'Night, Mother

     Although the question of "Will Jessie kill herself?" is evident throughout the entire piece, I do not think that this is the most important question to ask, as Jessie's headstrong approach to her suicide is unwavering. Jessie's relentlessness is apparent starting with her determined search for her father's gun, leading to her direct declaration of "I'm going to kill myself, Mama," and ending with her plea for Mama to "let [her] go," suggesting that for Jessie, the question of her suicide is not up for debate. Considering that Jessie’s stance on the topic of her suicide is unchanging throughout the play, I think that the heart of the Major Dramatic Question lies with Mama.

     To me, the purpose of the play is not to figure out if and why Jessie is going to kill herself, but to see if Mama will be able to talk her out of it. This question has better support from the text, as Mama’s changing tactics are apparent throughout the dialogue. For example, after hearing Jessie deliver the news, Mama starts offering to change aspects of their lives, such as proposing to forbid Dawson from “ever setting foot in this house again.” She then approaches the situation by sharing pieces of information to make some of the missing pieces of Jessie’s life fall into place, like admitting that her “daddy had fits, too,” and that Jessie “had a fit when she [was] five years old.” Next, Mama starts encouraging Jessie to notice some positive changes that she’s recently started making, such as being able to remember her daily tasks, and even being able to keep track of her lists. After none of these strategies change Jessie’s mind, Mama’s last hope lies in pleading for Jessie to wait, as she has “all night,” and concluding the night’s struggle by shouting “Please!” Because Mama’s emotions and thoughts throughout the discussion are continually adapting and evolving, the MDQ focuses on whether or not Mama will find a way to save Jessie, rather than simply asking if Jessie will kill herself or not.