Study Questions
What are the effects of Solange's fantasy of a play's ending at the end of The Maids? Consider this with respect to other instances of self- consciousness in the play.
Discuss eroticism in The Maids. What usually arouses the different character, and where are the exceptions?
How does dependency function in The Maids? Think particularly about the maids as slaves and Madame as their master.
Before settling on Madame, why does Solange shift between Claire and Madame in her identification of the murder victim in her final monologue?
Discuss the importance of props and the set in the play—the clothing and the apron; the alarm clock, telephone, and doorbell; the tea set; the mirror; the riding whip; the balcony; the curtains; and the garret (not seen).
Discuss how Genet's life—especially as a homosexual and a thief—informs The Maids.
Near the end of the play, Solange remonstrates her sister for wanting to pray, thus bringing God or, worse, the "Mother" of God, into their murderous plot. What do the other references to God say about the sisters?
