Act One, Part 2 

Summary

A crash is heard from the kitchen as Blanche, suffering an asthma attack, drops the plates. Kate tells Eugene to set the table. Jack comes home carrying two heavy boxes filled with party favors. He had a second job selling these items to nightclubs and hotels, but today his boss went bankrupt without paying him, so Jack took whatever goods he could find. Jack worries about how the family will get by without the extra money. 

As they get ready for dinner, Jack and Kate talk about whether Blanche will ever date or remarry. Elsewhere, Stanley tells Nora what happened at work and then asks her to raise the idea of standing up for principles at dinner, which is what he wants to do. Nora gets upset that Stanley wants to talk to Jack after dinner because she also needs to talk to Jack. 

Dinner that night is quiet and tense. Eugene spends a lot of time lusting after Nora. Then Jack tells Stanley it’s time to ask for a raise at work. As Stanley tries to put his father off the idea, Laurie reveals that a Broadway producer was interested in Nora. Jack asks about the encounter, but Blanche doesn’t want to talk about Nora’s job offer yet. 

After dinner, Jack turns on the radio and hears distressing news that makes him reflect that soon the world will be at war with Hitler. The Jerome family has Jewish relatives in Europe, and if any of them came to America, the Jeromes would give them a place to stay. Stanley arranges to talk with Jack later, but Nora insists on talking to Jack now because she wants to confirm the audition with the producer. When Blanche silences Nora, Nora runs outside, crying. Although Blanche says she needs to make the decision herself as she is Nora’s mother, Jack follows Nora. The two take a walk and Jack offers his advice offstage. 

Analysis 

The middle of Act One thrusts Jack more firmly into his role as head of household, much to Nora’s dismay. Nora is angry that her mother refuses to decide whether she can audition for the Broadway musical. Even though Jack supports everyone under the roof through his labor, he can’t take Dave’s place as Nora’s father, as much as Blanche tries to insert him in that spot. For Nora, her mother’s indecision around the audition symbolizes the absence of her father. When her father died, Nora didn’t only lose her father’s love. She also lost what her cousins take for granted: having her parent make crucial decisions for her.

Nora lacks a strong maternal role model. Blanche’s only supportive action toward Nora is sewing to make money for her dance lessons. When Blanche says they will let Jack decide the audition, Nora tries to tell her that she wants Blanche to take responsibility for her. Blanche avoids this parental duty, continually turning to Jack, which gives the audience a keener understanding of Nora’s frustration. 

This section also builds on the importance of money to the family. The audience has already seen Stanley’s distress at potentially losing his job and his salary. Now, Jack puts what the family faces into words: with the loss of his second job, he is unable to pay rent, insurance, food, and clothing. At the moment that Jack reveals this catastrophe, the audience understands that Jack doesn’t even comprehend the true nature of what the family might face, because he doesn’t know about Stanley’s situation. The dramatic tension rises and leads viewers to pay close attention to the characters’ numerous references to money.

Also included in this section is an unexpected intrusion of the outside world—unexpected because most of the play focuses on the inner workings of one family in New York in 1937. Jack turns on the radio to listen to the news of Europe. As a Jewish family, particularly one with relatives in Europe, the Jeromes are acutely aware of the threat that Hitler poses. This shift to the Jewish relatives takes the story out of the domestic sphere, if only briefly, and reminds the audience that the family faces troubles outside of the home, too.