap, determined to demonstrate the civili-
zation of the family.) Warm, ain’t it? I mean for September.
(pause) Just like they always say about Chicago weather: If it’s
too hot or cold for you, just wait a minute and it’ll change. (She
smiles happily at this cliche of cliches.) Everybody say it’s got
to do with them bombs and things they keep setting off. (pause)
Would you like a nice cold beer?
GEORGE: No, thank you. I don’t care for beer. (He looks at his
watch.) I hope she hurries up.
RUTH: What time is the show?
GEORGE: It’s an eight-thirty curtain. That’s just Chicago, though.
In New York standard curtain time is eight forty. (He is rather
proud of this knowledge.)
RUTH (properly appreciating it): You get to New York a lot?
GEORGE (offhand): Few times a year.
RUTH: Oh—that’s nice. I’ve never been to New York. (WALTER
enters. We feel he has relieved himself, but the edge of unreality
is still with him.)
WALTER: New York ain’t got nothing Chicago ain’t. Just a bunch
of hustling people all squeezed up together—being “Eastern.”
(He turns his face into a screw of displeasure.)
GEORGE: Oh—you’ve been?
528
Lorraine Hansberry
WALTER: Plenty of times.
RUTH (shocked at the lie): Walter Lee Younger!
WALTER (staring her down): Plenty! (pause) What we got to drink
in this house? Why don’t you offer this man some refreshment.
(to GEORGEJ They don’t know how to entertain people in this
house, man.
GEORGE: Thank y o u — I don’t really care for anything.
WALTER (feeling his head; sobriety coming): Where’s Mama?
RUTH: She ain’t come back yet.
WALTER (looking MURCHISON over from head to toe, scrutinizing
his carefully casual tweed sports jacket over cashmere V-neck
sweater over soft eyelet shirt and tie, and soft slacks, finished
off with white buckskin shoes): Why all you college boys wear
them faggoty-looking white shoes?
RUTH: Walter Lee!
GEORGE MURCHISON ignores the remark.
WALTER (to RUTH): Well, they look crazy as hell—white shoes,
cold as it is.
RUTH (crushed): You have to excuse him—
WALTER: No he don’t! Excuse me for what? What you always
excusing me for! I’ll excuse myself when I needs to be excused!
(a pause) They look as funny as them black knee socks Beneatha
wears out of here all the time.
RUTH: It’s the college style, Walter.
WALTER: Style, hell. She looks like she got burnt legs or something!
RUTH: Oh, Walter—
WALTER (an irritable mimic): Oh, Walter! Oh, Walter! (to MUR-
CHISON,) How’s your old man making out? I understand you
all going to buy that big hotel on the Drive? (He finds a beer
in the refrigerator, wanders over to MURCHISON, sipping and
wiping his lips with the back of his hand, and straddling a chair
backwards to talk to the other man.) Shrewd move. Your old
man is all right, man. (tapping his head and half winking for
emphasis) I mean he knows how to operate. I mean he thinks
big, you know what I mean, I mean for a home, you know? But
I think he’s kind of running out of ideas now. I’d like to talk to
him. Listen, man, I got some plans that could turn this city
upside down. I mean think like he does. Big. Invest big, gamble
529
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
big, hell, lose big if you have to, you know what I mean. It’s
hard to find a man on this whole Southside who understands
my kind of thinking—you dig? (He scrutinizes MURCHISON
again, drinks his beer, squints his eyes and leans in close, con-
fidential, man to man.) Me and you ought to sit down and talk
sometimes, man. Man, I got me some ideas . . .
MURCHISON (with boredom): Yeah—sometimes we’ll have to do
that, Walter.
WALTER (understanding the indifference, and offended): Yeah—
well, when you get the time, man. I know you a busy little boy.
RUTH: Walter, please—
WALTER (bitterly, hurt): I know ain’t nothing in this world as busy
as you colored college boys with your fraternity pins and white
shoes . . .
RUTH (covering her face with humiliation): Oh, Walter Lee —
WALTER: I see you all all the time—with the books tucked under
your arms—going to your (British A—a mimic) “clahsses.”
And for what! What the hell you learning over there? Filling up
your heads—(counting off on his fingers)—with the sociology
and the psychology—but they teaching you how to be a man?
How to take over and run the world? They teaching you how
to run a rubber plantation or a steel mill? Naw—just to talk
proper and read books and wear them faggoty-looking white
shoes . . .
GEORGE (looking at him with distaste, a little above it all): You’re
all wacked up with bitterness, man.
WALTER (intently, almost quietly, between the teeth, glaring at the
boy): And you —ain’t you bitter, man? Ain’t you just about had
it yet? Don’t you see no stars gleaming that you can’t reach out
and grab? You happy?—You contented son-of-a-bitch—you
happy? You got it made? Bitter? Man, I’m a volcano. Bitter?
Here I am a giant—surrounded by ants! Ants who can’t even
understand what it is the giant is talking about.
RUTH (passionately and suddenly): Oh, Walter—ain’t you with
nobody!
WALTER (violently): No! ‘Cause ain’t nobody with me! Not even
my own mother!
RUTH: Walter, that’s a terrible thing to say!
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Lorraine Hansberry
BENEATHA enters, dressed for the evening in a cocktail dress and
earrings, hair natural.
GEORGE: Well—hey—(crosses to BENEATHA; thoughful, with em-
phasis, since this is a reversal) You look great!
WALTER (seeing his sister’s hair for the first time): What’s the mat-
ter with your head?
BENEATHA (tired of the jokes now): I cut it off, Brother.
WALTER (coming close to inspect it and walking around her): Well,
I’ll be damned. So that’s what they mean by the African bush . . .
BENEATHA: Ha ha. Let’s go, George.
GEORGE (looking at her): You know something? I like it. It’s sharp.
I mean it really is. (helps her into her wrap)
RUTH: Yes—I think so, too. (She goes to the mirror and starts to
clutch at her hair.)
WALTER: Oh no! You leave yours alone, baby. You might turn out
to have a pin-shaped head or something!
BENEATHA: See you all later.
RUTH: Have a nice time.
GEORGE: Thanks. Good night. (Half out the door, he reopens it.
To WALTER.) Good night, Prometheus!
BENEATHA and GEORGE exit.
WALTER (to RUTH): Who is Prometheus?
RUTH: I don’t know. Don’t worry about it.
WALTER (in fury, pointing after GEORGE): See there—they get to a
point where they can’t insult you man to man—they got to go
talk about something ain’t nobody never heard of!
RUTH: How do you know it was an insult? (to humor him)
Maybe Prometheus is a nice fellow.
WALTER: Prometheus! I bet there ain’t even no such thing! I bet
that simple-minded clown —
RUTH: Walter—(She stops what she is doing and looks at him.)
WALTER (yelling): Don’t start!
RUTH: Start what?
WALTER: Your nagging! Where was I? Who was I with? How much
money did I spend?
RUTH (plaintively): Walter Lee—why don’t we just try to talk
about i t . . .
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
WALTER (not listening): I been out talking with people who un-
derstand me. People who care about the things I got on my
mind.
RUTH (wearily): I guess that means people like Willy Harris.
WALTER: Yes, people like Willy Harris.
RUTH (with a sudden flash of impatience): Why don’t you all just
hurry up and go into the banking business and stop talking
about it!
WALTER: Why? You want to know why? ‘Cause we all tied up in
a race of people that don’t know how to do nothing but moan,
pray and have babies! (The line is too bitter even for him and
he looks at her and sits down.)
RUTH: Oh, Walter . . . (softly) Honey, why can’t you stop fighting
me?
WALTER (without thinking): Who’s fighting you! Who even cares
about you? (This line begins the retardation of his mood.)
RUTH: Well— (She waits a long time, and then with resignation
starts to put away her things.) I guess I might as well go on to
bed . . . (more or less to herself) I don’t know where we lost it
. . . but we have . . . (then, to him) I—I’m sorry about this new
baby, Walter. I guess maybe I better go on and do what I
started . . . I guess I just didn’t realize how bad things was with
us … I guess I just didn’t really realize—(She starts out to the
bedroom and stops.) You want some hot milk?
WALTER: Hot milk?
RUTH: Yes—hot milk.
WALTER: Why hot milk?
RUTH: ‘Cause after all that liquor you come home with you ought
to have something hot in your stomach.
WALTER: I don’t want no milk.
RUTH: You want some coffee then?
WALTER: No, I don’t want no coffee. I don’t want nothing hot to
drink, (almost plaintively) Why you always trying to give me
something to eat?
RUTH (standing and looking at him helplessly): What else can I
give you, Walter Lee Younger?
She stands and looks at him and presently turns to go out again.
He lifts his head and watches her going away from him in a new
532.
Lorraine Hansberry
mood which began to emerge when he asked her “Who cares about
you?”
WALTER: It’s been rough, ain’t it, baby? (She hears and stops but
does not turn around and he continues to her back.) I guess
between two people there ain’t never as much understood as
folks generally thinks there is. I mean like between me and you —
(She turns to face him.) How we gets to the place where we
scared to talk softness to each other. (He waits, thinking hard
himself.) Why you think it got to be like that? (He is thought-
ful, almost as a child would be.) Ruth, what is it gets into people
ought to be close?
RUTH: I don’t know, honey. I think about it a lot.
WALTER: On account of you and me, you mean? The way things
are with us. The way something done come down between us.
RUTH: There ain’t so much between us, Walter . . . Not when you
come to me and try to talk to me. Try to be with me … a little
even.
WALTER (total honesty): Sometimes . . . sometimes . . . I don’t even
know how to try.
RUTH: Walter —
WALTER: Yes?
RUTH (coming to him, gently and with misgiving, but coming to
him): Honey . . . life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes
people can do things so that things are better . . . You remember
how we used to talk when Travis was born . . . about the way
we were going to live . . . the kind of house . . . (She is stroking
his head.) Well, it’s all starting to slip away from us …
He turns her to him and they look at each other and kiss, tenderly
and hungrily. The door opens and MAMA enters—WALTER breaks
away and jumps up. A beat.)
WALTER: Mama, where have you been?
MAMA: My—them steps is longer than they used to be. Whew!
(She sits down and ignores him.) How you feeling this evening,
Ruth?
RUTH shrugs, disturbed at having been interrupted and watching
her husband knowingly.
WALTER: Mama, where have you been all day?
533
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
MAMA (still ignoring him and leaning on the table and changing to
more comfortable shoes): Where’s Travis?
RUTH: I let him go out earlier and he ain’t come back yet. Boy, is
he going to get it!
WALTER: Mama!
MAMA (as if she has heard him for the first time): Yes, son?
WALTER: Where did you go this afternoon?
MAMA: I went downtown to tend to some business that I had to
tend to.
WALTER: What kind of business?
MAMA: You know better than to question me like a child, Brother.
WALTER (rising and bending over the table): Where were you,
Mama? (bringing his fists down and shouting) Mama, you
didn’t go do something with that insurance money, something
crazy?
The front door opens slowly, interrupting him, and TRAVIS peeks
his head in, less than hopefully.
TRAVIS (to his mother): Mama, I—
RUTH: “Mama I” nothing! You’re going to get it, boy! Get on in
that bedroom and get yourself ready!
TRAVIS: But I—
MAMA: Why don’t you all never let the child explain hisself.
RUTH: Keep out of it now, Lena.
MAMA clamps her lips together, and RUTH advances toward her
son menacingly.
RUTH: A thousand times I have told you not to go off like that—
MAMA (holding out her arms to her grandson): Well—at least let
me tell him something. I want him to be the first one to hear
. . . Come here, Travis. (The boy obeys, gladly.) Travis — (She
takes him by the shoulder and looks into his face.)—you know
that money we got in the mail this morning?
TRAVIS: Yes’m —
MAMA: Well—what you think your grandmama gone and done
with that money?
TRAVIS: I don’t know, Grandmama.
MAMA (putting her finger on his nose for emphasis): She went out
and she bought you a house! (The explosion comes from WALTER
at the end of the revelation and he jumps up and turns away
534
Lorraine Hansberry
from all of them in a fury. MAMA continues, to TRAVIS.) You
glad about the house? It’s going to be yours when you get to be
a man.
TRAVIS: Yeah—I always wanted to live in a house.
MAMA: All right, gimme some sugar then —(TRAVIS puts his arms
around her neck as she watches her son over the boy’s shoulder.
Then, to TRAVIS, after the embrace.) Now when you say your
prayers tonight, you thank God and your grandfather—’cause
it was him who give you the house—in his way.
RUTH (taking the boy from MAMA and pushing him toward the
bedroom): Now you get out of here and get ready for your
beating.
TRAVIS: Aw, Mama —
RUTH: Get on in there—(closing the door behind him and turning
radiantly to her mother-in-law) So you went and did it!
MAMA (quietly, looking at her son with pain): Yes, I did.
RUTH (raising both arms classically): PRAISE GOD! (Looks at
WALTER a moment, who says nothing. She crosses rapidly to her
husband.) Please, honey—let me be glad . . . you be glad too.
(She has laid her hands on his shoulders, but he shakes himself
free of her roughly, without turning to face her.) Oh, Walter . . .
a home . . . a home. (She comes back to MAMA.) Well—where is
it? How big is it? How much it going to cost?
MAMA: Well—
RUTH: When we moving?
MAMA (smiling at her): First of the month.
RUTH (throwing back her head with jubilance): Praise God!
MAMA (tentatively, still looking at her son’s back turned against
her and RUTH): It’s —it’s a nice house too . . . (She cannot help
speaking directly to him. An imploring quality in her voice, her
manner, makes her almost like a girl now.) Three bedrooms —
nice big one for you and Ruth . . . Me and Beneatha still have
to share our room, but Travis have one of his own—and (with
difficulty) I figure if the—new baby—is a boy, we could get one
of them double-decker outfits. . . And there’s a yard with a little
patch of dirt where I could maybe get to grow me a few flow-
ers … And a nice big basement. . .
RUTH: Walter honey, be glad—
MAMA (still to his back, fingering things on the table): ‘Course I
535
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene I
don’t want to make it sound fancier than it is … It’s just a plain
little old house—but it’s made good and solid—and it will be
ours. Walter Lee—it makes a difference in a man when he can
walk on floors that belong to him . . .
RUTH: Where is it?
MAMA (frightened at this telling): Well—well—it’s out there in
Clybourne Park—
RUTH’S radiance fades abruptly, and WALTER finally turns slowly
to face his mother with incredulity and hostility.
RUTH: Where?
MAMA (matter-of-factly): Four o six Clybourne Street, Clybourne
Park.
RUTH: Clybourne Park? Mama, there ain’t no colored people living
in Clybourne Park.
MAMA (almost idiotically): Well, I guess there’s going to be some
now.
WALTER (bitterly): So that’s the peace and comfort you went out
and bought for us today!
MAMA (raising her eyes to meet his finally): Son—I just tried to
find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family.
RUTH (trying to recover from the shock): Well—well—’course I
ain’t one never been ‘fraid of no crackers, mind you—but—well,
wasn’t there no other houses nowhere?
MAMA: Them houses they put up for colored in them areas way
out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses. I did the
best I could.
RUTH (Struck senseless with the news, in its various degrees of
goodness and trouble, she sits a moment, her fists propping her
chin in thought, and then she starts to rise, bringing her fists
down with vigor, the radiance spreading from cheek to cheek
again.): Well—well!—All I can say is —if this is my time in life —
MY TIME—to say good-bye—(and she builds with momentum
as she starts to circle the room with an exuberant, almost tear-
fully happy release)—to these Goddamned cracking walls! — (She
pounds the walls.) —and these marching roaches! — (She wipes
at an imaginary army of marching roaches.) —and this cramped
little closet which ain’t now or never was no kitchen! . . . then
I say it loud and good, HALLELUJAH! AND GOOD-BYE MIS-
536
Lorraine Hans berry
E R Y . . . I DON’T NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY
FACE AGAIN! (She laughs joyously, having practically de-
stroyed the apartment, and flings her arms up and lets them
come down happily, slowly, reflectively, over her abdomen,
aware for the first time perhaps that the life therein pulses with
happiness and not despair.) Lena?
MAMA (moved, watching her happiness): Yes, honey?
RUTH (looking off): Is there —is there a whole lot of sunlight?
MAMA (understanding): Yes, child, there’s a whole lot of sunlight.
(long pause)
RUTH (collecting herself and going to the door of the room TRAVIS
is in): Well—I guess I better see ’bout Travis, (to MAMA) Lord,
I sure don’t feel like whipping nobody today! (She exits.)
MAMA (The mother and son are left alone now and the mother
waits a long time, considering deeply, before she speaks.): Son—
you—you—understand what I done, don’t you? (WALTER is si-
lent and sullen.) I — I just seen my family falling apart today . . .
just falling to pieces in front of my eyes . . . We couldn’t of gone
on like we was today. We was going backwards ‘stead of for-
wards—talking ’bout killing babies and wishing each other was
dead . . . When it gets like that in life—you just got to do some-
thing different, push on out and do something bigger . . . (She
waits.) I wish you say something, son . . . I wish you’d say how
deep inside you think I done the right thing—
WALTER (crossing slowly to his bedroom door and finally turning
there and speaking measuredly): What you need me to say you
done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives
like you want to. It was your money and you did what you
wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right
for? (bitterly, to hurt her as deeply as he knows is possible) So
you butchered up a dream of mine—you—who always talking
’bout your children’s dreams . . .
MAMA: Walter Lee —
He just closes the door behind him. MAMA sits alone, thinking
heavily.
537
S C E N E I I
Time Friday night. A few weeks later.
At rise Packing crates mark the intention of the family to move.
BENEATHA and GEORGE come in, presumably from an evening out
again.
GEORGE: O.K. . . . O.K., whatever you say . . . (They both sit on
the couch. He tries to kiss her. She moves away.) Look, we’ve
had a nice evening; let’s not spoil it, huh? . . .
He again turns her head and tries to nuzzle in and she turns away
from him, not with distaste but with momentary lack of interest;
in a mood to pursue what they were talking about.
BENEATHA: I’m trying to talk to you.
GEORGE: We always talk.
BENEATHA: Yes —and I love to talk.
GEORGE (exasperated, rising): I know it and I don’t mind it some-
times . . . I want you to cut it out, see—The moody stuff, I mean.
I don’t like it. You’re a nice-looking g i r l . . . all over. That’s all
you need, honey, forget the atmosphere. Guys aren’t going to
go for the atmosphere—they’re going to go for what they see.
Be glad for that. Drop the Garbo routine. It doesn’t go with you.
As for myself, I want a nice—(groping)—simple (thought-
fully)—sophisticated girl. . . not a poet—O.K.? (He starts to
kiss her, she rebuffs him again and he jumps up.)
BENEATHA: Why are you angry, George?
GEORGE: Because this is stupid! I don’t go out with you to discuss
the nature of “quiet desperation” or to hear all about your
thoughts —because the world will go on thinking what it thinks
regardless —
BENEATHA: Then why read books? Why go to school?
GEORGE (with artificial patience, counting on his fingers): It’s sim-
ple. You read books—to learn facts—to get grades —to pass the
course—to get a degree. That’s all — i t has nothing to do with
thoughts, (a long pause)
BENEATHA: I see. (He starts to sit.) Good night, George.
GEORGE looks at her a little oddly, and starts to exit. He meets
MAMA coming in.
538
Lorraine Hansberry
GEORGE: Oh—hello, Mrs. Younger.
MAMA: Hello, George, how you feeling?
GEORGE: Fine—fine, how are you?
MAMA: Oh, a little tired. You know them steps can get you after
a day’s work. You all have a nice time tonight?
GEORGE: Yes—a fine time. A fine time.
MAMA: Well, good night.
GEORGE: Good night. (He exits. MAMA closes the door behind
her.) Hello, honey. What you sitting like that for?
BENEATHA: I’m just sitting.
MAMA: Didn’t you have a nice time?
BENEATHA: No.
MAMA: No? What’s the matter?
BENEATHA: Mama, George is a fool—honest. (She rises.)
MAMA (Hustling around unloading the packages she has entered
with. She stops.): Is he, baby?
BENEATHA: Yes.
BENEATHA makes up TRAVIS’ bed as she talks.
MAMA: You sure?
BENEATHA: Yes.
MAMA: Well—I guess you better not waste your time with no fools.
BENEATHA looks up at her mother, watching her put groceries in
the refrigerator. Finally she gathers up her things and starts into
the bedroom. At the door she stops and looks back at her mother.
BENEATHA: Mama—
MAMA: Yes, baby —
BENEATHA: Thank you.
MAMA: For what?
BENEATHA: For understanding me this time.
She exits quickly and the mother stands, smiling a little, looking
at the place where BENEATHA just stood. RUTH enters.
RUTH: Now don’t you fool with any of this stuff, Lena —
MAMA: Oh, I just thought I’d sort a few things out. Is Brother
here?
RUTH: Yes.
MAMA (with concern): Is he—
RUTH (reading her eyes): Yes.
539
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene II
MAMA is silent and someone knocks on the door. MAMA and RUTH
exchange weary and knowing glances and RUTH opens it to admit
the neighbor, MRS. JOHNSON ̂who is a rather squeaky wide-eyed
lady of no particular age, with a newspaper under her arm.
MAMA (changing her expression to acute delight and a ringing
cheerful greeting): Oh—hello there, Johnson.
JOHNSON (This is a woman who decided long ago to be enthu-
siastic about EVERYTHING in life and she is inclined to wave
her wrist vigorously at the height of her exclamatory com-
ments.): Hello there, yourself! H’you this evening, Ruth?
RUTH (not much of a deceptive type): Fine, Mis’ Johnson, h’you?
JOHNSON: Fine, (reaching out quickly, playfully, and patting
RUTH’S stomach) Ain’t you starting to poke out none yet! (She
mugs with delight at the over-familiar remark and her eyes dart
around looking at the crates and packing preparation; MAMA’S
face is a cold sheet of endurance.) Oh, ain’t we getting ready
round here, though! Yessir! Lookathere! I’m telling you the
Youngers is really getting ready to “move on up a little
higher!”-Bless God!
MAMA (a little drily, doubting the total sincerity of the Blesser):
Bless God.
JOHNSON: He’s good, ain’t He?
MAMA: Oh yes, He’s good.
JOHNSON: I mean sometimes He works in mysterious ways . . . but
He works, don’t He!
MAMA (the same): Yes, He does.
JOHNSON: I’m just soooooo happy for y’all. And this here child—
(about RUTH) looks like she could just pop open with happiness,
don’t she. Where’s all the rest of the family?
MAMA: Bennie’s gone to bed —
JOHNSON: Ain’t no … (The implication is pregnancy.) sickness
done hit y o u — I hope . . . ?
MAMA: No —she just tired. She was out this evening.
JOHNSON (All is a coo, an emphatic coo): Aw—ain’t that lovely.
She still going out with the little Murchison boy?
MAMA (drily): Ummmm huh.
^This character and the scene of her visit were cut from the original production and
early editions of the play.
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Lorraine Hansberry
JOHNSON: That’s lovely. You sure got lovely children, Younger.
Me and Isaiah talks all the time ’bout what fine children you
was blessed with. We sure do.
MAMA: Ruth, give Mis’ Johnson a piece of sweet potato pie and
some milk.
JOHNSON: Oh honey, I can’t stay hardly a minute — I just dropped
in to see if there was anything I could do. (accepting the food
easily) I guess y’all seen the news what’s all over the colored
paper this week . . .
MAMA: No —didn’t get mine yet this week.
JOHNSON (lifting her head and blinking with the spirit of catas-
trophe): You mean you ain’t read ’bout them colored people
that was bombed out their place out there?
RUTH straightens with concern and takes the paper and reads it.
JOHNSON notices her and feeds commentary.
JOHNSON: Ain’t it something how bad these here white folks is
getting here in Chicago! Lord, getting so you think you right
down in Mississippi! (with a tremendous and rather insincere
sense of melodrama) ‘Course I thinks it’s wonderful how our
folks keeps on pushing out. You hear some of these Negroes
round here talking ’bout how they don’t go where they ain’t
wanted and all that—but not me, honey! (This is a lie.) Wil-
hemenia Othella Johnson goes anywhere, any time she feels like
it! (with head movement for emphasis) Yes I do! Why if we
left it up to these here crackers, the poor niggers wouldn’t have
nothing— (She clasps her hand over her mouth.) Oh, I always
forgets you don’t ‘low that word in your house.
MAMA (quietly, looking at her): No — I don’t ‘low it.
JOHNSON (vigorously again): Me neither! I was just telling Isaiah
yesterday when he come using it in front of me — I said, “Isaiah,
it’s just like Mis’ Younger says all the time — ”
MAMA: Don’t you want some more pie?
JOHNSON: No—no thank you; this was lovely. I got to get on over
home and have my midnight coffee. I hear some people say it
don’t let them sleep but I finds I can’t close my eyes right lessen
I done had that laaaast cup of coffee . . . (She waits. A beat.
Undaunted.) My Goodnight coffee, I calls it!
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene II
MAMA (with much eye-rolling and communication between herself
and RUTH): Ruth, why don’t you give Mis’ Johnson some coffee?
RUTH gives MAMA an unpleasant look for her kindness.
JOHNSON (accepting the coffee): Where’s Brother tonight?
MAMA: He’s lying down.
JOHNSON: MMmmmmm, he sure gets his beauty rest, don’t he?
Good-looking man. Sure is a good-looking man! (reaching out
to pat RUTH’S stomach again) I guess that’s how come we keep
on having babies around here. (She winks at MAMA.) One thing
’bout Brother, he always know how to have a good time. And
soooooo ambitious! I bet it was his idea y’all moving out to
Clybourne Park. Lord—I bet this time next month y’all’s names
will have been in the papers plenty—(holding up her hands to
mark off each word of the headline she can see in front of her)
“NEGROES INVADE CLYBOURNE PARK-BOMBED!”
MAMA (She and RUTH look at the woman in amazement.): We
ain’t exactly moving out there to get bombed.
JOHNSON: Oh, honey—you know I’m praying to God every day
that don’t nothing like that happen! But you have to think of
life like it is—and these here Chicago peckerwoods is some
baaaad peckerwoods.
MAMA (wearily): We done thought about all that Mis’ Johnson.
BENEATHA comes out of the bedroom in her robe and passes
through to the bathroom. MRS. JOHNSON turns.
JOHNSON: Hello there, Bennie!
BENEATHA (crisply): Hello, Mrs. Johnson.
JOHNSON: How is school?
BENEATHA (crisply): Fine, thank you. (She goes out.)
JOHNSON (insulted): Getting so she don’t have much to say to
nobody.
MAMA: The child was on her way to the bathroom.
JOHNSON: I know—but sometimes she act like ain’t got time to
pass the time of day with nobody ain’t been to college. Oh—I
ain’t criticizing her none. It’s just—you know how some of our
young people gets when they get a little education. (MAMA and
RUTH say nothing, just look at her.) Yes—well. Well, I guess I
better get on home, (unmoving) ‘Course I can understand how
she must be proud and everything—being the only one in the
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family to make something of herself. I know just being a chauf-
feur ain’t never satisfied Brother none. He shouldn’t feel like
that, though. Ain’t nothing wrong with being a chauffeur.
MAMA: There’s plenty wrong with it.
JOHNSON: What?
MAMA: Plenty. My husband always said being any kind of a
servant wasn’t a fit thing for a man to have to be. He always
said a man’s hands was made to make things, or to turn the
earth with—not to drive nobody’s car for ‘ e m — o r — (She looks
at her own hands.) carry they slop jars. And my boy is just like
him—he wasn’t meant to wait on nobody.
JOHNSON (rising, somewhat offended): Mmmmmmmmm. The
Youngers is too much for me! (She looks around.) You sure
one proud-acting bunch of colored folks. Well—I always thinks
like Booker T. Washington said that time—”Education has
spoiled many a good plow hand” —
MAMA: Is that what old Booker T. said?
JOHNSON: He sure did.
MAMA: Well, it sounds just like him. The fool.
JOHNSON (indignantly): Well—he was one of our great men.
MAMA: Who said so?
JOHNSON (nonplussed): You know, me and you ain’t never agreed
about some things, Lena Younger. I guess I better be going—
RUTH (quickly): Good night.
JOHNSON: Good night. Oh —(thrusting it at her) You can keep
the paper! (with a trill) ‘Night.
MAMA: Good night, Mis’ Johnson. (MRS. JOHNSON exits.)
RUTH: If ignorance was gold . . .
MAMA: Shush. Don’t talk about folks behind their backs.
RUTH: You do.
MAMA: I’m old and corrupted. (BENEATHA enters.) You was rude
to Mis’ Johnson, Beneatha, and I don’t like it at all.
BENEATHA (at her door): Mama, if there are two things we, as a
people, have got to overcome, one is the Klu Klux Klan—and
the other is Mrs. Johnson. (She exits.)
MAMA: Smart aleck. (The phone rings.)
RUTH: I’ll get it.
MAMA: Lord, ain’t this a popular place tonight.
RUTH (at the phone): Hello—Just a minute, (goes to door) Wal-
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene II
ter, it’s Mrs. Arnold. (Waits. Goes back to the phone. Tense.)
Hello. Yes, this is his wife speaking . . . He’s lying down now.
Yes . . . well, he’ll be in tomorrow. He’s been very sick. Yes—I
know we should have called, but we were so sure he’d be able
to come in today. Yes—yes, I’m very sorry. Yes . . . Thank you
very much. (She hangs up. WALTER is standing in the doorway
of the bedroom behind her.) That was Mrs. Arnold.
WALTER (indifferently): Was it?
RUTH: She said if you don’t come in tomorrow that they are getting
a new man . . .
WALTER: Ain’t that sad—ain’t that crying sad.
RUTH: She said Mr. Arnold has had to take a cab for three days . . .
Walter, you ain’t been to work for three days! (This is a reve-
lation to her.) Where you been, Walter Lee Younger! (WALTER
looks at her and starts to laugh.) You’re going to lose your job.
WALTER: That’s right. . . (He turns on the radio.)
RUTH: Oh, Walter, and with your mother working like a dog every
day—
A steamy, deep blues pours into the room.
WALTER: That’s sad too—Everything is sad.
MAMA: What you been doing for these three days, son?
WALTER: Mama—you don’t know all the things a man what got
leisure can find to do in this city . . . What’s this—Friday night?
Well—Wednesday I borrowed Willy Harris’ car and I went for
a drive . . . just me and myself and I drove and drove . . . Way
out. . . way past South Chicago, and I parked the car and I sat
and looked at the steel mills all day long. I just sat in the car
and looked at them big black chimneys for hours. Then I drove
back and I went to the Green Hat. (pause) And Thursday—
Thursday I borrowed the car again and I got in it and I pointed
it the other way and I drove the other way—for hours—way,
way up to Wisconsin, and I looked at the farms. I just drove
and looked at the farms. Then I drove back and I went to the
Green Hat. (pause) And today—today I didn’t get the car. To-
day I just walked. All over the Southside. And I looked at the
Negroes and they looked at me and finally I just sat down on
the curb at Thirty-ninth and South Parkway and I just sat there
and watched the Negroes go by. And then I went to the Green
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Lorraine Hansberry
Hat. You all sad? You all depressed? And you know where I
am going right now—
RUTH goes out quietly.
MAMA: Oh, Big Walter, is this the harvest of our days?
WALTER: You know what I like about the Green Hat? I like this
little cat they got there who blows a sax . . . He blows. He talks
to me. He ain’t but ’bout five feet tall and he’s got a conked
head and his eyes is always closed and he’s all music—
MAMA (rising and getting some papers out of her handbag): Wal-
ter—
WALTER: And there’s this other guy who plays the piano . . . and
they got a sound. I mean they can work on some music . . . They
got the best little combo in the world in the Green Hat. . . You
can just sit there and drink and listen to them three men play
and you realize that don’t nothing matter worth a damn, but
just being there—
MAMA: I’ve helped do it to you, haven’t I, son? Walter I been
wrong.
WALTER: Naw—you ain’t never been wrong about nothing,
Mama.
MAMA: Listen to me, now. I say I been wrong, son. That I been
doing to you what the rest of the world been doing to you. (She
turns off the radio.) Walter—(She stops and he looks up slowly
at her and she meets his eyes pleadingly.) What you ain’t never
understood is that I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t
never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you. There ain’t
nothing as precious to me . . . There ain’t nothing worth holding
on to, money, dreams, nothing else—if it means —if it means it’s
going to destroy my boy. (She takes an envelope out of her
handbag and puts it in front of him and he watches her without
speaking or moving.) I paid the man thirty-five hundred dollars
down on the house. That leaves sixty-five hundred dollars. Mon-
day morning I want you to take this money and take three thou-
sand dollars and put it in a savings account for Beneatha’s med-
ical schooling. The rest you put in a checking account—with
your name on it. And from now on any penny that come out of
it or that go in it is for you to look after. For you to decide.
(She drops her hands a little helplessly.) It ain’t much, but it’s
545
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene II
all I got in the world and I’m putting it in your hands. I’m telling
you to be the head of this family from now on like you supposed
to be.
WALTER (stares at the money): You trust me like that, Mama?
MAMA: I ain’t never stop trusting you. Like I ain’t never stop loving
you.
She goes out, and WALTER sits looking at the money on the table.
Finally, in a decisive gesture, he gets up, and, in mingled joy and
desperation, picks up the money. At the same moment, TRAVIS
enters for bed.
TRAVIS: What’s the matter, Daddy? You drunk?
WALTER (sweetly, more sweetly than we have ever known him):
No, Daddy ain’t drunk. Daddy ain’t going to never be drunk
again . . .
TRAVIS: Well, good night, Daddy.
The FATHER has come from behind the couch and leans over,
embracing his son.
WALTER: Son, I feel like talking to you tonight.
TRAVIS: About what?
WALTER: Oh, about a lot of things. About you and what kind of
man you going to be when you grow up … Son—son, what do
you want to be when you grow up?
TRAVIS: A bus driver.
WALTER (laughing a little): A what? Man, that ain’t nothing to
want to be!
TRAVIS: Why not?
WALTER: ‘Cause, man—it ain’t big enough—you know what I
mean.
TRAVIS: I don’t know then. I can’t make up my mind. Sometimes
Mama asks me that too. And sometimes when I tell her I just
want to be like you—she says she don’t want me to be like that
and sometimes she says she does . . .
WALTER (gathering him up in his arms): You know what, Travis?
In seven years you going to be seventeen years old. And things
is going to be very different with us in seven years, Travis . . .
One day when you are seventeen I’ll come home—home from
my office downtown somewhere —
TRAVIS: You don’t work in no office, Daddy.
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Lorraine Hansberry
WALTER: No — b u t after tonight. After what your daddy gonna do
tonight, there’s going to be offices — a whole lot of offices . . .
TRAVIS: What you gonna do tonight, Daddy?
WALTER: You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s
gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that’s going
to change our lives . . . That’s how come one day when you ’bout
seventeen years old I’ll come home and I’ll be pretty tired, you
know what I mean, after a day of conferences and secretaries
getting things wrong the way they do … ’cause an executive’s
life is hell, man—(The more he talks the farther away he gets.)
And I’ll pull the car up on the driveway . . . just a plain black
Chrysler, I think, with white walls—no —black tires. More ele-
gant. Rich people don’t have to be flashy . . . though I’ll have to
get something a little sportier for Ruth—maybe a Cadillac con-
vertible to do her shopping in … And I’ll come up the steps to
the house and the gardener will be clipping away at the hedges
and he’ll say, “Good evening, Mr. Younger.” And I’ll say,
“Hello, Jefferson, how are you this evening?” And I’ll go inside
and Ruth will come downstairs and meet me at the door and
we’ll kiss each other and she’ll take my arm and we’ll go up to
your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of
all the great schools in America around you . . . All the great
schools in the world! And —and I’ll say, all right son—it’s your
seventeenth birthday, what is it you’ve decided? . . . Just tell me
where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me, what
it is you want to be—and you’ll be i t . . . Whatever you want to
be—Yessir! (He holds his arms open for TRAVIS.) You just
name it, son . . . (“TRAVIS leaps into them.) and I hand you the
world!
WALTER’S voice has risen in pitch and hysterical promise and on
the last line he lifts TRAVIS high.
Blackout
S C E N E I I I
Time Saturday, moving day, one week later.
Before the curtain rises, RUTH’S voice, a strident, dramatic church
alto, cuts through the silence.
547
A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
It is, in the darkness, a triumphant surge, a penetrating state-
ment of expectation: “Oh, Lord, I don’t feel no ways tired! Chil-
dren, oh, glory hallelujah!”
As the curtain rises we see that RUTH is alone in the living room,
finishing up the family’s packing. It is moving day. She is nailing
crates and tying cartons. BENEATHA enters, carrying a guitar case,
and watches her exuberant sister-in-law.
RUTH: Hey!
BENEATHA (putting away the case): Hi.
RUTH (pointing at a package): Honey—look in that package there
and see what I found on sale this morning at the South Center.
(RUTH gets up and moves to the package and draws out some
curtains.) Lookahere—hand-turned hems!
BENEATHA: How do you know the window size out there?
RUTH (who hadn’t thought of that): Oh—Well, they bound to fit
something in the whole house. Anyhow, they was too good a
bargain to pass up. (RUTH slaps her head, suddenly remember-
ing something.): Oh, Bennie—I meant to put a special note on
that carton over there. That’s your mama’s good china and she
wants ’em to be very careful with it.
BENEATHA: I’ll do it.
BENEATHA finds a piece of paper and starts to draw large letters
on it.
RUTH: You know what I’m going to do soon as I get in that new
house?
BENEATHA: What?
RUTH: Honey—I’m going to run me a tub of water up to here . . .
(with her fingers practically up to her nostrils) And I’m going
to get in it—and I am going to s i t . . . and s i t . . . and sit in that
hot water and the first person who knocks to tell me to hurry
up and come out—
BENEATHA: Gets shot at sunrise.
RUTH (laughing happily): You said it, sister! (noticing how large
BENEATHA is absent-mindedly making the note) Honey, they
ain’t going to read that from no airplane.
BENEATHA (laughing herself): I guess I always think things have
more emphasis if they are big, somehow.
RUTH (looking up at her and smiling): You and your brother seem
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Lorraine Hansberry
to have that as a philosophy of life. Lord, that man —done
changed so ’round here. You know—you know what we did last
night? Me and Walter Lee?
BENEATHA: What?
RUTH (smiling to herself): We went to the movies, (looking at
BENEATHA to see if she understands) We went to the movies.
You know the last time me and Walter went to the movies
together?
BENEATHA: No.
RUTH: Me neither. That’s how long it been, (smiling again) But
we went last night. The picture wasn’t much good, but that
didn’t seem to matter. We went—and we held hands.
BENEATHA: Oh, Lord!
RUTH: We held hands —and you know what?
BENEATHA: What?
RUTH: When we come out of the show it was late and dark and
all the stores and things was closed up … and it was kind of
chilly and there wasn’t many people on the streets . . . and we
was still holding hands, me and Walter.
BENEATHA: You’re killing me.
WALTER enters with a large package. His happiness is deep in him;
he cannot keep still with his new-found exuberance. He is singing
and wiggling and snapping his fingers. He puts his package in a
corner and puts a phonograph record, which he has brought in
with him, on the record player. As the music, soulful and sensuous,
comes up he dances over to RUTH and tries to get her to dance
with him. She gives in at last to his raunchiness and in a fit of
giggling allows herself to be drawn into his mood. They dip and
she melts into his arms in a classic, body-melding t(slow drag.39
BENEATHA (regarding them a long time as they dance, then drawing
in her breath for a deeply exaggerated comment which she does
not particularly mean): Talk about—oldddddddddd-
fashioneddddddd—Negroes!
WALTER (stopping momentarily): What kind of Negroes? (He says
this in fun. He is not angry with her today, nor with anyone.
He starts to dance with his wife again.)
BENEATHA: Old-fashioned.
WALTER (as he dances with RUTHJ: You know, when these New
549
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
Negroes have their convention—(pointing at his sister)—that is
going to be the chairman of the Committee on Unending Agi-
tation. (He goes on dancing, then stops.) Race, race, race! . ..
Girl, I do believe you are the first person in the history of the
entire human race to successfully brainwash yourself. (BENEA-
THA breaks up and he goes on dancing. He stops again, enjoying
his tease.) Damn, even the N double A C P takes a holiday
sometimes! (BENEATHA and RUTH laugh. He dances with RUTH
some more and starts to laugh and stops and pantomimes some-
one over an operating table.) I can just see that chick someday
looking down at some poor cat on an operating table and before
she starts to slice him, she says . . . (pulling his sleeves back
maliciously) “By the way, what are your views on civil rights
down there? …” (He laughs at her again and starts to dance
happily. The bell sounds.)
BENEATHA: Sticks and stones may break my bones b u t . . . words
will never hurt me!
BENEATHA goes to the door and opens it as WALTER and RUTH go
on with the clowning. BENEATHA is somewhat surprised to see a
quiet-looking middle-aged white man in a business suit holding his
hat and a briefcase in his hand and consulting a small piece of
paper.
MAN: Uh—how do you do, miss. I am looking for a Mrs. —(He
looks at the slip of paper.) Mrs. Lena Younger? (He stops short,
struck dumb at the sight of the oblivious WALTER and RUTH.)
BENEATHA (smoothing her hair with slight embarrassment): Oh —
yes, that’s my mother. Excuse me. (She closes the door and turns
to quiet the other two.) Ruth! Brother! (Enunciating precisely
but soundlessly: “There’s a white man at the door!93 They stop
dancing, RUTH cuts off the phonograph, BENEATHA opens the
door. The man casts a curious quick glance at all of them.) Uh—
come in please.
MAN (coming in): Thank you.
BENEATHA: My mother isn’t here just now. Is it business?
MAN: Yes . . . well, of a sort.
WALTER (freely, the Man of the House): Have a seat. I’m Mrs.
Younger’s son. I look after most of her business matters.
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Lorraine Hansberry
RUTH and BENEATHA exchange amused glances.
MAN (regarding WALTER, and sitting) \y name is Karl
Lindner. ..
WALTER (stretching out his hand): Walter Younger. This is my
wife—(RUTH nods politely.)—and my sister.
LINDNER: How do you do.
WALTER (amiably, as he sits himself easily on a chair, leaning for-
ward on his knees with interest and looking expectantly into the
newcomer’s face): What can we do for you, Mr. Lindner!
LINDNER (some minor shuffling of the hat and briefcase on his
knees): Well—I am a representative of the Clybourne Park Im-
provement Association—
WALTER (pointing): Why don’t you sit your things on the floor?
LINDNER: Oh—yes. Thank you. (He slides the briefcase and hat
under the chair.) And as I was saying—I am from the Cly bourne
Park Improvement Association and we have had it brought to
our attention at the last meeting that you people—or at least
your mother—has bought a piece of residential property at—
(He digs for the slip of paper again.)—four o six Clybourne
Street.. .
WALTER: That’s right. Care for something to drink? Ruth, get Mr.
Lindner a beer.
LINDNER (upset for some reason): Oh—no, really. I mean thank
you very much, but no thank you.
RUTH (innocently): Some coffee?
LINDNER: Thank you, nothing at all.
BENEATHA is watching the man carefully.
LINDNER: Well, I don’t know how much you folks know about
our organization. (He is a gentle man; thoughtful and some-
what labored in his manner.) It is one of these community or-
ganizations set up to look after—oh, you know, things like block
upkeep and special projects and we also have what we call our
New Neighbors Orientation Committee . . .
BENEATHA (drily): Yes—and what do they do?
LINDNER (turning a little to her and then returning the main force
to WALTER): Well—it’s what you might call a sort of welcoming
committee, I guess. I mean they, we—I’m the chairman of the
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
committee—go around and see the new people who move into
the neighborhood and sort of give them the lowdown on the
way we do things out in Clybourne Park.
BENEATHA (with appreciation of the two meanings, which escape
RUTH and WALTER): Un-huh.
LINDNER: And we also have the category of what the associa-
tion calls — (He looks elsewhere.) — uh—special community
problems . . .
BENEATHA: Yes—and what are some of those?
WALTER: Girl, let the man talk.
LINDNER (with understated relief): Thank you. I would sort of like
to explain this thing in my own way. I mean I want to explain
to you in a certain way.
WALTER: Go ahead.
LINDNER: Yes. Well. I’m going to try to get right to the point. I’m
sure we’ll all appreciate that in the long run.
BENEATHA: Yes.
WALTER: Be still now!
LINDNER: Well—
RUTH (still innocently): Would you like another chair—you don’t
look comfortable.
LINDNER (more frustrated than annoyed): No, thank you very
much. Please. Well—to get right to the point I—(A great breath,
and he is off at last.) I am sure you people must be aware of
some of the incidents which have happened in various parts of
the city when colored people have moved into certain areas —
(BENEATHA exhales heavily and starts tossing a piece of fruit up
and down in the air.) Well—because we have what I think is
going to be a unique type of organization in American com-
munity life —not only do we deplore that kind of thing—but we
are trying to do something about it. (BENEATHA stops tossing
and turns with a new and quizzical interest to the man.) We
feel—(gaining confidence in his mission because of the interest
in the faces of the people he is talking to)—we feel that most of
the trouble in this world, when you come right down to it— (He
hits his knee for emphasis.)—most of the trouble exists because
people just don’t sit down and talk to each other.
RUTH (nodding as she might in church, pleased with the remark):
You can say that again, mister.
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LINDNER (more encouraged by such affirmation): That we don’t
try hard enough in this world to understand the other fellow’s
problem. The other guy’s point of view.
RUTH: Now that’s right.
BENEATHA and WALTER merely watch and listen with genuine
interest.
LINDNER: Yes—that’s the way we feel out in Clybourne Park. And
that’s why I was elected to come here this afternoon and talk to
you people. Friendly like, you know, the way people should talk
to each other and see if we couldn’t find some way to work this
thing out. As I say, the whole business is a matter of caring
about the other fellow. Anybody can see that you are a nice
family of folks, hard working and honest I’m sure. (BENEATHA
frowns slightly, quizzically, her head tilted regarding him.) To-
day everybody knows what it means to be on the outside of
something. And of course, there is always somebody who is out
to take advantage of people who don’t always understand.
WALTER: What do you mean?
LINDNER: Well—you see our community is made up of people
who’ve worked hard as the dickens for years to build up that
little community. They’re not rich and fancy people; just hard-
working, honest people who don’t really have much but those
little homes and a dream of the kind of community they want
to raise their children in. Now, I don’t say we are perfect and
there is a lot wrong in some of the things they want. But
you’ve got to admit that a man, right or wrong, has the right
to want to have the neighborhood he lives in a certain kind of
way. And at the moment the overwhelming majority of our
people out there feel that people get along better, take more of
a common interest in the life of the community, when they
share a common background. I want you to believe me when I
tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a
matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or
wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that
our Negro families are happier when they live in their own
communities.
BENEATHA (with a grand and bitter gesture): This, friends, is the
Welcoming Committee!
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A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
WALTER (dumfounded, looking at LINDNER,): Is this what you came
marching all the way over here to tell us?
LINDNER: Well, now we’ve been having a fine conversation. I hope
you’ll hear me all the way through.
WALTER (tightly): Go ahead, man.
LINDNER: You see—-in the face of all the things I have said, we
are prepared to make your family a very generous offer . . .
BENEATHA: Thirty pieces and not a coin less!
WALTER: Yeah?
LINDNER (putting on his glasses and drawing a form out of the
briefcase): Our association is prepared, through the collective
effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial
gain to your family.
RUTH: Lord have mercy, ain’t this the living gall!
WALTER: All right, you through?
LINDNER: Well, I want to give you the exact terms of the financial
arrangement—
WALTER: We don’t want to hear no exact terms of no arrange-
ments. I want to know if you got any more to tell us ’bout getting
together?
LINDNER (taking off his glasses): Well—I don’t suppose that you
feel. . .
WALTER: Never mind how I feel—you got any more to say ’bout
how people ought to sit down and talk to each other? . . . Get
out of my house, man. (He turns his back and walks to the
door.)
LINDNER (looking around at the hostile faces and reaching and
assembling his hat and briefcase): Well—I don’t understand why
you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are
going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just
aren’t wanted and where some elements—well—people can get
awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and
everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened.
WALTER: Get out.
LINDNER (at the door, holding a small card): Well—I’m sorry it
went like this.
WALTER: Get out.
LINDNER (almost sadly regarding WALTER,): You just can’t force
people to change their hearts, son.
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He turns and puts his card on a table and exits. WALTER pushes
the door to with stinging hatred, and stands looking at it. RUTH
just sits and BENEATHA just stands. They say nothing. MAMA and
TRAVIS enter.
MAMA: Well—this all the packing got done since I left out of here
this morning. I testify before God that my children got all the
energy of the dead! What time the moving men due?
BENEATHA: Four o’clock. You had a caller, Mama. (She is smiling,
teasingly.)
MAMA: Sure enough—who?
BENEATHA (her arms folded saucily): The Welcoming Committee.
WALTER and RUTH giggle.
MAMA (innocently): Who?
BENEATHA: The Welcoming Committee. They said they’re sure
going to be glad to see you when you get there.
WALTER (devilishly): Yeah, they said they can’t hardly wait to see
your face.
Laughter.
MAMA (sensing their facetiousness): What’s the matter with you
all?
WALTER: Ain’t nothing the matter with us. We just telling you
’bout the gentleman who came to see you this afternoon. From
the Clybourne Park Improvement Association.
MAMA: What he want?
RUTH (in the same mood as BENEATHA and WALTER): To welcome
you, honey.
WALTER: He said they can’t hardly wait. He said the one thing
they don’t have, that they just dying to have out there is a fine
family of fine colored people! (to RUTH and BENEATHA) Ain’t
that right!
RUTH (mockingly): Yeah! He left his card—
BENEATHA (handling card to MAMA): In case.
MAMA reads and throws it on the floor—understanding and
looking off as she draws her chair up to the table on which she
has put her plant and some sticks and some
cord.
MAMA: Father, give us strength, (knowingly—and without fun)
Did he threaten us?
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene III
BENEATHA: Oh—Mama—they don’t do it like that any more. He
talked Brotherhood. He said everybody ought to learn how to
sit down and hate each other with good Christian fellowship.
She and WALTER shake hands to ridicule the remark.
MAMA (sadly): Lord, protect us …
RUTH: You should hear the money those folks raised to buy the
house from us. All we paid and then some.
BENEATHA: What they think we going to do—eat ’em?
RUTH: No, honey, marry ’em.
MAMA (shaking her head): Lord, Lord, Lord . . .
RUTH: Well—that’s the way the crackers crumble, (a beat) Joke.
BENEATHA (laughingly noticing what her mother is doing): Mama,
what are you doing?
MAMA: Fixing my plant so it won’t get hurt none on the way . . .
BENEATHA: Mama, you going to take that to the new house?
MAMA: Un-huh —
BENEATHA: That raggedy-looking old thing?
MAMA (stopping and looking at her): It expresses ME!
RUTH (with delight, to BENEATHA): So there, Miss Thing!
WALTER comes to MAMA suddenly and bends down behind her and
squeezes her in his arms with all his strength. She is overwhelmed
by the suddenness of it and, though delighted, her manner is like
that of RUTH and TRAVIS.
MAMA: Look out now, boy! You make me mess up my thing here!
WALTER (his face lit, he slips down on his knees beside her, his
arms still about her): Mama . . . you know what it means to
climb up in the chariot?
MAMA (gruffly, very happy): Get on away from me now . . .
RUTH (near the gift-wrapped package, trying to catch WALTER’S
eye): Psst—
WALTER: What the old song say, Mama . . .
RUTH: Walter—Now? (She is pointing at the package.)
WALTER (speaking the lines, sweetly, playfully, in his mother’s
face):
I got wings . . . you got wings . . .
All God’s Children got wings . . .
MAMA: Boy—get out of my face and do some work . . .
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WALTER:
When I get to heaven gonna put on my wings,
Gonna fly all over God’s heaven . . .
BENEATHA (teasingly, from across the room): Everybody talking
’bout heaven ain’t going there!
WALTER (to RUTH, who is carrying the box across to them): I don’t
know, you think we ought to give her that. . . Seems to me she
ain’t been very appreciative around here.
MAMA (eying the box, which is obviously a gift: What is that?
WALTER (taking it from RUTH and putting it on the table in front
of MAMA): Well—what you all think? Should we give it to her?
RUTH: Oh—she was pretty good today.
MAMA: I’ll good you— (She turns her eyes to the box again.)
BENEATHA: Open it, Mama. (She stands up, looks at it, turns and
looks at all of them, and then presses her hands together and
does not open the package.)
WALTER (sweetly): Open it, Mama. It’s for you. (MAMA looks in
his eyes. It is the first present in her life without its being Christ-
mas. Slowly she opens her package and lifts out, one by one, a
brand-new sparkling set of gardening tools. WALTER continues,
prodding.) Ruth made up the note—read i t . . .
MAMA (picking up the card and adjusting her glasses): “To our
own Mrs. Miniver—Love from Brother, Ruth and Beneatha.”
Ain’t that lovely . . .
TRAVIS (tugging at his father’s sleeve): Daddy, can I give her mine
now?
WALTER: All right, son. (“TRAVIS flies to get his gift.)
MAMA: Now I don’t have to use my knives and forks no more . . .
WALTER: Travis didn’t want to go in with the rest of us, Mama.
He got his own. (somewhat amused) We don’t know what it
is …
TRAVIS (racing back in the room with a large hatbox and putting
it in front of his grandmother): Here!
MAMA: Lord have mercy, baby. You done gone and bought your
grandmother a hat?
TRAVIS (very proud): Open it! (She does and lifts out an elaborate,
but very elaborate, wide gardening hat, and all the adults break
up at the sight of it.)
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
RUTH: Travis, honey, what is that?
TRAVIS (who thinks it is beautiful and appropriate): It’s a garden-
ing hat! Like the ladies always have on in the magazines when
they work in their gardens.
BENEATHA (giggling fiercely): Travis—we were trying to make
Mama Mrs. Miniver—not Scarlett O’Hara!
MAMA (indignantly): What’s the matter with you all! This here is
a beautiful hat! (absurdly) I always wanted me one just like it!
(She pops it on her head to prove it to her grandson, and the
hat is ludicrous and considerably oversized.)
RUTH: Hot dog! Go, Mama!
WALTER (doubled over with laughter): I’m sorry, Mama —but you
look like you ready to go out and chop you some cotton sure
enough!
They all laugh except MAMA, out of deference to TRAVIS’ feelings.
MAMA (gathering the boy up to her): Bless your heart—this is the
prettiest hat I ever owned—(WALTER, RUTH and BENEATHA chime
in—noisily, festively and insincerely congratulating TRAVIS on
his gift.) What are we all standing around here for? We ain’t
finished packin’ yet. Bennie, you ain’t packed one book. (The
bell rings.)
BENEATHA: That couldn’t be the movers . . . it’s not hardly two
good yet—
BENEATHA goes into her room. MAMA starts for the door.
WALTER (turning, stiffening): Wait—wait—I’ll get it. (He stands
and looks at the door.)
MAMA: You expecting company, son?
WALTER (just looking at the door): Yeah—yeah . . .
MAMA looks at RUTH, and they exchange innocent and
unfrightened glances.
MAMA (not understanding): Well, let them in, son.
BENEATHA (from her room): We need some more string.
MAMA: Travis—you run to the hardware and get me some string
cord.
MAMA goes out and WALTER turns and looks at RUTH. TRAVIS goes
to a dish for money.
RUTH: Why don’t you answer the door, man?
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WALTER (suddenly bounding across the floor to embrace her):
‘Cause sometimes it hard to let the future begin! (Stooping
down in her face.)
I got wings! You got wings!
All God’s children got wings!
He crosses to the door and throws it open. Standing there is a very
slight little man in a not too prosperous business suit and with
haunted frightened eyes and a hat pulled down tightly, brim up,
around his forehead. TRAVIS passes between the men and exits.
WALTER leans deep in the man’s face, still in his jubilance.
When I get to heaven gonna put on my wings,
Gonna fly all over God’s heaven . . .
(The little man just stares at him.)
Heaven —
(Suddenly he stops and looks past the little man into the empty
hallway.) Where’s Willy, man?
BOBO: He ain’t with me.
WALTER (not disturbed): Oh —come on in. You know my wife.
BOBO (dumbly, taking off his hat): Yes—h’you, Miss Ruth.
RUTH (quietly, a mood apart from her husband already, seeing
BOBO,): Hello, Bobo.
WALTER: You right on time today . . . Right on time. That’s the
way! (He slaps BOBO on his back.) Sit down . . . lemme hear.
RUTH stands stiffly and quietly in back of them, as though
somehow she senses death, her eyes fixed on her husband.
BOBO (his frightened eyes on the floor, his hat in his hands): Could
I please get a drink of water, before I tell you about it, Walter
Lee?
WALTER does not take his eyes off the man. RUTH goes blindly to
the tap and gets a glass of water and brings it to BOBO.
WALTER: There ain’t nothing wrong, is there?
BOBO: Lemme tell you —
WALTER: Man —didn’t nothing go wrong?
BOBO: Lemme tell you—Walter Lee. (looking at RUTH and talking
to her more than to WALTER) You know how it was. I got to
tell you how it was. I mean first I got to tell you how it was all
the way . . . I mean about the money I put in, Walter Lee . . .
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act II Scene HI
WALTER (with taut agitation now): What about the money you
put in?
BOBO: Well—it wasn’t much as we told you—me and Willy—(He
stops.) I’m sorry, Walter. I got a bad feeling about it. I got a
real bad feeling about i t . . .
WALTER: Man, what you telling me about all this for? … Tell me
what happened in Springfield . . .
BOBO: Springfield.
RUTH (like a dead woman): What was supposed to happen in
Springfield?
BOBO (to her): This deal that me and Walter went into with
Willy—Me and Willy was going to go down to Springfield and
spread some money ’round so’s we wouldn’t have to wait so
long for the liquor license . . . That’s what we were going to do.
Everybody said that was the way you had to do, you understand,
Miss Ruth?
WALTER: Man—what happened down there?
BOBO (a pitiful man, near tears): I’m trying to tell you, Walter.
WALTER (screaming at him suddenly): THEN TELL ME GOD-
DAMNIT . . . WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU?
BOBO: Man . . . I didn’t go to no Springfield, yesterday.
WALTER (halted, life hanging in the moment): Why not?
BOBO (the long way, the hard way to tell): ‘Cause I didn’t have
no reasons to …
WALTER: Man, what are you talking about!
BOBO: I’m talking about the fact that when I got to the train
station yesterday morning—eight o’clock like we planned . . .
Man—Willy didn’t never show up.
WALTER: Why . . . where was he … where is he?
BOBO: That’s what I’m trying to tell you … I don’t know … I
waited six hours . . . I called his house . . . and I waited . . . six
hours . . . I waited in that train station six hours . . . (breaking
into tears) That was all the extra money I had in the world . . .
(looking up at WALTER with the tears running down his face)
Man, Willy is gone.
WALTER: Gone, what you mean Willy is gone? Gone where? You
mean he went by himself. You mean he went off to Springfield
by himself—to take care of getting the license — (turns and looks
anxiously at RUTHJ You mean maybe he didn’t want too many
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people in on the business down there? (looks to RUTH again, as
before) You know Willy got his own ways, (looks back to
BOBO) Maybe you was late yesterday and he just went on down
there without you. Maybe —maybe—he’s been callin’ you at
home tryin’ to tell you what happened or something. Maybe—
maybe—he just got sick. He’s somewhere—he’s got to be some-
where. We just got to find him—me and you got to find him.
(grabs BOBO senselessly by the collar and starts to shake him)
We got to!
BOBO (in sudden angry, frightened agony): What’s the matter with
you, Walter! When a cat take off with your money he don’t
leave you no road maps!
WALTER (turning madly, as though he is looking for WILLY in the
very room): Willy! . . . Willy . . . don’t do i t . . . Please don’t do
i t . . . Man, not with that money . . . Man, please, not with that
money . . . Oh, God . . . Don’t let it be true . . . (He is wander-
ing around, crying out for WILLY and looking for him or perhaps
for help from God.) Man . . . I trusted you . . . Man, I put my
life in your hands . . . (He starts to crumple down on the floor
as RUTH just covers her face in horror. MAMA opens the door
and comes into the room with BENEATHA behind her.) Man . . .
(He starts to pound the floor with his fists, sobbing wildly.)
THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY FATHER’S FLESH-
BOBO (standing over him helplessly): I’m sorry, Walter . . . (Only
WALTER’S sobs reply. BOBO puts on his hat.) I had my life staked
on this deal, too . . . (He exits.)
MAMA (to WALTERJ: Son— (She goes to him, bends down to him,
talks to his bent head.) Son . . . Is it gone? Son, I gave you sixty-
five hundred dollars. Is it gone? All of it? Beneatha’s money too?
WALTER (lifting his head slowly): Mama … I never . . . went to
the bank at a l l . . .
MAMA (not wanting to believe him): You mean . . . your sister’s
school money . . . you used that too . . . Walter? . . .
WALTER: Yessss! All of i t . . . It’s all gone . . .
There is total silence. RUTH stands with her face covered with her
hands; BENEATHA leans forlornly against a wall, fingering a piece
of red ribbon from the mother’s gift. MAMA stops and looks at her
son without recognition and then, quite without thinking about it,
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starts to beat him senselessly in the face. BENEATHA goes to them
and stops it.
BENEATHA: Mama!
MAMA stops and looks at both of her children and rises slowly and
wanders vaguely, aimlessly away from them.
MAMA: I seen . . . him . . . night after night. . . come in … and
look at that rug … and then look at me … the red showing in
his eyes . . . the veins moving in his head . . . I seen him grow
thin and old before he was forty . . . working and working and
working like somebody’s old horse .. . killing himself. . . and
you—you give it all away in a day—(She raises her arms to strike
him again.)
BENEATHA: Mama —
MAMA: Oh, God . . . (She looks up to Him.) Look down here—
and show me the strength.
BENEATHA: Mama—
MAMA (folding over): Strength . ..
BENEATHA (plaintively): Mama …
MAMA: Strength!
A C T I I I
An hour later.
At curtain, there is a sullen light of gloom in the living room,
gray light not unlike that which began the first scene of Act One.
At left we can see WALTER within his room, alone with himself.
He is stretched out on the bed, his shirt out and open, his arms
under his head. He does not smoke, he does not cry out, he merely
lies there, looking up at the ceiling, much as if he were alone in
the world.
In the living room BENEATHA sits at the table, still surrounded
by the now almost ominous packing crates. She sits looking off.
We feel that this is a mood struck perhaps an hour before, and it
lingers now, full of the empty sound of profound disappointment.
We see on a line from her brother’s bedroom the sameness of their
attitudes. Presently the bell rings and BENEATHA rises without am-
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bition or interest in answering. It is ASAGAI, smiling broadly, strid-
ing into the room with energy and happy expectation and conver-
sation.
ASAGAI: I came over . . . I had some free time. I thought I might
help with the packing. Ah, I like the look of packing crates! A
household in preparation for a journey! It depresses some peo-
ple . . . but for me . . . it is another feeling. Something full of the
flow of life, do you understand? Movement, progress . . . It
makes me think of Africa.
BENEATHA: Africa!
ASAGAI: What kind of a mood is this? Have I told you how deeply
you move me?
BENEATHA: He gave away the money, Asagai. . .
ASAGAI: Who gave away what money?
BENEATHA: The insurance money. My brother gave it away.
ASAGAI: Gave it away?
BENEATHA: He made an investment! With a man even Travis
wouldn’t have trusted with his most worn-out marbles.
ASAGAI: And it’s gone?
BENEATHA: Gone!
ASAGAI: I’m very sorry . . . And you, now?
BENEATHA: Me? . . . Me? . . . Me, I’m nothing . . . Me. When I was
very small. . . we used to take our sleds out in the wintertime
and the only hills we had were the ice-covered stone steps of
some houses down the street. And we used to fill them in with
snow and make them smooth and slide down them all day . . .
and it was very dangerous, you know . . . far too steep . . . and
sure enough one day a kid named Rufus came down too fast
and hit the sidewalk and we saw his face just split open right
there in front of us … And I remember standing there looking
at his bloody open face thinking that was the end of Rufus. But
the ambulance came and they took him to the hospital and they
fixed the broken bones and they sewed it all up … and the next
time I saw Rufus he just had a little line down the middle of his
face … I never got over that. . .
ASAGAI: What?
BENEATHA: That that was what one person could do for another,
fix him up —sew up the problem, make him all right again. That
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act III
was the most marvelous thing in the world . . . I wanted to do
that. I always thought it was the one concrete thing in the world
that a human being could do. Fix up the sick, you know—and
make them whole again. This was truly being God . . .
ASAGAI: You wanted to be God?
BENEATHA: No—I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to
me. I wanted to cure. It used to matter. I used to care. I mean
about people and how their bodies h u r t . . .
ASAGAI: And you’ve stopped caring?
BENEATHA: Yes—I think so.
ASAGAI: Why?
BENEATHA (bitterly): Because it doesn’t seem deep enough, close
enough to what ails mankind! It was a child’s way of seeing
things —or an idealist’s.
ASAGAI: Children see things very well sometimes —and idealists
even better.
BENEATHA: I know that’s what you think. Because you are still
where I left off. You with all your talk and dreams about Africa!
You still think you can patch up the world. Cure the Great Sore
of Colonialism—(loftily, mocking it) with the Penicillin of In-
dependence—!
ASAGAI: Yes!
BENEATHA: Independence and then what? What about all the
crooks and thieves and just plain idiots who will come into
power and steal and plunder the same as before—only now they
will be black and do it in the name of the new Independence —
WHAT ABOUT THEM?!
ASAGAI: That will be the problem for another time. First we must
get there.
BENEATHA: And where does it end?
ASAGAI: End? Who even spoke of an end? To life? To living?
BENEATHA: An end to misery! To stupidity! Don’t you see there
isn’t any real progress, Asagai, there is only one large circle that
we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little
picture in front of us —our own little mirage that we think is the
future.
ASAGAI: That is the mistake.
BENEATHA: What?
ASAGAI: What you just said—about the circle. It isn’t a circle —it
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is simply a long line —as in geometry, you know, one that
reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end—we
also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those
who see the changes—who dream, who will not give up —are
called idealists . . . and those who see only the circle—we call
them the “realists”!
BENEATHA: Asagai, while I was sleeping in that bed in there, people
went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody
asked me, nobody consulted me—they just went out and
changed my life!
ASAGAI: Was it your money?
BENEATHA: What?
ASAGAI: Was it your money he gave away?
BENEATHA: It belonged to all of us.
ASAGAI: But did you earn it? Would you have had it at all if your
father had not died?
BENEATHA: No.
ASAGAI: Then isn’t there something wrong in a house —in a
world—where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the
death of a man? I never thought to see you like this, Alaiyo.
You! Your brother made a mistake and you are grateful to him
so that now you can give up the ailing human race on account
of it! You talk about what good is struggle, what good is any-
thing! Where are we all going and why are we bothering!
BENEATHA: AND YOU CANNOT ANSWER IT!
ASAGAI (shouting over her): I LIVE THE ANSWER! (pause) In
my village at home it is the exceptional man who can even read
a newspaper . . . or who ever sees a book at all. I will go home
and much of what I will have to say will seem strange to the
people of my village. But I will teach and work and things will
happen, slowly and swiftly. At times it will seem that nothing
changes at a l l . . . and then again the sudden dramatic events
which make history leap into the future. And then quiet again.
Retrogression even. Guns, murder, revolution. And I even will
have moments when I wonder if the quiet was not better than
all that death and hatred. But I will look about my village at the
illiteracy and disease and ignorance and I will not wonder long.
And perhaps . . . perhaps I will be a great man . . . I mean per-
haps I will hold on to the substance of truth and find my way
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A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act III
always with the right course . . . and perhaps for it I will be
butchered in my bed some night by the servants of empire . . .
BENEATHA: The martyr!
ASAGAI (He smiles): . . . or perhaps I shall live to be a very old
man, respected and esteemed in my new nation . . . And perhaps
I shall hold office and this is what I’m trying to tell you, Alaiyo:
Perhaps the things I believe now for my country will be wrong
and outmoded, and I will not understand and do terrible things
to have things my way or merely to keep my power. Don’t you
see that there will be young men and women—not British sol-
diers then, but my own black countrymen—to step out of the
shadows some evening and slit my then useless throat? Don’t
you see they have always been there . . . that they always will
be. And that such a thing as my own death will be an advance?
They who might kill me even . . . actually replenish all that I
was.
BENEATHA: Oh, Asagai, I know all that.
ASAGAI: Good! Then stop moaning and groaning and tell me what
you plan to do.
BENEATHA: Do?
ASAGAI: I have a bit of a suggestion.
BENEATHA: What?
ASAGAI (rather quietly for him): That when it is all over—that you
come home with me—
BENEATHA (staring at him and crossing away with exasperation):
Oh—Asagai — a t this moment you decide to be romantic!
ASAGAI (quickly understanding the misunderstanding): My dear,
young creature of the New World—I do not mean across the
city—I mean across the ocean: home—to Africa.
BENEATHA (slowly understanding and turning to him with mur-
mured amazement): To Africa?
ASAGAI: Yes! . . . (smiling and lifting his arms playfully) Three
hundred years later the African Prince rose up out of the seas
and swept the maiden back across the middle passage over which
her ancestors had come —
BENEATHA (unable to play): To—to Nigeria?
ASAGAI: Nigeria. Home, (coming to her with genuine romantic
flippancy) I will show you our mountains and our stars; and
give you cool drinks from gourds and teach you the old songs
566
Lorraine Hansberry
and the ways of our people—and, in time, we will pretend that—
(very softly)—you have only been away for a day. Say that you’ll
come—(He swings her around and takes her full in his arms in
a kiss which proceeds to passion.)
BENEATHA (pulling away suddenly): You’re getting me all mixed
up-
ASAGAI: Why?
BENEATHA: Too many things—too many things have happened
today. I must sit down and think. I don’t know what I feel about
anything right this minute. (She promptly sits down and props
her chin on her fist.)
ASAGAI (charmed): All right, I shall leave you. No—don’t get up.
(touching her, gently, sweetly) Just sit awhile and think . . .
Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. (He goes to door and
looks at her.) How often I have looked at you and said, “Ah —
so this is what the New World hath finally wrought…”
He exits. BENEATHA sits on alone. Presently WALTER enters from
his room and starts to rummage through things, feverishly looking
for something. She looks up and turns in her seat.
BENEATHA (hissingly): Yes—just look at what the New World
hath wrought! . . . Just look! (She gestures with bitter dis-
gust.) There he is! Monsieur le petit bourgeois noir—himself!
There he is—Symbol of a Rising Class! Entrepreneur! Titan of
the system! (WALTER ignores her completely and continues
frantically and destructively looking for something and hurling
things to floor and tearing things out of their place in his
search. BENEATHA ignores the eccentricity of his actions and
goes on with the monologue of insult.) Did you dream of
yachts on Lake Michigan, Brother? Did you see yourself on
that Great Day sitting down at the Conference Table, sur-
rounded by all the mighty bald-headed men in America? All
halted, waiting, breathless, waiting for your pronouncements
on industry? Waiting for you—Chairman of the Board! (WAL-
TER finds what he is looking for—a small piece of white pa-
per—and pushes it in his pocket and puts on his coat and
rushes out without ever having looked at her. She shouts after
him.) I look at you and I see the final triumph of stupidity in
the world!
567
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act III
The door slams and she returns to just sitting again. RUTH comes
quickly out of MAMA’S room.
RUTH: Who was that?
BENEATHA: Your husband.
RUTH: Where did he go?
BENEATHA: Who knows—maybe he has an appointment at U.S.
Steel.
RUTH (anxiously, with frightened eyes): You didn’t say nothing
bad to him, did you?
BENEATHA: Bad? Say anything bad to him? N o — I told him he was
a sweet boy and full of dreams and everything is strictly peachy
keen, as the ofay kids say!
MAMA enters from her bedroom. She is lost, vague, trying to catch
hold, to make some sense of her former command of the world,
but it still eludes her. A sense of waste overwhelms her gait; a
measure of apology rides on her shoulders. She goes to her plant,
which has remained on the table, looks at it, picks it up and takes
it to the window sill and sits it outside, and she stands and looks
at it a long moment. Then she closes the window, straightens her
body with effort and turns around to her children.
MAMA: Well—ain’t it a mess in here, though? (a false cheerfulness,
a beginning of something) I guess we all better stop moping
around and get some work done. All this unpacking and every-
thing we got to do. (“RUTH raises her head slowly in response to
the sense of the line; and BENEATHA in similar manner turns very
slowly to look at her mother.) One of you all better call the
moving people and tell ’em not to come.
RUTH: Tell ’em not to come?
MAMA: Of course, baby. Ain’t no need in ’em coming all the way
here and having to go back. They charges for that too. (She sits
down, fingers to her brow, thinking.) Lord, ever since I was a
little girl, I always remembers people saying, “Lena —Lena
Eggleston, you aims too high all the time. You needs to slow
down and see life a little more like it is. Just slow down some.”
That’s what they always used to say down home —”Lord, that
Lena Eggleston is a high-minded thing. She’ll get her due one
day!”
RUTH: No, Lena . . .
568
Lorraine Hansberry
MAMA: Me and Big Walter just didn’t never learn right.
RUTH: Lena, no! We gotta go. Bennie—tell her . . . (She rises and
crosses to BENEATHA with her arms outstretched. BENEATHA
doesn’t respond.) Tell her we can still move . . . the notes ain’t
but a hundred and twenty-five a month. We got four grown
people in this house—we can work . . .
MAMA (to herself): Just aimed too high all the time—
RUTH (turning and going to MAMA fast—the words pouring out
with urgency and desperation): Lena—I’ll work . . . I’ll work
twenty hours a day in all the kitchens in Chicago . . . I’ll strap
my baby on my back if I have to and scrub all the floors in
America and wash all the sheets in America if I have to—but
we got to MOVE! We got to get OUT OF HERE!!
MAMA reaches out absently and pats RUTH’S hand.
MAMA: N o — I sees things differently now. Been thinking ’bout
some of the things we could do to fix this place up some. I seen
a second-hand bureau over on Maxwell Street just the other day
that could fit right there. (She points to where the new furniture
might go. RUTH wanders away from her.) Would need some
new handles on it and then a little varnish and it look like some-
thing brand-new. And—we can put up them new curtains in the
kitchen . . . Why this place be looking fine. Cheer us all up so
that we forget trouble ever come … (to RUTHJ And you could
get some nice screens to put up in your room round the baby’s
bassinet. . . (She looks at both of them, pleadingly.) Sometimes
you just got to know when to give up some things . . . and hold
on to what you got. . .
WALTER enters from the outside, looking spent and leaning against
the door, his coat hanging from him.
MAMA: Where you been, son?
WALTER (breathing hard): Made a call.
MAMA: To who, son?
WALTER: To The Man. (He heads for his room.)
MAMA: What man, baby?
WALTER (stops in the door): The Man, Mama. Don’t you know
who The Man is?
RUTH: Walter Lee?
569
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act HI
WALTER: The Man. Like the guys in the streets say—The Man.
Captain Boss—Mistuh Charley . . . Old Cap’n Please Mr. Boss-
man . . .
BENEATHA (suddenly): Lindner!
WALTER: That’s right! That’s good. I told him to come right over.
BENEATHA (fiercely y understanding): For what? What do you want
to see him for!
WALTER (looking at his sister): We going to do business with him.
MAMA: What you talking ’bout, son?
WALTER: Talking ’bout life, Mama. You all always telling me to
see life like it is. Well—I laid in there on my back today . . . and
I figured it out. Life just like it is. Who gets and who don’t get.
(He sits down with his coat on and laughs.) Mama, you know
it’s all divided up. Life is. Sure enough. Between the takers and
the “tooken.” (He laughs.) I’ve figured it out finally. (He looks
around at them.) Yeah. Some of us always getting “tooken.”
(He laughs.) People like Willy Harris, they don’t never get
“tooken.” And you know why the rest of us do? ‘Cause we all
mixed up. Mixed up bad. We get to looking ’round for the right
and the wrong; and we worry about it and cry about it and stay
up nights trying to figure out ’bout the wrong and the right of
things all the time . . . And all the time, man, them takers is out
there operating, just taking and taking. Willy Harris? Shoot-
Willy Harris don’t even count. He don’t even count in the big
scheme of things. But I’ll say one thing for old Willy Harris . . .
he’s taught me something. He’s taught me to keep my eye on
what counts in this world. Yeah—(shouting out a little.)
Thanks, Willy!
RUTH: What did you call that man for, Walter Lee?
WALTER: Called him to tell him to come on over to the show.
Gonna put on a show for the man. Just what he wants to see.
You see, Mama, the man came here today and he told us that
them people out there where you want us to move—well they
so upset they willing to pay us not to move! (He laughs again.)
And—and oh, Mama—you would of been proud of the way me
and Ruth and Bennie acted. We told him to get out. . . Lord
have mercy! We told the man to get out! Oh, we was some
proud folks this afternoon, yeah. (He lights a cigarette.) We
were still full of that old-time s t u f f . . .
570
Lorraine Hansberry
RUTH (coming toward him slowly): You talking ’bout taking them
people’s money to keep us from moving in that house?
WALTER: I ain’t just talking ’bout it, baby—I’m telling you that’s
what’s going to happen!
BENEATHA: Oh, God! Where is the bottom! Where is the real hon-
est-to-God bottom so he can’t go any farther!
WALTER: See—that’s the old stuff. You and that boy that was here
today. You all want everybody to carry a flag and a spear and
sing some marching songs, huh? You wanna spend your life
looking into things and trying to find the right and the wrong
part, huh? Yeah. You know what’s going to happen to that boy
someday—he’ll find himself sitting in a dungeon, locked in for-
ever—and the takers will have the key! Forget it, baby! There
ain’t no causes—there ain’t nothing but taking in this world,
and he who takes most is smartest—and it don’t make a damn
bit of difference how.
MAMA: You making something inside me cry, son. Some awful
pain inside me.
WALTER: Don’t cry, Mama. Understand. That white man is going
to walk in that door able to write checks for more money than
we ever had. It’s important to him and I’m going to help him . . .
I’m going to put on the show, Mama.
MAMA: Son—I come from five generations of people who was
slaves and sharecroppers — b u t ain’t nobody in my family never
let rjobody pay ’em no money that was a way of telling us we
wasn’t fit to walk the earth. We ain’t never been that poor.
(raising her eyes and looking at him) We ain’t never been that—
dead inside.
BENEATHA: Well—we are dead now. All the talk about dreams
and sunlight that goes on in this house. It’s all dead now.
WALTER: What’s the matter with you all! I didn’t make this world!
It was give to me this way! Hell, yes, I want me some yachts
someday! Yes, I want to hang some real pearls ’round my wife’s
neck. Ain’t she supposed to wear no pearls? Somebody tell me —
tell me, who decides which women is suppose to wear pearls in
this world. I tell you I am a man —and I think my wife should
wear some pearls in this world!
This last line hangs a good while and WALTER begins to move about
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act III
the room. The word “Man” has penetrated his consciousness; he
mumbles it to himself repeatedly between strange agitated pauses
as he moves about.
MAMA: Baby, how you going to feel on the inside?
WALTER: Fine! . . . Going to feel fine . . . a man . . .
MAMA: You won’t have nothing left then, Walter Lee.
WALTER (coming to her): I’m going to feel fine, Mama. I’m going
to look that son-of-a-bitch in the eyes and s a y — ( H e falters.) —
and say, “All right, Mr. Lindner— (He falters even more.) —
that’s your neighborhood out there! You got the right to keep
it like you want! You got the right to have it like you want! Just
write the check and—the house is yours.” And—and I am going
to s a y — ( H i s voice almost breaks.) “And you—you people just
put the money in my hand and you won’t have to live next to
this bunch of stinking niggers! . . .” (He straightens up and
moves away from his mother, walking around the room.) And
maybe—maybe I’ll just get down on my black knees . . . (He
does so; RUTH and BENNIE and MAMA watch him in frozen hor-
ror.) “Captain, Mistuh, Bossman — (groveling and grinning and
wringing his hands in profoundly anguished imitation of the
slow-witted movie stereotype.) A-hee-hee-hee! Oh, yassuh boss!
Yasssssuh! Great white! — (Voice breaking, he forces himself to
go on.) — Father, just gi’ ussen de money, fo’ God’s sake, and
we’s—we’s ain’t gwine come out deh and dirty up yo’ white
folks neighborhood …” (He breaks down completely.) And
I’ll feel fine! Fine! FINE! (He gets up and goes into the bed-
room.)
BENEATHA: That is not a man. That is nothing but a toothless rat.
MAMA: Yes —death done come in this here house. (She is nodding,
slowly, reflectively.) Done come walking in my house on the
lips of my children. You what supposed to be my beginning
again. You—what supposed to be my harvest, (to BENEATHAJ
You—you mourning your brother?
BENEATHA: He’s no brother of mine.
MAMA: What you say?
BENEATHA: I said that that individual in that room is no brother
of mine.
MAMA: That’s what I thought you said. You feeling like you better
572-
Lorraine Hansberry
than he is today? (BENEATHA does not answer.) Yes? What you
tell him a minute ago? That he wasn’t a man? Yes? You give
him up for me? You done wrote his epitaph too—like the rest
of the world? Well, who give you the privilege?
BENEATHA: Be on my side for once! You saw what he just did,
Mama! You saw him—down on his knees. Wasn’t it you who
taught me to despise any man who would do that? Do what he’s
going to do?
MAMA: Yes—I taught you that. Me and your daddy. But I thought
I taught you something else too . . . I thought I taught you to
love him.
BENEATHA: Love him? There is nothing left to love.
MAMA: There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t
learned that, you ain’t learned nothing. (Looking at her.) Have
you cried for that boy today? I don’t mean for yourself and for
the family ’cause we lost the money. I mean for him: what he
been through and what it done to him. Child, when do you
think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done
good and made things easy for everybody? Well, then, you ain’t
through learning—because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when
he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ’cause the world
done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody,
measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you
done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through
before he got to wherever he is.
TRAVIS bursts into the room at the end of the speech, leaving the
door open.
TRAVIS: Grandmama —the moving men are downstairs! The truck
just pulled up.
MAMA (turning and looking at him): Are they, baby? They down-
stairs?
She sighs and sits. LINDNER appears in the doorway. He peers in
and knocks lightly, to gain attention, and comes in. All turn to
look at him.
LINDNER (hat and briefcase in hand): Uh—hello . . .
RUTH crosses mechanically to the bedroom door and opens it and
lets it swing open freely and slowly as the lights come up on
573
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act III
WALTER within, still in his coat, sitting at the far corner of the
room. He looks up and out though the room to LINDNER.
RUTH: He’s here. (A long minute passes and WALTER slowly gets
up.)
LINDNER (coming to the table with efficiency, putting his briefcase
on the table and starting to unfold papers and unscrew fountain
pens): Well, I certainly was glad to hear from you people. (WAL-
TER has begun the trek out of the room, slowly and awkwardly,
rather like a small boy, passing the back of his sleeve across his
mouth from time to time.) Life can really be so much simpler
than people let it be most of the time. Well—with whom do I
negotiate? You, Mrs. Younger, or your son here? (MAMA sits
with her hands folded on her lap and her eyes closed as WALTER
advances. TRAVIS goes closer to LINDNER and looks at the papers
curiously.) Just some official papers, sonny.
RUTH: Travis, you go downstairs—
MAMA (opening her eyes and looking into WALTER’S,): No. Travis,
you stay right here. And you make him understand what you
doing, Walter Lee. You teach him good. Like Willy Harris
taught you. You show where our five generations done come to.
(WALTER looks from her to the boy, who grins at him inno-
cently.) Go ahead, son — (She folds her hands and closes her
eyes.) Go ahead.
WALTER (at last crosses to LINDNER, who is reviewing the contract:
Well, Mr. Lindner. (BENEATHA turns away.) We called you—
(There is a profound, simple groping quality in his speech.) —
because, well, me and my family (He looks around and shifts
from one foot to the other.) Well—we are very plain people . . .
LINDNER: Yes—
WALTER: I mean—I have worked as a chauffeur most of my life—
and my wife here, she does domestic work in people’s kitchens.
So does my mother. I mean—we are plain people . . .
LINDNER: Yes, Mr. Younger—
WALTER (really like a small boy, looking down at his shoes and
then up at the man): And—uh—well, my father, well, he was a
laborer most of his life . . .
LINDNER (absolutely confused): Uh, yes—yes, I understand. (He
turns back to the contract.)
WALTER (a beat, staring at him): And my father— (with sudden
574
Lorraine Hansberry
intensity) My father almost beat a man to death once because
this man called him a bad name or something, you know what
I mean?
LINDNER (looking up, frozen): No, no, I’m afraid I don’t—
WALTER (A beat. The tension hangs; then WALTER steps back from
it.): Yeah. Well—what I mean is that we come from people
who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people. And
that’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor—and
we are very proud—
LINDNER: Well—I am sure that is very nice, but—
WALTER: What I am telling you is that we called you over here to
tell you that we are very proud and that this —(signaling to
TRAVISJ Travis, come here. (“TRAVIS crosses and WALTER draws
him before him facing the man.) This is my son, and he makes
the sixth generation our family in this country. And we have all
thought about your offer—
LINDNER: Well, good . . . good —
WALTER: And we have decided to move into our house because
my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick.
(MAMA has her eyes closed and is rocking back and forth as
though she were in church, with her head nodding the Amen
yes.) We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no
causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we
got to say about that. (He looks the man absolutely in the eyes.)
We don’t want your money. (He turns and walks away.)
LINDNER: (looking around at all of them): I take it then—that
you have decided to occupy . . .
BENEATHA: That’s what the man said.
LINDNER (to MAMA in her reverie): Then I would like to appeal
to you, Mrs. Younger. You are older and wiser and understand
things better I am sure . . .
MAMA: I am afraid you don’t understand. My son said we was
going to move and there ain’t nothing left for me to say. (briskly)
You know how these young folks is nowadays, mister. Can’t do
a thing with ’em! (As he opens his mouth, she rises.) Good-
bye.
LINDNER (folding up his materials): Well —if you are that final
about i t . . . there is nothing left for me to say. (He finishes,
almost ignored by the family, who are concentrating on WALTER
575
A R A I S I N IN THE SUN Act HI
LEE. At the door LINDNER halts and looks around.) I sure hope
you people know what you’re getting into. (He shakes his head
and exits.)
RUTH (looking around and coming to life): Well, for God’s sake—
if the moving men are here-LET’S GET THE HELL OUT OF
HERE!
MAMA (into action): Ain’t it the truth! Look at all this here mess.
Ruth, put Travis’ good jacket on him . . . Walter Lee, fix your
tie and tuck your shirt in, you look like somebody’s hoodlum!
Lord have mercy, where is my plant? (She flies to get it amid
the general bustling of the family, who are deliberately trying to
ignore the nobility of the past moment.) You all start on down
. . . Travis child, don’t go empty-handed . . . Ruth, where did I
put that box with my skillets in it? I want to be in charge of it
myself. . . I’m going to make us the biggest dinner we ever ate
tonight. . . Beneatha, what’s the matter with them stockings?
Pull them things up, girl. . .
The family starts to file out as two moving men appear and begin
to carry out the heavier pieces of furniture, bumping into the family
as they move about.
BENEATHA: Mama, Asagai asked me to marry him today and go
to Africa—
MAMA (in the middle of her getting-ready activity): He did? You
ain’t old enough to marry nobody—(seeing the moving men lift-
ing one of her chairs precariously) Darling, that ain’t no bale
of cotton, please handle it so we can sit in it again! I had that
chair twenty-five years …
The movers sigh with exasperation and go on with their work.
BENEATHA (girlishly and unreasonably trying to pursue the con-
versation): To go to Africa, Mama —be a doctor in Africa . . .
MAMA (distracted): Yes, baby—
WALTER: Africa! What he want you to go to Africa for?
BENEATHA: To practice there . . .
WALTER: Girl, if you don’t get all them silly ideas out your head!
You better marry yourself a man with some loot. . .
BENEATHA (angrily, precisely as in the first scene of the play):
What have you got to do with who I marry!
WALTER: Plenty. Now I think George Murchison —
576
Lorraine Hansberry
BENEATHA: George Murchison! I wouldn’t marry him if he was
Adam and I was Eve!
WALTER and BENEATHA go out yelling at each other vigorously and
the anger is loud and real till their voices diminish. RUTH stands
at the door and turns to MAMA and smiles knowingly.
MAMA (fixing her hat at last): Yeah—they something all right, my
children . . .
RUTH: Yeah—they’re something. Let’s go, Lena.
MAMA (stalling, starting to look around at the house): Yes—I’m
coming. Ruth—
RUTH: Yes?
MAMA (quietly, woman to woman): He finally come into his man-
hood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain .. .
RUTH (biting her lip lest her own pride explode in front of MAMA):
Yes, Lena.
WALTER’S voice calls for them raucously.
WALTER (off stage): Y’all come on! These people charges by the
hour, you know!
MAMA (waving RUTH out vaguely): All right, honey—go on down.
I be down directly.
RUTH hesitates, then exits. MAMA stands, at last alone in the living
room, her plant on the table before her as the lights start to come
down. She looks around at all the walls and ceilings and suddenly,
despite herself, while the children call below, a great heaving thing
rises in her and she puts her fist to her mouth to stifle it, takes a
final desperate look, pulls her coat about her, pats her hat and
goes out. The lights dim down. The door opens and she comes
back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time.
577
SAMUELFRENCH.COM
She Kills Monsters
by Qui Nguyen
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the play and their licensing agent, Samuel French, Inc., against any costs,
expenses, losses and liabilities arising from the use of music by licensees.
IMPORTANT BllLING AND CREDIT
REQUlREMENI’S
All producers of SHE KILLS MONSTERS must give credit to the Author of
the Play in all programs distributed in connection with performances of
the Play, and in all instances in which the title of the Play appears for the
purposes of advertising, publicizing or otherwise exploiting the Play and/
or a production. The name of the Author mwt appear on a separate line
on which no other name appears. immediately following the title and must
appear in size of type not less than fifty percent of the size of the title type.
In addition the following credit must be given in all programs and pub-
licity information distributed in association with this piece:
First produced in New York City
The Flea Theater
Jim SimplOD, Artistic Director; Carol Ostrow, Producing Director
SHE KILLS MONSTERS received its world premiere Off Off Broadway at
The Flea Theater in New York City on November 4, 20
11
, under artistic
director Jim Simpson, producing director Carol Ostrow, and managing
director Beth Dembrow; with scenic and lighting design by Nick Fran-
cone, sound design by Shane Rettig, costume design by Jessica Pabst,
puppet design by David Valentine, choreography by Emily Edwards,
fight direction by Mike Chin, prop design by Kate Sinclair Foster, and
stage management by Michelle Kelleher. The director was Robert Ross
Parker. The cast was as follows:
TILLYEV~S AJlisonBuck
AGNES EVANS Satomi Blair
CHUCK Jack Corcoran
MILES Bruce A Lemon
LILI’I1I Margaret Odette
KALIOPE ” Megha Nabe
ORCUS Raul Sigmund julia
VERA/SUCCUBUS……………
•
……….. Brett Ashley Robinson
STEVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Edgar Eguia
FARRAH/SUCCUBUS/NARRATOR …….•……… Nicky Schmidlein
CHARACTERS
NARRATOR
TILLY EVANS
AGNES EVANS
CHUCK
MILES
LllJTH
KAlJOPE
ORCUS
VERA
STEVE
BUGBEAR
FARRAH
SUCCUBI: EVIL GABBI Ie EVIL TINA
GELATINOUS CUBE
TIAMAT
(Lights come up on a hooded female NARRATOR who
speaks a lot like Gate Blanchett in the Lord of the
Rings movies.)
NARRATOR. In a time before Facebook, Worlds of Warcraft,
and Massive Multiplayer Online RPG’s, there once
existed simply a game. Forged by the hands of nerds,
crafted in the minds of geeks, and so advanced in its
advanciness it would take a whole second edition to
contain all its mighty geekery.
And here in the land of Ohio during the year of
19
95,
one of the rarest types of geeks walked the earth.
A Dungeon Master without fear, prejudice, or a penis.
This nerd was a girl-nerd, the most uncommon form of
nerd in the world and her name was Tilly Evans.
(Lights come up on TIllY EVANS, a teenage girl decked
qut in.full kathery D&D fantasy armor with a coolass
sword in hand. She is surrounded by a horde ofKobokls
[goblin-like creatures}.)
(Suddenly they attack!)
(‘I1LLY quickly slays each of the 11UJ’T/,Sters with grace and
e/friency.)
(She stands poised over their dead bodies as the NAR-
RATOR continues… )
NARRATOR. But this story isn’t about her…
This story is about her sister Agnes, the girl who never
left home …
7
8
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene One
(The fol/nwing sequence is presented elegantly in either
shadow-play or with shadouJ-fni,ppetry.)
NARRATOR. Agnes Evans grew up average. She was of aver-
age height, average weight, and average build. She
had average parents and grew up in the average town
of Athens, Ohio with her little sister Tilly.
Tilly however was anything but average.
TIlLY.
What are you doing?
AGNES. Talking on the phone. What are you doing?
TIlLY. Trying to re-animate a dead lizard with the power of
electricity.
AGNES. Oh, okay…WHAT!?!
NARRATOR. Being a bit more than half a decade apart in
age, the two girls had very little in common. Agnes
being of average disposition was into more typical
things such as boys, music, and popular television pro-
grams while her sister Tilly became fascinated with the
dark arts – magic, dragons, and silly costumes.
AGNES. What the hell are you wearing?
TIlLY. Armor.
AGNES. Why?
11ILY. In case I have to battle.
AGNES. Battle what?
‘JULY. Your face.
NARRATOR. As Agnes grew and grew, she became more and
more engrossed with transcending her seemingly per-
manent state of averageness and made one grand wish
on the night of her high school graduation that she
would forever regret.
AGNES. I wish my life was less boring.
NARRATOR. And so the Gods answered her wish by smiting
down every single one of her loved ones in a single car
crash.
But this isn’t the story of that tragedy.
It is a story about how Agnes, the girl who never left
home, finally found a way out…
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Two
(Lights come up on CHUCK, a nerdy teen dressed like a
grunge rocker roadie. He’s wearing large headphones, a
flannel shirt tied around his waist, and jamming out
to Beck’s “Loser” as he’s working the counter of a “RPG
Gaming Store. fir
CHUCK. (singing to himself)
(AGNES enters and pokes his shoulder which startles
him!)
WHOA, WHAT THE FUCK!
AGNES. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you –
CHUCK. I wasn’t scared. I’m a black belt.. .in Jedi. ..jitsu –
AGNES. Hi, I’m looking for a Chuck Biggs?
CHUCK. You’re looking at him! But my hommiesjust call
me simply DM Biggs cause, you know, I’m “big” where
it counts.
AGNES. Vh …
CHUCK. As in MY BRAIN!
AGNES. (relieved) Ohl!!
CHUCK. Not because I’m fat.
Seriously, it really has nothing to do with body mass
index, I’m actually in pretty good shape –
AGNES. I get it.
CHUCK. So what can I do you for?
AGNES. Rumor has it you know a thing or two about D&D.
CHUCK. Well, that depends, are we talking 1st or 2nd
Edition?
AGNES. Vh …
CHUCK. PSYCHE! It doesn’t matter which edition cause my
D&D IQ is the bomb!
AGNES. Cool.
CHUCK. SO what do you need, Miss Pretty Eyes?
• Please see Music Use Note on Page 3.
9
10 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Well, I have this thing. I’m not quite sure what it is.
CHUCK. Well, lemme checkity check it out!
(AGNES hands CHUCK the notebook.)
AGNES. You know, you’re not exactly what I was expecting.
CHUCK. What? Were you expecting some nerd? Cause I’m
no nerd. I’m a straight up lady-killahl
Yeah, I got a girlfriendl She’s not from around here
though. She lives up in New York and you know what
they say about them New York honeys – them girlies
are cray crayl Have you ever been to New York?
AGNES. No.
CHUCK. I’ve been there. Seen the Statue of Liberty. Empire
State building. Hard Rock Cafe. Pretty awesome.
AGNES. Is that when you met your girlfriend?
CHUCK. Met? Well, we haven’t officially met… I mean, in
person. We met on the internet. You’ve been on the
internet, right?
AGNES. Yeah, we have it at work.
CHUCK. Seriously, you gotta get it hooked up at home. I
got a crazy fast connection in my digs. I’m talking 56
kilobits per secondl Fastest on market. Fo’ reals.
AGNES. So about the notebook…
CHUCK. Right. It looks like it’s a homespun module.
AGNES. What’s that?
CHUCK. It’s like a map for a D&D game. An adventure. And
this one looks like it’s written for one to two players at
entry level skills and power designations and – whoa,
wait just a minute.
AGNES. What?
CHUCK. Tillius the Paladin?
Was this written by Tilly Evans?
AGNES. You know her?
CHUCK. You kiddin’, right? Every player here in Athens has
been on a campaign with her.
How’d you get ahold of this?
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. She’s, urn, my sister.
CHUCK. Oh man, I’m sorry –
AGNES. So can you help me figure out what it all means?
CHUCK. Sure, but-
Look, I should tell you something up front now that I
know who you are.
AGNES. Okay?
CHUCK. Nothing can happen between us, okay?
I know you were vibing me when we first met, but now
that I know who you are, I don’t think it would be
appropriate.
AGNES. Vh …alright?
CHUCK. So what do you want to do with this module?
AGNES. Well, Chuck, I want to play it.
11
12 SHE lULLS MONSTERS
Scene Three
(Lights come up MILES standing in TILLY sbedroom.)
MILES. So this is all that’s left to pack?
AGNES. Yep.
MILES. It’s a lot.
AGNES. Yep.
MILES. So is this exactly how –
AGNES. Yep.
Exactly the way she left it –
MILES. Your sister was a slob.
AGNES. She was fifteen.
MILES. She was a fifteen year-old slob.
AGNES. Where do I even begin with all this?
~piths up a He-Man actionfigure.)
MILES. Man, your sister was really into some geeky things.
AGNES. Yep.
MILES. You sure you don’t want any help?
Cause you know I’m strong, right?
Like bull.
AGNES. You’re also clumsy.
Like ass.
MILES. I’m not clumsy.
AGNES. Should I remind you of my fonner coffee table?
MILES. It was faulty design.
AGNES. Thanks for the help, babe, but you should go. I
should pack this myself. I’m her sister, it’s part ofthejob.
MlI..FS. Alright then, I’ll just go ahead start moving some
boxes over to OUR new place.
AGNES. That sounds like a good plan .. Just don’t drop any-
thing.
MILES. I love you.
AGNES. I love you too.
~ give her a kiss.)
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Mll.ES. You should try talking to her, Agnes. I mean about
all this. I think it’ll help.
AGNES. Where would I even start?
MILES. Try asking her.
(MILFS exits.)
(She scans in TlLLyj room, taking it aU in.)
(She takes in a deep breath.)
AGNES. Okay, Tilly, so where do I begin?
(‘rIll.Y appears.)
TIlLY. You’re going to suck at this.
AGNES. Tilly?
TIlLY. You don’t even know the difference between a mage
or a wizard.
AGNES. Hey, trust me, I rather wish you would have left a
diary or a journal, but no, you had to be a dork and
leave a model instead.
TIlLY. Module.
AGNES. Module whatever.
So how do we do this?
TIlLY. You’re going to die five seconds into it.
AGNES. Well, you’re already dead so we’ll at least have that
in common.
TIllY. Fine, you wanna do this, then let’s do this.
AGNES. Chuck. Go.
(Suddenly, with awesome lights, suund, and smoke FX.
a hooded CHUCK rises from behind the tabk where hej
been inexplicably hiding the whok time.)
CHUCK. (speaking aU-wizard-y on a [()wer octave) Greetings,
Adventurers! I am Chuck Biggs also know as DM Biggs
due to the fact that my brain is big, not because I’m
fat. Seriously it has nothing to do with my body mass
index, I’ve actually been working out –
AGNES. Chuck!
CHUCK. And I will be your Dungeon Master for this adven-
ture! Are. You. Ready?
14 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TILLY. Finel If you’re serious about this, then I guess you’re
going to have to meet the rest of the team.
AGNFS. What team?
TILLY. Every adventurer has a party. This one’s mine. Cue
the intro music!
(MissiQn lmpossibk’esque music begins to play.)”
(A spotUghtfalls on LIUI’H.)
First up is Lilith Morningstar.
Qass: Demon Queen.
AGNFS. What in the bad word is she wearing?
Tn.LY. She acts as our squad’s muscle. Whenever you’re sur-
rounded by an armada of Ogres, she’s the one you want
holding the battle axe. She has so much power, she
could make an umber hulk shake in its oversized boots.
She is a perfect combination of both beauty and brawn.
LIUI’H. Violence makes me hot.
TILLY. Next up is Kaliope Darkwalker.
Class: Dark Elf.
AGNFS. Okay, that’s seriously what she looks like?
TILLY. Along with her natural Elvin agility, athleticism, and
ass-kicking abilities, she’s also a master tracker, lock-
picker, and has more than a few magical surprises u
p
her non-existent sleeves. No pointy-eared creature has
ever rocked so much lady hotness.
KAUOPE. I’m in the mood for some danger.
(lWJOPE joins LILn1I and they begin posing aU sexy.)
TILLY. And then there’s –
AGNES. Pause! CHUCK!
(The reality suddenly shifts back to the kitchen tabk.)
CHUCK. Yeah, what’s up?
AGNES. What is this?
CHUCK. This is your party.
·Plea.se see Music Use Note on Page S.
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. My party is a leather-elad dominatrix and an Elvin
super-model?
CHUCK. Dude, don’t look at me, this is what your sister
wrote.
AGNES. Then how come it screams “adolescent boy”?
Seriously, “Violence makes me hot.” Who says that?
CHUCK. Okay, so there’s definitely a certain amount of
improv involved, but I swear this is the gist of what
Tilly created.
AGNES. This?
CHUCK. Yes. This.
AGNES. My sister wrote this?
CHUCK. Look, do you want to play the game or not?
AGNES. Sure, whatever.
(CHUCK throws his hood back on.)
CHUCK. And then –
TIlLY. There’s me. I’m the brains of this operation.
Name: Tilly Evans aka Tillius the Paladin, healer of the
wounded and the protector of lights.
CJass:i\wesomel
(‘rILLy steps up beside KAUOPE, and LILlTII and do
badnss poses with their weapons as if they’re at a photo
shoot.)
CHUCK. Welcome to the Quest for the Lost Soul of i\thens.
Your mission is find and free the Lost Soul before it is
devoured by the dark forces of darkness forever.
(AU the girls high-five w:h other.)
AGNES. Seriously, you guys are supposed to be a team of
badasses?
(Suddenly, three monsters rush in grQWling and snarl-
ing.)
(In a fast and impressive series of moves, TILLY, KAlJ·
OPE, andLIllTH sln.y them.)
Okay, nevermind.
16 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
KAUon. CuriOUS. What form of creature is this?
LILITH. Can I eat it?
Tn.LY. Ulith, you said you were quitting.
LILITH. I said I’d cut down. I’ve only had two this week.
AGNES. Cut down doing what?
KAUon. Eating the flesh of bad guys.
AGNES.Ew.
KAUon. Why are you dressed so strangely?
AGNES. I’m dressed strangely? You look like a friggin’
Thundercat.
Tn.LY. Kaliope.
KAUon. Yes, Noble Paladin Tillius –
TILLY. Any word on arcus’s location?
AGNES. What’s an arcus?
LILl1H. Is this your special skill? Asking questions? That
will come in handy.
AGNES. What’s your special skill? Being a –
TIlLY. Guys, stop it.
Orcus is a demon overlord of the underworld. If
there’s a lost soul, he’ll either have it or at least know
where it is.
So, Kaliope, location?
KAUon. The entrance to the cave of arcus is at the next
bend. But unfortunately neither Lilith nor I can
accompany you for no magical creatures are allowed
into his lair unless they risk being entrapped there for-
ever.
AGNES. (to IJUIlI) Seriously, there has to be more to this
outfit, right?
LILITH. You look like you would be delicious with a side of
baby.
AGNES. Okay! So I guess we’re not going to be friends.
LILITH. Oh, how my heart is broken by that news.
AGNES. Okay, let’s gol
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. Actually, Agnes, before we can go any further. We’re
going to have to equip you and build you a character. I
mean you can’t just walk around looking like that.
AGNES. I’m not wearing what she’s wearing.
TIlLY. You’re going to at least need a shield.
AGNES. A shield I can do.
TIlLY. So what will be your alignment?
AGNES. My what?
LIL1TII. Are you good, lawful, chaotic, unlawful, evil?
AGNES. I’m a Democrat.
KAIJOPE. And what will be your weapon?
AGNES. I guess a sword. A regular sword. Like yours.
TIlLY. This is not a regular sword.
KALIOPE. You have to earn a weapon like the one TUlius
wields.
LIL1TII. The Eastern Blade of the Dreamwalker.
KAlJOPE. Forged from the fiery nightmares of Gods.
LIL1TII. Blessed by the demons of Pena.
KAIJOPE. And bestowed upon the one who once banished
the Tiamat from New Landia.
AGNES. So I can’t have a sword like that one?
TIlLY, UU1H, Ie KAIlOPE. NOI
AGNES. Fine, I’ll just take a regular sword.
TIlLY. And what will be your name?
AGNES. Agnes.
TIlLY. No, what will be your character name?
AGNES. Agnes.
TIlLY. Stop being an ass-ha~, Agnes.
AGNES. No, I want to just use my name. Agnes.
LILITH. Fine, then it is decided, you are Agnes the Ass-
hatted.
AGNES. That’s not what I said.
KAIJOPE. Agnes the Ass-hatted, welcome to our party.
17
18 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Four
(Cut to… )
NARRATOR. (V. 0.) And so it was that Agnes the Ass–hatted
and Tillius the Paladin ventured forth into the dark
dwellings of the truly evil and quite large in stature
ORCUS THE OVERLORD OF THE UNDERWORLD
in search for the lost soul of Athens. But what they
found deep in that cave was not what they were pre-
pared for in the least bit…
(Lights come up on ORCUS, a very large, big-horned,
completely red, tkmon. He’s chilling on a lazy-/xJy watch-
ing Tv.)
TILLY. It is I, the great Paladin Tillius, healer of the
wounded, defender of lights, I have come here to –
ORCUS. Dude, I’m not going to fight you.
AGNES. He’s not going to fight us?
TILLY. We’ve come here to battle.
ORCUS. I know what you came here to do and I’m telling
you, I’m busy.
AGNES. This is the Overlord of the Underworld?
ORCUS. FORMER Overlord of the Underworld! I quit
TILLY. You quit? You can’t quit.
ORCUS. Whatchoo talking about I can’t quit. You know
how annoying it is to always get attacked by goddamn
adventurers all day and night?
(An adventurer named STEVE barges in.)
STEVE. Orcus! It is I, the great Mage Steve and I’ve come
here to do battle!
ORCUS. See what I’m saying?
STEVE. I’ve come to claim the –
ORCUS. Here ya go, little man. It’s all yours.
STEVE. Really, that’s all I had to do? AWESOMEl
ORCUS. So what would you like? Treasure? jewels? Some
cheez-whiz? It’s hella good.
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. I wish to free a soul.
DRCUS. Which one?
TIlLY. Mine.
AGNES. What?
TIlLY. You heard me, Orcus. I want my soul back.
DRCUS. Well, hrm. This is a bit awkward.
AGNES. Wait, you’re the lost soul of Athens?
TIlLY.5hhhh.
DRCUS. Dh, yeah, I sorta lost your lost soul.
TIlLY. How is this possible?
DRCUS. Yeah, I sona traded it in for this badass ‘IV/VCR
combo from the, urn, Tiamat.
TIlLY. What?
DRCUS. Yeah, she was really into it and myoid ‘IV com-
pletely conked out…
TIlLY. So you just gave my soul to the Tiamat?
DRCUS. Well, it is a ‘IV AND VCR.
AGNES. This isn’t good, is it?
TIlLY. No, not good at all.
19
%0 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Five
(Cut to… )
(VERA in her ofjia. She’s talking to a student.)
VERA. Do you want an STD? No, you don’t. At worst, that
shit will kill you. In the least, it will get your shit itchy.
And nobody likes a girl with an itchy hoo-hah. Now get
out of here and keep your pants onl
Stupidass questions I
(AGNES walks in and crashes in her chair.)
Well, you look like shit.
AGNES. Thanks.
VERA. Crazy night with Miles?
AGNES. Crazy night. Not with Miles.
VERA. Well, who’s the new mystery man?
AGNES. It’s not what you think, I was with a high school
boy.
VERA. Say what?
AGNES. We were up all night…
Role-playing.
VERA. Agnes, you know I’m all for experimentation and
extracurricular activities, but maybe you should stick
to guys your same age –
AGNES. JESUS, Vera, we were playing Dungeons and
Dragons.
VERA. OH!
Wait. Dungeons and Dragons?
You know what? I think it was less weird when I thought
you were fucking a high schooler.
AGNES. You’re like the worst high school guidance coun-
cilor ever.
VERA. No, I’m not.
(A student, STEVE, enters.)
STEVE. Hello, Miss Martin, I came by to ask you about –
d
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
VERA. Noooool
STEVE. Miss Martin?
VERA. Are you flunking out of a class?
STEVE. No.
VERA. Then you’re fine. Come back later, I’m busy.
STEVE. Okay.
(STEVE exits.)
AGNES. I stand corrected, you should lead workshops on
pedagogy.
VERA. And how does Miles feel about Dungeons and
Dragons?
AGNES. You really don’t like him, do
you?
VERA. You two have been together how long? Five years?
And all he’s done is asked you to move in with him?
Please, son, keep your house, show me a ring!
AGNES. I’m not ready for that.
VERA. That’s cause down deep you know he’s no good for
you.
AGNES. Can we please change subjects?
VERA. So what’s up with this game? Is this some sort of
dorky quarter-life crisis?
AGNES. I know it’s stupid, but… I’mjust curious why Tilly
liked it so much.
VERA. And?
AGNES. And I honestly don’t see what’s the appeal.
It’s actually kinda mundane. All we’ve done so far is
walk around and talk to things –
21
zz SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Six
(Cut to… )
CHUCK. Suddenly Three Bugbear surround you!
AGNES. What?
CHUCK. Three Bugbear surround youl
AGNES. What the heck is a bugbear?
CHUCK. What do you do?
AGNES. What do I do? I don’t even know what a bugbear is?
Are they small? Are they bears?
CHUCK. You examine the bugbears. They are neither small
nor bears.
1lI.LY. So this game is mundane, huh? All we do is talk and
walk?
AGNES. I didn’t know things were suddenly going to jump
out at us.
CHUCK. The first bugbear strikes.
(It hits AGNES!)
AGNES. OWl Wait, don’t I get a turn?
1lI.LY. You wasted your turn examining the bugbears.
ClWCK. Which they appreciate. Bugbears aren’t used to
getting such attention. The first bugbear strikes.
AGNES. Don’t roll that dice.
(A BUGBEAR. strikes AGNES in the faa again hard.)
OWl
CHUCK. You’ve been damaged.
AGNES. No, really?
CHUCK. What do you do?
AGNES. I fight back!
TIUY. My character does the same.
AGNES. And?
(TIllY steps forward and impales her sward into one of
the BUGBEAR. easily kiUing it.)
CHUCK. Tillius easily slays one Bugbear.
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. That’s right!
Now it’s my turn.
CHUCK. You however swing –
(AGNES takes a swipe with her sward. The BUGBEAR
dodges and smacks her in the face again.)
AGNES. OWl I!
CHUCK. And miss.
AGNES. What? Look at those things? How do I miss that?
CHUCK. The second bugbear strikes.
AGNES. No, no, wait!
CHUCK. They miss.
AGNES. Okay, let me think.
CHUCK. You take a turn to think.
AGNES. No, I don’t-
CHUCK. The third bugbear strikes.
AGNES. Corne on.
(AGNES tries to avoid the attack the best she can, but gets
impaled by the BUGBEAR l weapon.)
CHUCK. Huge damage! Agnes is down.
TILLY. Your character is dying, Agnes. What do you want
to do?
AGNES. What can I do?
TILLY. Start playing this game correctly.
AGNES. How?
TILLY. Stop acting like a sarcastic ogre all the damn time
and I’ll help you. Can you do that?
AGNES•…
TIlLY. Agnes?
AGNES. Yes. Yes, I can do that.
TILLY. You promise?
AGNES. Yes, I promise.
(rIlLY closes her eyes and hovers her hands overAGNES.)
What are you doing?
2S
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
(Lights and suund indicate smnething awesome is haP.
pening.)
CHUCK. TUUus uses a revive spell to restore Agnes’s hit-
points.
You get back on your feet.
TILLY. We stand side-by-side and raise our weapons.
CHUCK. And this is what happens next –
(Hard-hiUing music begins to pwy. AGNES and TILLY
atttUk the BUGBEARS. An elaborate and badass fight
ensues.)
You’ve defeated the bugbearl Agnes levels up! Gains
plus one in being less of a dumbassl
AGNES. Wait, is that really a stat?
TILLY. Yep, totally is. You’re less dumbl Yay! Now where’s
the rest of our team?
(LILITH, KALIOPE, and ORCUS enter.)
lJLITH. You’re not serious, love. We’re not actually going
to bring Orcus along, correct?
KAllOPE. I must agree with Lilith, getting the worst demon
in all the underworld to tote along with us does seems
less-than-wise.
ORCUS. I totally agree. I am bad news. Look at me. I’m red.
I got horns. I’m evil. Do you really want that kind of
badness toting along with you?
TILLY. No, you’re coming with us.
ORCUS. Man, you’re gonna make me miss Quantum Leap.
TILLY. That’s inconsequential.
ORCUS. Inconsequential? Have you seen Quantum Leap?
The dude time travels … through time … by leaping
INTO different bodies. Different BODIES, yo, and
putting things right that once went wrong, and hoping
each time that his next leap will be the leap home.
AGNES. That actually does sound interesting.
TILLY. You lost my soul, Orcus, so now you’re going to have
to help me get it back.
d
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
KAUOPE. He knows where your soul is?
TIlLY. He gave it to The Tiamat.
LILlTII. What?
AGNES. What’s The Tiamat?
KAUOPE. The Tiamat is a five-headed dragon that has laid
waste to generations of adventurers and civilizations
since the Babylonian times.
AGNES. SO it’s pretty hard to kill?
KAUOPE. That would be the logical conclusion, yes.
LILlTII. You just gave her soul away!?! I should rip out your
insides and dine on them right here and right now,
you overgrown sad excuse for a demonic entity.
ORCUS. Whoa, ain’t you the big bad’s baby girl?
UUTH. (suddenly stopped in her tracks) Urn…what? No, you
must be mistaking me for some other. ..demon … prin-
cess.
ORCUS. I don’t think your daddy’s gonna be too fond of
you being AWOL.
LILlTII. (suddenly very teenagery) Look, please don’t tell him,
okay? He’ll kill mel Kill mel
AGNES. Wow, suddenly you don’t seem so tough.
(lJLITH backhands AGNES sending herflying across the
stage.)
ORCUS. Don’t worry. He doesn’t have any love for me
either. Your secret’s safe with me.
TIlLY. Tell us the location of The Tiamat, Orcus!
Now!
ORCUS. Fine.
Go go Orcus Map!
(A comically large map suddenly appears out of
nowhere.)
ORCUS. Behold my comically large map of New Landia.
This is the path you will have to take if you want to
face The Tiamat. You must first travel down the river
of wetness to the swamps of mushy –
25
Z6 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. The names of these locations suck.
TIUY. I was going to go back and give them better names
later, but – you know – I sorta died before I could get
to it.
ORCUS. Then you will climb the mountain of steepness to
the castle of evil to find The Tiamat.
But to be able to face The Tiamat, you will have to face
and defeat all three of its guardians, the Big Bosses of
New Landia. And each one of them are totally badass
so – most likely – one if not all of you will die before
you get there.
So, yeah, you gotta do that…
OR we can chill out in my cave and rock us some
Thursday Night Must-5ee ‘IV!
Who’s feeling me?
No?
Really, none of you guys are into ER? That Clooney Cat
is slammin’!
TIUY. Look, I can’t ask for you all to come with me. The
journey before us is too perilous and the prize too per-
sonal for me to expect you to risk your lives. I’m just
one girl and you all have so much ahead of you. Please
if you do not wish to continue, you have my blessing to
stay right here and be safe.
LILl’m. Tillius, you know as always you have my blade.
KAlJOPE. And mine.
ORCUS. Seriously, I’m totally fine with just chillin’ –
TIUY. You don’t get a choice.
ORCUS.Man!
KAlJOPE. What about you, Agnes the Ass-hatted? What say
you?
AGNES. Of course I’m in.
LILl’m. Then let us kicketh some ass.
•
•
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
NARRATOR. (V.O.) And so our team of adventurers set forth
into the wild, following the path Orcus traced out for
them. It was indeed treacherous and they did indeed
kicketh ass …
(Music liU LL eoolf’s “Mama Say Knock you Out”
kicks in! A high-energy montage of badassery happens
here where we see our party kick ass by kiUing a a crap-
load of different monsters in an assqrtment of different
ways from badass to comedic.)
*Please see Music Use Note on Page 3.
27
28 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Seven
(Lights come up on a beautifulFAEIUE [FARRAH] danc-
ing and singing in the woods [Maybe to a song like
TLC’s Waterfalls).}”
(ORCUS approadleS.)
ORCUS. Aw,look at the little forest faeriel
Hello, little faerie, how are you?
(ORCUS goes to pet the FAERIE, but immediately decks
him in tM mouth.)
OWl
FARRAH. Look, you overgrown sack of stupid, just cause
I’m pretty don’t mean I won’t fuck you the fuck up!
Seriously, did you see a sign on the way in here that
said “Petting Zoo”.
ORCUS.No!
FARRAH. Then please do not try to fucking touch me!
(FARRAH pushes him to the ground.)
ORCUS. I don’t think I like that faerie.
FARRAH. Now get out of my magically enchanted forest,
freakzoids, before I decide to go all Faerie berzerker
all over your ugly asses.
AGNES. Hey, I thought fairies were supposed to be nice.
FARRAH. Nice? Yo, do I sound Canadian to you? Ain’t no
one here gonna be nice all the damn time. Faeries are
happy. No one said nice. HAP-PY. And I’m brimming
like mad with some magical happiness. And guess
what makes me happiest? Kicking the crap out of any
lame-ass adventurers who decide to trespass on my
magically enchanted forest!
AGNES. Look, maybe we should just take the long way
around to the mountain?
FARRAH. Whoa! You’re going to the mountain? As in the
Mountain of steepness?
AGNES. As a matter of fact, yes.
• Please see Music Use Note on Page !l.
d
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
FARRAH. What for?
AGNES. To fight the Tiamat if you need to k
now.
FARRAH. Oh, that’s all you had to say, mortals!
AGNES. Oh yeah?
FARRAH. Yeah. Get ready to push daisies cause it’s throw-
down time!
AGNES. Uh, say what?
FARRAH. I’m one of the great guardians, bitches.
KAUOPE. But she is but wee.
FARRAH. Yeah, and me and my wee butt is gonna kill the
crap out of you guysl
AGNES. Seriously, what could she possibly do?
(Adventurer STEVE enters.)
STEVE. It is I, the great Mage Steve, and I challenge you to –
(The FAERIE graphically rips out his throat in one quick
1TWVe.)
ORCUS. Yo, to hell with that noise. That girl is cray cray!
FARRAH. If you want to get to Tiamat, you’re gonna have to
go through me.
TIU.Y. Finel Enough with the yapping. Let’s do thisl
ClWCK. (V.O.) BOSS FIGHT NUMBER ONE: FARRAH
THE FAERIE VERSUS TEAM TILLIUS
(The FAERIE pulls out two very large knives. They all
fight!)
(Though the FAERIE is indeed small and cute, she’s a
total badass and beats the crap out of the majority of
TIU.Y’s party.)
(Cornered, TIU.Y summons a magic spell.)
TIU.Y. I call on … MAGIC MISSILE!
CHUCK. TILLY CASTS MAGIC MISSLEl!!
FARRAH. Oh no.
(FARRAH expWdes!)
AGNES. Holy crap.
TIU.Y. Holy magic!
29
50 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Eight
(CHUCK is chiUing in AGNES :s apartment when MILES
enters.)
MILES. Agnes! Check it out, guess who just got the new
Smashing Pumpkins double disk –
CHUCK. Dude, nicer But I’m not gonna lie, I much prefer
the consistency of Siamese Dream over the gaudiness of
Mellnn CoUie and the Infinite Sadness.
MILES. Who the hell are you?
CHUCK. Oh, sorry, I’m Chuck. I’m Agnes’s OM and you
are?
MILES. You’re her what?
CHUCK. Oh right, I’m not supposed to talk about that. I’m
her friend. Her secret friend.
MILES. You’re my girlfriend’s “secret friend”?
CHUCK. Yeah, and you are?
MILES. Her boyfriend.
CHUCK. Oh yeah? I didn’t know she was dating anyone.
MILES. Hold up, she didn’t teU you about me?
CHUCK. Well, that’s probably my fault. I keep her pretty
busy if you know what I mean.
MILES. Doing what?
CHUCK. Fighting monsters. Fighting. Monsters.
MILES. I don’t even know what that means. But I do know it
means I’m gonna fight you. Right now. Let’s go.
CHUCK. Why?
MILES. Cause she’s my girlfriend!
CHUCK. No, manl It ain’t like that. We just role-playl
MILES. You what!?!
CHUCK. Look, I got no feelings for her. I mean it was pretty
clear that she was vibing me and all when we first met
– but I set the ground rules straight. This is just for
fun, no long term commitments. I’m just here to help
her play out this fantasy.
MILES. Alright, I’m gonna break you in –
•
b
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
(AGNES enters, holding a pair of black katller gWves.)
AGNES. Hey Chuck, sorry I’m late, but check out what I
found! I think they’ll help me stay in character…
MILES. Hey.
AGNES. Oh, hi.
MILES. Um … I think I should go.
AGNES. Why?
MILES. You’re clearly… busy.
AGNES. Oh God, you know about this now, don’t you?
MILES. Yep.
AGNES. You don’t think I’m a dork, do you?
MILES. No, that’s not what I’m thinking.
CHUCK. Hey man, you can join us if you want.
MILES. Say what?
CHUCK. I mean if you’re comfortable. You could watch us
for a bit and once you get a hang of it, just jump right
in. I’ll be easy on ya.
AGNES. Yeah, Chuck can be pretty rough.
CHUCK. Please, call me Biggs. Cause I’m big. Where it
counts.
So do you wauna play?
MILES. I’m gonna have to … bye.
(MILES exits.)
AGNES. I’ll call ya later?
CHUCK. That guy really doesn’t like D&D, does he?
51
5% SHE lULLS MONSTERS
Scene Nine
(AGNES enters back into the D&D world.)
AGNES. Tilly! Tilly, where are you? Check it out, I got myself
some cool. ..
(As she enters, she catches TILLY and I…D.InI making
out.)
Whoa, what the hell???
TIlLY. Oh, hey there, Agnes. Nice gloves.
LIUI’H. What are you looking at?
AGNES. What were you two doing?
TnLY. I was, uh …kissing my girlfriend.
AGNES. Whoa! Wait just a minutel You two are a couple?
LIUI’H. Does this upset you, lunch meat?
AGNES. It upsets me that you don’t know how to put on all
your clothes.
LIUI’H. I’d advise not talking to me in such a tone.
AGNES. And I’d advise wearing a complete shirt next time
you’re MAKING OUT WITH MY SISTERl
Oh, wait just a minute, I get it. You two are dating
because “Tillius” is a guy character.
TIlLY. Tillius isn’t a guy character.
AGNES. Tillius is a guy’s name.
TIlLY. No. Tillius is a D&D name. I’m female, she’s female,
and we’re lovers.
AGNES. So your character’s gay?
LIUI’H. As am I.
(KALIOPE and ORCUS enter.)
KALlOPE. Me too.
ORCUS. I loves me the cock.
AGNES. Wait, the big slacker demon is gay?
KALlOPE. As is everyone in New Landia. Well, everyone
except for you, Agnes the Ass-hatted.
AGNES. Why is that?
d
•
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
KALlOPE. Well, maybe it’s because you haven’t met the
right girl yet
AGNES. NO, that’s not what I meant. I mean, why is every-
one here gay?
KAUOPE. Because it was the will of the creator.
AGNES. The will of the creator?
TIlLY. Does that bother you, Agnes?
AGNES. Tilly, why’d you make everyone gay?
TILLY. Urn, I don’t know. If I were to take an educated
guess, I’d venture to guess that maybe the author of
this world was into wearing tanktops and The Indigo
Girls.
AGNES. No.
TIlLY. Yes.
AGNES. Noooo.
TIlLY. Yeeees.
AGNES. NO! Wait. I need a time-out.
(AGNES wallts away from the group. TILLY follows. They
are aWne together.)
TIlLY. Wow, I never took you for a homophobe.
AGNES. I’m not a homophobe!
TILLY. That’s not what it looks like to me.
AGNES. I have gay friends, I experimented in college, I vote
democrat, there’s no way I’m anti-gay.
TILLY. Then what’s with the denial?
AGNES. What’s with not giving your girlfriend a full cos-
tume?
TIlLY. She’s a she-deviI.
AGNES. She’s dirty.
TIlLY. I didn’t think this would upset you like it does.
AGNES. I thought I knew you, Tilly. At least good enough
to know whether you dug boys or girls at this point in
your life.
TIlLY. You were busy.
55
54 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Not too busy to know this! Tilly, this is bullshit
I’m your sister. I shouldn’t have to learn about you
through a role-playing game.
TIILY. At least you’re getting to learn something about me.
AGNES••..
TIILY. We should get back on the road.
Are you coming?
AGNES. Fine.
TnLY. Lilith! Kaliope! Orcus!
Where are they?
AGNES. Oh, it looks like they’re over there, taking a nap.
(Lights come up on ULlTH, KALIOPE, and ORCUS all
lying on the floor unconscious.)
TIILY. Elves and demons don’t sleep.
AGNES. They don’t? So I guess them being unconscious
would be a bad thing, right?
(Explosive lights and sound as 1WO CHEERLEADERS
[EVIL GABSI AND EVIL TINA] walk onto stage in an
impressive musical number.)
(They look normal cheerleaders, except they have sharp
teeth, bat wings, and blnod all over their mouths.)
TIlLY. Oh crap.
AGNES. What?
1llLY. Succubusl
AGNES. Suck what bus?
TILIX. Succubus. Demon girls from the demon world who
like to do demonic things like sucking.
AGNES. Are they a boss?
TIILY. No. They’re just really mean.
AGNES. So do we fight them?
TIlLY. No, we run. Gol
(They try to run away, but TnLY gets cornered.)
EVll. GABBI. Not so fast there, nerd.
d
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. Hey guys, what’s up?
EVIL TINA. Were you just looking at me?
TIlLY. No. Not specifically. I was just looking, you know, in
your general direction and then you stepped into my
line of… fleeing.
EVIL GABBI. I think she’s lying.
EVIL TINA. I hate liars.
TIlLY. I’m not lying!
AGNES. Hey, what are you guys doing?
(AGNES marches right up to the two huUies. EVIL TINA
however grabs AGNES by the throat and just holds her
there.)
TIlLY. Let her go!
EVIL GABBI. I think the reason why she was looking at you,
Evil Tina, is because she has the hots for you.
TIlLY. That’s not true.
EVIL TINA. Are you saying I’m ugly?
TIlLY. No.
EVIL TINA. Then do you think I’m pretty?
TIlLY. Vh …
EVIL TINA. I don’t understand “uh.” I don’t speak “uh.”
(EVIL TINA begins bearing dmvn on AGNES.)
AGNES. Owwww!
EVIL TINA. I don’t speak “ow” either.
TILLY. No, I do I dol I think you’re very pretty, you’re so
pretty!
EVIL TINA. Of course you think I’m pretty…you dyke!
EVIL GABBI. Sorry, Evil Tina is just really sensitive about her
looks.
EVIL TINA. Shut up, Evil Gabbil
EVIL GASBI. She doesn’t mean to be mean to you. I like
you. I do. Do you want to join our club?
TILLY. What club is that?
EVIL GABBI. The awesome Evil Club!
•
56 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. Vb …
EVIL TINA. Again with the “uh’s”!
AGNES. Owwww!
TIlLY. Okay, I would love to join.
EVILGADBI. Okayl Sit right here and don’t turn around.
(EVIL TJNA and EVIL GADBI start whispering and
laughing with each other as TD..LY sits staring in the
opposite di~tion.)
(She tries to steal a jJe8k.)
I said not to turn around you stupid trolH
TIlLY. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
(EVIL TINA and EVIL GARBI come up with a plan. They
tum and Wok at TIlLY with an evil smile.)
EVIL GADBL Okay, all you have to do to get into the awe-
some evil club is to make out with me for one whole
minute.
TIlLY. What?
EVIL GADBI. What do you say?
TIlLY. Vh-
AGNES.OWWWl
TILLY. Okay.
EVIL GADBI. Yummy.
(EVIL GADBI leans in.)
(TIUY closes her eyes and leans forward to kiss EVIL
GARBI.)
(Suddenly, out-of-nowhere, EVIL TINA kicks TIlLY in the
faa.)
EVIL TINA. I knew you were gay!
EVIL GADB!. Hahaha. Dyke, you’re so in love with mel
EVIL TINA. Here, why don’t you make-out with your sister?
(EVIL TINA throws AGNES on top ofTIlLY.)
EVIL GADBI. Oh God, you two are so gross.
(AGNES and TILLY worlcs her way back up to herfeet.)
1.
•
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. And you two going to die I
(Both the SUCCUBUS smik and begin laughing. Their
laughter consumes AGNES and TILLY who jall to the
ground laughing. Their laughter becomes painful and
then be,comes agony as they writhe on the ground.)
(The SUCCUBUS walk around looking at their victims.)
EVIL TINA. We’ll see you around. Lesbians.
(The SUCCUBUS skiP away, holding hands.)
(AGNES gets up and walks over to TIll-Y.)
AGNES. Are you okay?
TIll-Y.No.
(rIll-Y runs away.)
37
,.
..
‘I
58
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Ten
(VERA:r o~e)
AGNES. Hey, Vera, you’re not going to believe –
(AGNES is stopped when she sees LIUI’H from the game
sitting at VERA’s dlsk. Exapt this Lilith is in regular
school clothes and glosses.)
LILITH. Sorry, Miss Martin just stepped out.
(AGNES looks around to make SUn! she snot in the D&D
game.)
AGNES. What are you doing here?
LILITH. What do you mean?
AGNES. What are you doing here?
LILITH. I work here.
AGNES. You’re real?
LILITH. Huh?
(AGNES realizes she must sound crazy.)
AGNES. Sorry, that must sound crazy.
LILITH. No, not at all …
So how can I help you?
AGNES. You just sona look like someone I sona… don’t
know.
LILITH. Yeah, I caught that.
AGNES. So where’s Miss Martin?
LILlTH. She’s … uh .. .I don’t know. She never tells me any-
thing. She just handed me a bunch of papers to sort
so, thusly, I’m sorting.
AGNES. You’re a student here?
LILITH. What gave it away?
AGNES. I teach English III.
lJUI’H. Yeah, I know who you are. A bunch of my friends
have you. I got Ms. Gates tho.
AGNES. Delaine? Yeah, she’s great.
,.
,
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
LIUfH. If you don’t mind the smell of Patchoulli all the
time.
AGNES. Tell me about it, she can stink out a teacher’s
lounge faster than Coach Francone.
LILI1lI. So you’re, urn …Tilly’s sister, huh?
AGNES. You knew her?
LILI1lI. Well, sure. I mean I was at her…um…you know.
AGNES. Oh right, her whole class came out. That was really
sweet of you guys to do that.
LILIm. She was … she was awesome, Miss Evans. Tilly, I
mean. I loved her.
AGNES. You did?
LILI1lI. Yeah.
AGNES. I didn’t catch your name.
LnJTH. I’m Lilly.
AGNES. Wait, your name’s Lilly?
LILI1lI. Uh, yeah.
AGNES. As in Lilith?
LILI1lI. Actually it’s short for Elizabeth –
AGNES. So this was real.
LnJTH. What. was real?
AGNES. You and Tilly…you two were real.
LnJTH. I’m not following –
AGNES. You two dated!
LILI1lI. WHAT? No!
AGNES. No, you can tell me.
UUTH. Look, Miss Evans, I didn’t date Tilly! I like boys. I
!l’Wear.
AGNES. No, this explains so much. Of course, you were
together.
LnJTH. No, we weren’t.
AGNES. You don’t have to hide it!
LILI1lI. I’m not.
AGNES. TELL MEl
59
40 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
(VERA enters.)
VERA. Hey! What’s with all the excitement?
AGNES. This is Tilly’s girlfriend!
VERA. What?
LILITH. No, I’m notI
VERA. Lilly, go get me a coffee. Here take my keys and go
grab me a coffee, okay? Thank you, ba-byel
Agnes, what are you doing?
AGNES. She was Tilly’s girlfriend.
VERA. Okay, one, I don’t think so. 1Wo, even if she was,
having a teacher basically scream out “you’re a les-
bian” in the middle of my office isn’t the best way to
coax her out of the closet. And, three, are those my
gloves?
AGNES. Look, she might be the only link I have left to –
VERA. I know, Agnes. But, look at me, that is a 17 year-old
girl who’s been dating a member of that Athens High
football team for over a year. If she’s in the closet, she’s
in there deep.
7
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Eleven
(Lights come up on TILLY. AGNFS approaches.)
AGNFS.Hey.
TILLY. Hey.
AGNFS. What happened back there with the evil Cheer-o-
stititutes?
TILLY. What did it look like?
AGNFS. Did that sorta stuff really happen? I mean in real
life?
TILLY. I was a dorky fifteen year-old closeted lesbian, what
do you think?
AGNFS. SO how come you had to make a game to tell me
all this?
TILLY. I didn’t want to tell you all this if that’s what you’re
wondering. This game was supposed to be private.
AGNFS .
TILLY .
AGNFS. I met Lilly, by the way. The real one.
TILLY. Dh yeah?
AGNFS. Yeah.
She’s straight, isn’t she?
TIlLY. I don’t know.
AGNFS. It must have been hard.
TILLY. I guess.
AGNFS. Tilly, you can talk to me –
TILLY. I’m not really her, / you know?
CHUCK. You know?
AGNFS. What?
CHUCK. Look, I can only extrapolate so much, but this is
feeling a bit blasphemous.
AGNFS. I was talking to my sister, do you mind?
CHUCK. Agnes, I’m all for role-playing, but this is a bit
deeper than I usually get.
41
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Play the role, Chuck.
CHUCK. But Agnes –
AGNES. PLAY IT!
CHUCK. Okay. Look, there’s something in here that I think
you should see –
AGNES. Do it in character.
CHUCK Ie TIU.Y. Agnes …
Can you do me a favor?
AGNES. What?
TIU.Y. I wrote something for Lilly. In here.
Can you give it to her?
(CHUCK pulls an envelnpe out from insitk the notebook
and hands it to AGNES.)
AGNES. What is this?
CHUCK Ie TIU.Y. It’s for her.
7
2
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Twelve
(MILFS enters VERA 1 offiu.)
MILlS. Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?
VERA. What are you doing here?
MILlS. I need advice.
VERA. Are you looking to return to high school?
MILlS.No.
VERA. Are your grades slipping?
MILlS. No.
VERA. Then I have nothing to advise you on. I’m a high
school guidance councilor, Miles, not your therapist.
MILlS. You’re my bestfriend.
VERA. I’m your girlfriend’s bestfriend. You, I don’t like so
much at all.
(STEVE, a student, enters timidly.)
STEVE. Hi, Miss Martin. Is this a bad time?
MILES. YES.
VERA. No. Come on in, Stephen.
STEVE. Hi.
MILlS. Hey.
VERA. So what can I do for you?
MILES. Agnes is cheating on me with a high school kid!
VERA. I was talking to Stephen.
Stephen, how can I help you?
STEVE. Well, I was thinking about dropping out of the
marching band, but scared it might affect my college
applications since it’s really my only extracurricular
activity.
MILlS. Kid, that shit don’t matter.
VERA. Miles t
MU..ES. But you know what does matter? Your girlfriend
hooking-up with a high school student!
45
44 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
VERA. Miles, have some perspective herel Can you see how
this might be inappropriate conversation to be having
in front of a student.
STEVE. I agree.
VERA. Shut up, Stephen.
STEVE. Alright
MIUS. So what do I do?
VERA. Break up with her.
MIUS. Really?
VERA. Yes, really. Be honest with me, Miles, it took you five
years to even ask her to move in with you, it’s not like
you’re that committed to her in the first place.
MIUS. That’s not true.
VERA. Stephen, if you were dating Miss Evans for five years,
what do you think the next logical step would be?
SI’EVE. Miss Evans? Well, she is really pretty.
MIUS. Yo, what is up with high school boys digging on my
girlfriend?
SI’EVE. I don’t dig. Ijust acknowledged.
VERA. What would you do, Stephen?
SI’EVE. I…uh .. .I guess I’d ask her to marry me?
VERA. See what I’m saying?
MIUS. Who asked you?
STEVE. Miss Martin did.
MILES. Well, it doesn’t matter either way, because she’s
cheating on me.
VERA. Miles, she’s not cheating on you.
MILFS. I met him. She admitted it. He’s her “secret friend.”
VERA. Yeah, I know.
MILFS. You know?
VERA. He’s her Dungeon Master.
MILFS. He brings her into a dungeon?
VERA.Jesus Christ, Miles, NOI He’s a 0&0 dork. He’s the
guy who roles the dice and shit.
Ii
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
STEVE. Actually, in a typical D20 role-playing scheme, the
adventurer also roles the dice –
VERA. Shut up, Stephen.
MILES. She’s playing D&D?
STEVE. Miss Evans plays D&D? Wow. Cool.
MILES. Don’t you even think about it, kid.
STEVE. Um, so about my conundrum.
VERA. What conundrum?
STEVE. About the marching band.
VERA. Oh right. Yeah, that stuff doesn’t really matter.
Get back to class.
STEVE. Thank you?
MILES. You really suck at your job.
VERA. And you really suck at being a boyfriend.
STEVE. Well, I think you both suck.
45
46 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Thirteen
KALIOPE. What’s wrong, Agnes the Ass-hatted? By the
droop of your shoulders and your downward gaze, it
would indicate you are troubled somehow.
AGNES. Wow. Observant.
KALlOPE. Was that sarcasm?
AGNES. No.
KALIOPE. My apologies, Agnes. We Elves may have
heightened speed, agility, strength, and attractiveness –
AGNES. And you’re also humble to boot.
KALlOPE. But we’re lacking in “emotional awareness.”
AGNES. What? Are you like a robot or something?
KALlOPE. No, we’re Elves. We’re above emotions. That’s a
human trait.
AGNES. Well, color me envious right about now.
KALlOPE. What troubles you, Agnes the Ass-hatted?
AGNES. I joined this adventure to get to know my sister, to
help her, but I don’t think she needs me at all.
KALIOPE. Well, I don’t think she needs help from most
people. She is a 20th level Paladin after all.
If anything, we travel with her for we often require her
help.
AGNES. Wow, Elf, you’re really bad at giving advise.
KALlOPE. I apologize. Would you like to copulate with me
now?
AGNES. What?
KAlJOPE. I think it would make you feel better. I hear you
humans like to do such things.
AGNES. CHUCKl I’m not going to have sex with the Elf-
girl!
CHUCK. What? I don’t want to see you have sex with the
sexy Elf-girl? Why would I want to see that? Ew, gross,
hot-girl on hot-girl action. Your sister must have wrote
that out. I mean, that’s so gay and I’m so… straight
3
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Are you done?
(AGNES turns back to KAUOPE wlw leans in for a kiss.)
Whoa, what are you doing?
KAllOPE ” CHUCK. (whispers) Nothing!
AGNES. Let’s get back to the group, shall we?
CHUCK. You return back to your party who are all at the
foot of the Mountain of Steepness. But before you can
move forward, you spy something ahead of you. It’s
big, cube-shaped, and gelatinous!
(Lights come up on a GELATINOUS CUBE as the rest of
AGNES spari step up besilk her.)
AGNES. Ew, what is that?
KAUOPE. Oh that? That, my dear human friend, is Boss
Number Two. Miles the Gelatinous Cube!
AGNES. What?
(AdventumSTEVE enters.)
SI’EVE. It is I, the great Mage Steve and I. .. oh neat, a jello
mold!
(The GELATINOUS CUBE sucks down STEVE… )
Ahhhhhl
(… and spits mt bones and his armor.)
(The CUBE burps.)
AGNES. You made my boyfriend ~jello-mold in this game?
TIlLY. What? No.
KAllOPE. You actually did.
ULITH. The Elf is correct, Love. You indeed made Agnes
the Ass-Hatted’s lover into a big cube of demonic gela-
tine.
ORCUS. So, hold up, that thing isn’t edible?
KAllOPE.No.
ORCUS. Dammit, and I got the munchiesl
AGNES. Why’d you make Miles a flesh-eatingjello-mold?
TIlLY. I don’t know.
47
48 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Tilly!
TILLY. Maybe because he sucks.
AGNES. I thought you liked him.
TILLY. Yeah, I loved watching you two make-out everyday in
our living room to the Cranberries CD.
AGNES. We weren’t listening to the Cranberries. It was
10,000 Maniacs.
TILLY. Oh, I’m sorry, that’s so much less lame.
AGNES. Whatever, he’s my boyfriendl
TILLY. He’s a fart-knocker.
AGNES. He liked you.
TILLY. He touched me.
AGNES. What!?!
(silRme)
TILLY. Okay, no, he didn’t. But he mighta.
AGNES. That’s not funny.
TILLY. “That’s not funny.”
AGNES. Seriously, that’s not something to joke about.
TILLY. “Seriously, that’s not something to joke about”
AGNES. Real mature.
TILLY. “Real mature.”
AGNES. Stop that!
TILLY. “Stop that!”
UUI’H. Though I find you mocking your sister like a five
year-old incredibly sexy, shouldn’t we, you know, kill
this thing before it kills us.
AGNES.Nol
TILLY. See, and once again, you’re choosing your boyfriend
over me.
KALIOPE. Your boyfriend is a gelatinous cube? Gross.
ORCUS. Ya know what? I’d fuck it.
It might feel good. It’s slick.
AGNES. This isn’t fair, Tilly, and you know it.
,
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. I thought you were here to save my soul. I guess you
didn’t mean it. Quest is over, guys! We lost. The last
adventure I win ever take ended in a forfeit!
AGNFS. Stop.
TIlLY. Why? So I can watch you run off and move in with
Slimy McSlimerface over there and forget all about
me?
AGNFS. I would never forget about you.
TIlLY. You did when I was alive.
ORCUS. Oh snap, she went there!
TIlLY. So are we giving up or what?
AGNFS. Fine. Whatever. It’s clearly not my boyfriend, right?
You just named him that. Miles isn’t actually green,
slimy, and cube-shaped.
LIUI’H. So are we going to kill it or not?
AGNFS. Fine. Let’s fight it.
TIlLY. Really?
AGNFS. Really.
TILLY. Alright! You hear that, Miles! We’re gonna kill the
crap out of you I
AG~. Can we not call it “Miles”?
TIlLY. Sure. I don’t have to can it “Miles.”
(Suddenly the GELATINOUS CUBE transforms into the
ru;tual human MILES.)
AGNFS. What the hell?
TnLY. Oh, I don’t think Boss number two was actually a
gelatinous cube.
LIUI’H. It’s a shape-shifter.
KAIJOPE. A doppelganger to be exact.
TIlLY. So go kill it, sis. Yay!
(‘rILLY jJ’I.lShes AGNFS forward.)
CHUCK. BOSS FIGHT NUMBER TWO: AGNES VERSUS
MILES THE DOPPELGANGERlll
AGNFS. You’re not actually him – you’re not actually him.
49
50 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
MILES. Hey, baby, how ya doing? Have you finished packing
the apanmentjust yet?
AGNES. Vh, not yet.
(MILES hits her in the face.)
MILES. Well, get to it!
AGNES. This is not fair, Tillyl
TILLY. It’s a boss, it’s not supposed to be fair.
AGNES. You’re not actually Miles.
MILES. Don’t tell me who I amI
(MILES hits her again.)
AGNES. Seriously, are you guys not going to help?
LIUI’H,IWJOPE, ORCUS, It TILLY. (~libbing) No, not really.
You look like you got it handled. I don’t want to step
in between a lovers’ fight. It’s really none of my busi-
ness.
AGNES. You guys suck.
MILES. Hey, baby, why don’t you say hi to my little –
(MILFS goes to punch AGNES again, this time she
catches his fist.)
AGNES. Actually, asshole, I don’t care who look like, nobody
hits me.
(AGNES hits MILES.)
(They fight. AGNES kills MILES.)
‘JULY. Wow. And I was just starting to like that guy. Too
bad. Let’s go.
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Fourteen
(.EVn.. TINA and EVIL GABBI enter. Except they aren’t
evil this time, they’re just students. No wings or horns
or bloody rrwuths, just regular cheerleaders. And they’re
super chipper and nice.)
EVIL TINA. Hello, Miss Evans!
EVILGABBI. Do you have a moment?
AGNES. Vh. Sure.
EVIL TINA. We’re selling Ads for this year’s yearbook and
we wondering if you’d be interested in buying an Ad?
AGNES. Why would I want to do that? I’m not selling any-
thing.
EVIL GABBI. It doesn’t have to be a literal Ad.
EVIL TINA. It could just be a, “Congratulations to the Class
of95!”
EVIL GABBI. Or an encouraging message to your graduat-
ing students.
EVIL TINA. Or a dedication to a loved one who would be
graduating this year …
EVIL GABBI. (whispers) TINA!
EVIL TINA. (t,Q GABBI) Shhh.
(to AGNES) So what do you think?
AGNES. You were in the same class as my sister, right?
EVIL TINA. Yes.
EVIL GABBI. Me and Tina loved her.
EVIL TINA. She was … such a good spirit. Wouldn’t you
agree, Gabbi?
EVIL GABBI. Totally. She always knew how to make someone
smile.
EVIL TINA. We were both just devastated when we found
out. I mean we didn’t hang out after school alot, but-
EVIL GABBI. We’d both consider her a very close friend.
AGNES. Is that right?
51
•
52 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
EVIL TINA. Not to be too bold, but I think buying a full
page Ad for Tilly would be .. Just amazing.
EVIL GABBI. We could even help you with it?
AGNES. Oh yeah?
EVIL TINA. I write poetry.
EVIL GABBI. And I draw.
EVIL TINA. We could put something nice in there for her.
EVIL GABBI. What do you think?
AGNES. Can I see your yearbook there?
EVIL TINA. Of course.
(AGNES violently throws it against the walls. The pages
fly werywhm.)
AGNES. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CLASSROOMlll
EVIL TINA. Yes, ma’am.
EVIL GABBI. Sorry to bother youl
(The TWO GIRLS run out.)
(rILLY enters.)
TIlLY. That seemed really effective.
AGNFS. What am I supposed to do, Tilly? I can’t beat up
students.
TIlLY. I woulda.
AGNES••.•
TIlLY. Agnes …
AGNES•. ,.
TIlLY. Agnes …
AGNES•…
TIlLY. Are you still mad at me for making you kill your boy-
friend?
AGNES. That trick was really uncool.
TIlLY. Miles is really uncool.
AGNES. I love him.
TIlLY. Then how come you’re not married to him?
AGNES. I’m 25, I don’t need to be married.
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
TIlLY. Yeah, but 25 in Ohio-time is like geriatric, it’s like
super old, it’s like 30. Shouldn’t you already have a
kid? Or two?
AGNES. Well, it doesn’t matter, cause neither one of us is
ready.
TIlLY. Whatever you say.. ,
AGNES•…
TIUY•…
AGNES. Am I going crazy?
TILLY. Join the club.
58
•
54 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Fifteen
AGNES. So where were we?
CHUCK. Let me see …
You and your party are climbing the mountain of steep-
ness when suddenly you run back into …
(MILES enters.)
MILES. Hey.
CHUCK. Your boyfriend? No, that’s not right.
AGNES. Hey.
MILES. Am I interrupting anything?
CHUCK. Well, sorta.
MILES. Were you guys playing…Dungeons and Dragons?
AGNES. Yeah.
MILES. Cool.
AGNES. We weren’t having kinky Dungeon sex if that’s what
you were wondering.
CHUCK. What? That was an option?
AGNES. No.
MILES. Vera told you, huh?
AGNES. Yep.
MILES. I misinterpreted.
AGNES. With a high schooler?
MILES. Well, he is really big for his age.
CHUCK. I’m not big. Maybe you’re just small. Small guy.
MILES. Are you mad at me?
AGNES. I’m not happy.
MILES. Okay, that’s fair, but you’re not mad.
AGNES. Well, keep asking that question and we’ll see.
MILES. Well, I came by because I thought, maybe, we could
go back to our new place and stan unpacking some
boxes.
AGNES. I’m still not finished packing Tilly’s room.
;
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
MlU’S. No, what I’m saying is maybe we can go … back… to
OUR new place and, you know, do some unpacking. I
have something special planned that you might like.
AGNES. Like what?
MIU’S. Like …special.
CHUCK. I think he’s implying sex.
AGNES. Thank you, Chuck.
CHUCK. But the unpacking analogy is really confusing.
AGNES. I’m busy, Miles.
MIU’S’ You’re just playing a game.
AGNES. It’s more than that
MIU’S’ Can it not wait for just one night?
AGNES. No.
MILES. Well, okay, how about Friday? Can we hang out on
Friday?
AGNES. I don’t know…
MILES. I thought you said you weren’t mad.
AGNES. I’m not mad. I’m just focused on this right now.
MILES. Baby, come on.
AGNES. I’m not in the mood for –
CHUCK. Hey, do you want to play?
MILES. What?
AGNES. Huh?
CHUCK. Yeah, you should play. I mean if you want to hang
out, let’s hang. I mean you can’t do any worse than
Agnes here, right? She sucks.
AGNES. He doesn’t want to play.
MlU’S. Actually, I would. I would like to play, Chuck.
AGNES. What are you doing?
MIU’S. This is important to you and I want to be part of it.
AGNES. It’s private though.
MlU’S. I know. But you never talk to me about Tilly or your
parents or any of it. I just.. .if this could help me get to
know you better, I wanna try. Please.
55
56 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. You’re for real?
MILFS.I am.
(AGNES thinks it aver… )
AGNES. Fine. Roll him up a character sheet.
. (CHUCK rolls dices as Tn.LY, KALIOPE, LnJ1lI, and
ORCUS enter.)
LILITH. Agnes, behind youl
KAUOPE. Boss Number Twol
AGNES. It’s okayl
ORCUS. Dude, if that thing is that hard to kill, I give up
now.
AGNES. NOI This is not Boss Number Two. This is Miles,
the real Miles, my boyfriend.
11I.LY. What’s he doing here?
AGNES. He wanted to come.
11I.LY. We already have five people in our party.
AGNES. He wants to get to know you.
11I.LY. It’s not really the same thing, now is it?
ORCUS. Bout time we got some more testosterone into this
estrogen party. What’s up? I’m Orcus, resident “horny
dude.”
MILFS. So this is Dungeons and Dragons, huh? Neat.
11I.LY. You’re not serious.
AGNES. Look, you may not like him, but at least I know he
has my back.
11I.LY. We have your back.
AGNES. Right, just like last time when you made me KILL
MY BOYFRIEND?
MILFS. You killed me?
AGNES. No, Ijust killed a big fat blob that looked like you.
MILFS. I look like a big fat blob?
11I.LY. If you got in trouble, we would have stepped in.
KAUOPE.Assuredlr
LILITH. I wouldn’t have.
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
ORCUS. No way.
TILLY. Guys, you’re not helping.
AGNFS. So what’s the next thing we have to fight?
KAUOPE. The next boss is a Beholder.
AGNES. Aw, that sounds cute. Like “Beauty is in the eye
of… ”
(‘m.LY, KAlJOPE, ORCUS, and LILI1H look at each
other.)
TILLY, KALlOPE, ORCUS, LILITH. (adrlibbing) No. Nope. Not
the same thing. That thing is ugly. Like it will kill the
crap out of you. So scary. Just one big scary eyeball
with teeth.
MILFS. Trust me, babe. Whatever it is, we’re going to be
fine. I’m here now.
(explosion)
(The SUCCUBI [EVIL GASHI Be EVIL TINA] are back.)
(rIUX, KAUOPE, ORCUS, LILITIi, and AGNFS aU faU
into defensive stances as MILES just stands there.)
EVIL GASHI. Oh my God, Evil Tina, look! An impenetrable
wall of losers.
EVIL TINA. How will we ever get past them?
AGNFS. Miles, get back!
MILES. Why?
TILLY. Get back behind us, dummy!
MILES. Guys, they’re just two cute little girls. What are they
going to do?
(EVIL TINA and EVIL GASHI let out a Zittk cute school-
girl kJugh.)
EVIL TINA Be EVIL GASHI. Heeheeheel
(… andEVIL TINA rips out his heart and licks it.)
(MILES faUs to the ground dead.)
EVIL TINA. Yummy, I was looking for a snack.
TILLY. Well, he didn’t last long.
57
58 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Tilly, shoot them with a magic missile.
TIlLY. I can’t.
AGNES. What do you mean you can’t?
TIlLY. I forgot the spell.
AGNES. What do you mean you forgot the spell?
TIlLY. It’s a thing. It’s not going to help us.
EVIL GABBI. How hungry are you, Evil Tina?
EVIL TINA. Starving.
EVIL GABBI. What would you like first? Light or dark meant?
EVIL TINA. I like …the school teacher.
1JLl11I. I suggest we stop these succubi the old fashioned
Wc:ly.
AGNES. And that would be?
1JLl11I. With violence, love. Lots and lots of violence.
EVILANGEL Oh no, what will we fight them with?
EVIL TINA. We’re so unarmed.
(Adventurer STEVE mtm.)
STEVE. It is I, the great Mage Steve, returned to do battle
with …oh, hello ladies.
(The SUCCUBUS riP offhis arms.)
EVIL TINA. I guess that answers that.
(TILLY’S party attacks. A huge fight ensues. The
SUCCUBI fight with STEVE :s- severed limbs until they can
disarm and get real weapons from TIlLY:S- group.)
(I’I1ll’ gets cornerm b-J the SUCCUBI.)
EVIL TINA. Awww, look at the little nerd girl.
EVIL GABBI. Are you going to pee your pants.
TIlLY. No.
EVIL TINA. Say goodbye, lezzie.
1JLl11I. No!
(UUrH runs to helP TD..LY but is killed by one of the
SUCCUBUS.)
TIlLY. LILITH!!!
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
EVn. TINA. Awww, did your girlfriend just die?
EVIL GABBI. Aw, that’s so sad. Aren’t they just so sad?
(They both laugh mockingly at TILLY and the dead
LIUI’H.)
(AGNES, KAUOPE, and ORCUS get back on their feet.)
ORCUS. I don’t see what’s so funny.
AGNES. You’ll just be joining her in two seconds.
KAUOPE. Prepare to be ushered to your death.
EVIL TINA. You can’t hope to beat us.
EVILGABBI. We’re way too powerful for you.
ORCUS. Who said we were going to do it with our fists?
KAUOPE. There’s only one way to beat a succubus.
AGNES. We challenge you … to a dance battle.
CHUCK. BONUS ROUND: AGNES, THE ELF, AND ORCUS
VERSUS THE EVIL SUCCUBI CHEERLEADERS!!!
(Music like C&C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make you
Sweat” fills the lwuse as the two crews go at it in afull-
on cheerletu1P’esque dance battle.r
(AGNES’s crew starts it out. They look good… comedic
and funny, but stiU good.)
(The two SUCCUBI look at each other unimpressed by
AGNES :s- skiUs. They smile, step in and start doing an
elaborate Cheerleading/hip-hop fusion routine that com.
pletely kiUs it.)
(Thinking they’ve won, they raise their arms in victory.
“When they do though, AGNES, ORCUS, and KAlJOPE
Pick up their weapons and drive it through them while
they’re not ltJoking!)
EVn. TINA. No fair!
EVIL GABBI. You cheated.
(The SUCCUBI die.)
(TILLY runs back to lJI.J’IH:S- side as everyone watches
on.)
* Please see Music Use Note on Page 3.
59
60 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Can we resurrect her?
KALlOPE. No. Tillius used that spell to save you.
AGNES. But you’re magical, do something.
KALlOPE. I don’t have that kind of magic.
AGNES. Orcus?
ORCUS. I only keep souls. I don’t put them back.
AGNES. CHUCK!
(Cut to… )
CHUCK. What?
AGNES. Bring her back.
CHUCK. I can’t.
AGNES. You killed her girlfriend, now bring her back.
CHUCK. I didn’t kill her. She jumped in the way. I rolled
the dice, it says she died.
AGNES. Screw the dice, just save her!
CHUCK. I can’t.
AGNES. Bring her back, Chuckl I’m not kidding. Bring
Lilith back.
CHUCK. I can’t. Not for this adventure. There’s rules.
AGNES. What rules?
You’re the DM, you make the rules.
CHUCK. No, I don’t. TSR makes the rules.
AGNES. Who the hell is TSR?
CHUCK. They’re the ones who made the game.
AGNES. I don’t care what you have to do, Chuck. Just bring
her back. Now.
MILFS. (sits up.from where he was lying tkad) Hey, baby. Um,
maybe you should take a breather. I just died and I’m
fine.
AGNES. No, I’m not going to let my sister just suffer like
this.
MILFS. It’s not actually your sister.
AGNES. Shut up!
MILES. Babe:
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Are you going to bring her back?
cHuCK. I’m sorry.
AGNES. No! Wrong fucking answer!
(AGNES flips the kitchm tabk. AU the D&D papers fly
everywhere. )
MILES. Agnes …
(nLLY mters.)
TILLY. Stop.
AGNES. Go away.
TILLY. They’re right, you know.
AGNES. Shut up.
TILLY. It’s just a game.
AGNES. I was getting to know you. I was just starting to get
to know you.
TILLY. My character’s not dead.
AGNES. But you are.
TILLY. Agnes.
AGNES. This is a stupid game and you’re not real and none
of this matters because you died.
TILLY. Agnes.
AGNES. Chuck, I’m done.
CHUCK. What?
AGNES. Thank you so much for indulging me.
I’ll call you if! change my mind.
But I’m done talking to ghosts.
61
6% SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Sixteen
(VERA :s offia)
(AGNES walks in.)
VERA. How’s the packing coming along?
AGNES. It’s alright, I guess.
VERA. Miles says you had a bit of a meltdown.
AGNES. When did you two become buddy-buddy?
VERA. He came by. Wanted my help on something.
Hey.
What’s up?
AGNES. I’m just in a funk.
VERA. Agnes, it’s me. I’m not your stupid man. Talk to me.
AGNES. It’s stupid.
VERA. You’re talking to the girl who has a Poison tattoo on
her ass. I know stupid. I inked stupid on my ass. I’m
sure whatever stupid you’re doing ain’t gonna cost you
a thousand dollars in lazer stupid removal.
AGNES. It was just that game was all I had of her.
Just a stupid character sheet and whatever she left
scribbled out in that notebook.
VERA. That’s not true – you have your memories –
AGNES. My memories? My memories are shit.
Do you want to know what my memories of Tilly are?
They’re of this little nerdy girl who I never talked to,
who I ignored, who I didn’t understand because she
didn’t live in the same world as I did. Her world was
filled with evil jello molds and lesbian demon queens
and slacker Gods while mine … had George Michaels
and leg-warmers. I didn’t get her. I asswned I would
one day – that she’d grow out of all this, – that I’d be
able to sit around and ask her about normal things like
clothes and tv shows and boys … and as it turns out, I
didn’t even know she didn’t even like boys until my
DM told me so.
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
VERA. It’s okay, Agnes.
AGNES. No, it’s not.
I didn’t know her, Vera. That breaks my heart. I remem-
ber her as a baby, I remember her as this little toddler
I loved picking up and holding, but I don’t remember
her as a teen at all. I’ll never get tlle chance to remem-
ber her as an adult.
And now all I have left is this stupid piece of paper and
this stupid made-up adventure about killing a stupid
made-up dragon.
VERA. Agnes, baby…
(CHUCK appears at the door.)
CHUCK. Agnes – I mean Miss Evans – um, do you have a
moment?
AGNES. What are you doing here, Chuck?
CHUCK. I, um, wanted to return you this.
(CHUCK hands AGNES the module.)
AGNES. Thank you.
CHUCK. I was also wondering ifyou were free this afternoon.
AGNES. Are you asking me out?
CHUCK. I can do that?
VERA. She was being sarcastic.
AGNES. What do you want, Chuck?
ClWCK. I just wanted to show you something. It’s some-
thing of Tilly’s.
AGNES. What?
(AGNES gets up andfollnws CHUCK)
(Cut to… )
(A door appears.)
(CHUCK knocks on it.)
Where is this?
CHUCK. This is a friend’s house.
AGNES. Who?
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64 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
(The door opens, it~ ORCUS •..jwt dmsed as a normal
High School kid though.)
ORCUS. What’s up, home-slice.
AGNES. arcus?
CHUCK. Actually… this is Ronnie.
ORCUS. Hey, wow.
Older girl.
At my house.
Sweet.
CHUCK. I just wanted you to meet some of Tilly’s friends.
Ronnie, this is who I was telling you about.
ORCUS. Whoa, you’re Tilly’s sister?
CHUCK. Yeah.
ORCUS. You are a total hottie!
CHUCK. Uh, Ronnie?
ORCUS’ What, dude?
CHUCK. Outside voice.
ORCUS. I’m saying stuff outloud I should just keep in my
head again, right?
CHUCK. Yeah.
ORCUS. Sorry.
CHUCK. So is your sister around?
ORCUS. Yeah. Lemme get her.
You guys can come in if you want, just don’t touch the
‘lV, I’m recording Power Rangers!
(They enter his Juruse.)
AGNES. You really didn’t do much to make him different.
He’s basically the same except not red … and straight.
CHUCK. Here’s a picture of his sister.
AGNES. Kaliope.
CHUCK. Kelly, actually.
AGNES. Wow. Is she actually hotter in real life?
CHUCK. Yeah, she’s pretty.
p
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. So what are you trying to show me here? That my
sister was really good at drawing up her friends?
CHUCK. Not exactly.
(Ronnie [ORCUSj returns with his sister Ktlly [KAUOPEj.
She’s wheekhair bound.)
KAUOPE. What’s up, Chuck?
CHUCK. Hey there, hot stuff!
KAUOPE. Who’s this?
CHUCK. Tilly’s sister.
KAUOPE. Oh, hi! Nice to meet you.
AGNES. Uh … hi.
KAUOPE. What? Do I have something on my face?
AGNES. Urn, no, it’s just. ..
You play D&D with these guys?
KAUOPE. Yeah, well. My brother’s always been into it, but it
was actually your kid sister that convinced me give it a
shot. I know it’s dorky, right?
AGNES. Yeah, I guess.
KAlJOPE. Your sister was awesome, Miss Evans. We loved
her. We really miss her.
AGNES. Me too.
(rILLY mters.)
TIlLY. What are you doing?
(As AGNES and Tn.LY talk, in the background we see
Ronnie and Kelly begin transforming back into their
D&D charruters ofORCUS and KAUOPE.)
AGNES. I’m getting to know your friends.
TIlLY. Are you judging them?
AGNES. No.
TIlLY. I know they’re geeky, I’m geeky, we’re all geeks.
AGNES. Why do you think I care about that stuff?
TIlLY. Everyone else does or did. I mean until I died in a
car crash and then suddenly, wow, I’m the most popu-
lar girl in school.
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66 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Is that why all you guys play this?
TnLY. No, we play it because it’s awesome. It’s about adven-
tures and saving the world and having magic. And
maybe, in some small teeny capacity, I guess it might
have a little to do with wish fulfillment Kelly gets to
walk again and Ronnie gets to be super strong…
AGNES.VVhataboutyou?
TnLY.Me?
I get the girl.
(Lights come up on the “real life” high schooler LILITH.
AGNES approaches.)
AGNES. Hi.
LILITH. Hello, Miss Evans.
AGNES. Can we talk for a minute? I promise I’m not going
to yell.
LILlTII. Okay.
AGNES. Look, I’m sorry about that outburst in Miss Martin’s
office, but I was dealing with something.
LILlTII. I get it.
AGNES. Look, I know you’re not gay or was my sister’s what-
ever, but she wanted you to have this. It’s a letter she
wrote to you.
LILITH. VVhat does it say?
AGNES. It wasn’t written to me. I don’t know.
Do want it?
LILITH. Yes.
(LIL1TH immediately opens it and reads it to herself.)
Thank you, Miss Evans.
AGNES. Have a good day.
LIUTH. Wait.
AGNES. Yeah?
LIUTH. I, uh … I did know Tilly.
AGNES. I know. You were at her funeral.
f
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
LIUI’H. No, I mean …we were close.
I mean, she wasn’t my girlfriend or anything, but I
always knew she was, you know, interested.
And, well, maybe I could have been too, it’s just I didn’t
know.. .I don’t know.
Anyways, you’re not crazy.
Tilly was my first kiss. I’m pretty sure I was hers too.
I thought you’d might want to know that about your
sister.
AGNES. Thank you for telling me.
LIUI’H. And Miss Evans –
AGNES. Don’t worry, Lily, I won’t say a word to anybody.
LIUI’H. Thank you.
I loved her.
(Lights fade on UIITH.)
AGNES. Okay, Chuck, I get it. Let’s do this.
67
68 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
Scene Seventeen
(ORCUS, KALlOPE, and TIILY suddenly are all stand-
ing beside AGNlS.)
(CHUCK is back in his DM seat.)
CHUCK. BOSS NUMBER THREE!!!l
(AU the fighters draw their weapons.)
VERA THE BEHOLDER!I!
(VERA 1HE BEHOLDER, a monsterous singh eye-ball
monster with sharp shark-like teeth, enters the stage.)
VERA. HAHAHA! THERE IS NO WAYYOU CAN DEFEAT
MEl I AM A BEHOLDERII I AND I WILL-
(AGNlS walks up and simply stabs it in the eye. It dies.)
AGNES. Well, that was super easy.
So where’s this dragon Tiamat?
This is the right Castle of Evil, right?
TIILY. It’s the right castle.
AGNES. So where is it?
lULY. Well, there’s something you should know about
Tiamat.
AGNES. What?
TIILY. It’s a shapeshifter.
ORCUS. Like Miles the Gelatinous Cube.
AGNES. Okay?
KALlOPE. So it can take any form.
TIILY. A friend.
ORCUS. A lover.
KALlOPE. Anybody.
(STEVE enters.)
STEVE. It is I, the great mage SteveI
(AGNES pulls out a knife and throws it at STEVE. It
immediately kills him dead.)
f
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
AGNES. Take that, you …dragon?
He’s, urn, not getting back up.
KALlOPE. He’s not Tiamat.
AGNES. If he’s not then who is?
(Ln.ITH enters.)
LILITH. I don’t know, love. Where could you possibly find a
monster in this game?
AGNES. Lilith?
LILI’IlI. I mean, look around, where oh where can all the
monsters be?
TILLY. (pointing to ORCUS) Watch out, Agnes! Demonl
LILITH. (pointing to KAUOPE) Oh no, a dark elf!
KAUOPE. (pointing to LILITH) A Demon Queen!
LILITH, ORCUS, lie KAUOPE. (all pointing to TD..LY) Tiamat!
AGNES. What?
‘JULY. Come on, Agnes! This is a D&D adventure. And
what would be an adventure if you didn’t get to fight
a dragon?
(mLY hands AGNES her sword.)
AGNES. Chuck?
CHUCK. FINAL FIGHT! AGNES VERSUS TIAMATll!
(STEVE stands up and joins the otherfour. They all give
devil’ish smiles as they all walA backwards into the dark-
ness.)
(AGNES is akme.)
(Suddenly, the stage goes compktely dark.)
(Then we hearfootsteps. Large, heavy footsteps.)
(We hear the screech of something large and reptilian.)
(And then we see eyes. Bright red eyes. Five sets of them.)
(TIAMAT emerges from the darkness. The stage is filkd
with smoke.)
(Suddenly TIAMAT attacks! AGNES and the five-headed
dragon go at it in aU-out spectacularfight!)
69
70 SHE KILLS MONSTERS
(TIwugh the Tl.AMAT gets its licks in, in the end, AGNES
is able to summon the strength to survive. She plungtS
her sword into the heart of the beast.)
(It rnJfS back aU of its heads and thrashes around in a
luud, and explnsive death.)
(It col/o,pses onto the stage dead.)
(As lights fade around them, a spotlight falls onto
1ULY.)
TIlLY. Good job.
AGNES. Tilly?
1ULY. So did you have fun?
AGNES. What?
TILLY. Did you have fun? That’s the point in all this. Did
you have fun?
(AGNES nods her head.)
Good.
(nLIX begins to exits.)
AGNES. Wait.
You’re not real. You’re gone.
TnLY. But this story remains. And isn’t that essentially
all that life is – a collection of stories? This is one of
mine …
KALIOPE•.•. and not just some story that I experienced
like a party or a dance or an event, but something I
dreamt-
Ln.I’I1I. Something far more personal and important than
happenstance. This story came from my soul and by
breathing life into it, who knows?
ORCUS. Maybe a bit of my soul gets the chance to breathe
for a moment once again.
CHUCK. I love you, my sister.
1ULY. I’m sorry I can’t be there.
»
SHE KILLS MONSTERS
CHUCK. I have no idea why you had to experience this
adventure alone without me. But I hope it gave you a
glimpse into me the way I wanted you to see me-
ORCUS. Strong…
LILITH. Powerful. ..
KAIJOPE. And magical.
CHUCK. Congratulations, you have finished the Quest for
the Lost Soul of Athens.
NARRATOR. And so …Agnes the Ass-hatted accomplished
her very first quest. Soon she would embark on another
and then another and so forth and so on for the rest of
her life. Miles the boyfriend who would soon become
Miles the fiance and finally Miles the husband and
father would join her on her many quests alongside
Chuck the Big Brain’d and Tilly’s old group of friends,
Ronnie the Slacker, Kelly the not-so-good-Iegged, and
Lily the Closeted. Tilly was never forgotten, Agnes got
married, and eventually the world finally embraced
nerds not as outsiders, but as awesome. Agnes moved
out of that old house and brought the many memories
of an average life with her. And this made her happy.
(Lights fade.)
End of Play
71