In this article, I have discussed The Play Smoke- Screen. the summary, theme, characters, and important questions in detail. This is a short play that is included in the syllabus of the B.A.
The Play Smoke- Screen
1. The play is a comedy of conflicts.
The play Smoke- Screen is a comedy. It represents three types of people who belong to different age groups and represents three generations. In the play, three different attitudes and views are represented on life. The first is conservative second is liberal and the third is progressive attitude.
Susan is a married woman of fifty years. She lives in the countryside. She is leading a happy married life. She represents the old and conservative attitude toward life. She has rigid and old views on life and morality. She thinks that we should give physical punishment to children if they behave rudely toward elders
Lucy Aston is forty years of age. She has liberal views on life. She has separated from her husband because he is unfaithful to her. She gives great importance to personal freedom and has a flexible attitude toward life.
Primrose is a young and fashionable girl of twenty. She represents the modern young generation. She is in favor of full personal freedom. She is rude to her aunt Susan. She does not follow her aunt's advice.
When Prim Rose comes her aunt Susan was listening to music. She turns off the gramophone. She stops listening to music and began to start searching her purse which contains lipstick and other things.
She does not want that her aunt searches for her bag. Susan objects that a young girl should not visit nightclubs in this way. Prim Rose tells her aunt that she should not compare city life with rural life. The conflict between age groups is found between Prim Rose and her aunt Susan.
The conflict between Lucy and Susan appeared in different stages of the play. Susan thinks that Prim Rose does not give respect to elders and she complains about her behavior. Lucey thinks that we should give full freedom to children because independence develops their personalities. There should be no restrictions on them.
2. Character - Sketch of Prim Rose.
Prim Rose is the central character of the play. She is a young girl of twenty and she is fully alive to her sense of beauty. She is energetic dashing and quick. She represents the modern generation. Like the girls in her class. she is conscious to decorate her face and look attractive. Whenever she goes out she decorates her lips with lipstick and tries to look attractive.
She is a rude and insolent girl. We cannot defend her behavior with her mother Lucy and her aunt Susan. She is very harsh and rude to her aunt Susan her aunt seasoned. experience woman. She does not like her loitering at night in city clubs. She knows that going to nightclubs may bring some disaster.. But Prim Rose does not listen to her aunt.
She has been brought up by her mother in a faulty manner. she is deprived of fatherly affection because her mother has divorced him. She has been brought up on the thought that all men are rotters. That is why she develops an aversion to attractive and charming men.
Unlike he mother, she is a realistic and mature girl. Her decision to marry John the ugliest man in the world reveals her mature sense of judgment. Her mother considers it a hasty and sentimental decision but she does not agree with her mother's view. She makes it clear that she has thought a lot before making this decision.
She means marriage not in general but marriage with john. Unlike her mother, she is not interested in smart boys and wealthy boys. She looks very wise and attractive when she tells her mother that means more to you than I do. We can say that Prim Rose in spite of all her shortcomings is a really attractive and sensible girl.
Theme of the play
This play revolves around the following themes.
Characters have duel personalities, and they hide their personalities. There is conflict between characters due to genration gape. The third important theme is the bad effect on childre of broken faimlies.
Post a Comment