Mother's Day - J.B. Priestley

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The play is set in the living-room of the Pearsons' house in a London suburb. The action takes place in the present, on an afternoon in early autumn.

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Mrs Annie Pearson is the protagonist. She is a pleasant but worried-looking woman in her forties, wife of George Pearson and mother of Doris and Cyril. She later becomes bold and dominating after the …

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Mrs Fitzgerald is the next-door neighbour and fortune-teller. She is older, heavier, and has a strong and sinister personality. She begins the body-swap by urging Mrs Pearson to stand up for herself.

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Mrs Pearson speaks in a light, flurried suburban Cockney tone, while Mrs Fitzgerald has a deep, rather Irish voice. Their voices and personalities are sharply contrasted to highlight the difference be…

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She tells her to put her foot down, be the mistress of her own house, and be the boss of her own family. The advice means Mrs Pearson should stop being treated like a servant and demand respect.

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Mrs Fitzgerald and Mrs Pearson hold hands and mutter identical nonsense words: 'Arshtatta dum—arshtatta lam—arshtatta lamdumbona...' The same spell is used both for the first swap and for the swap-bac…

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After the first swap, Mrs Pearson becomes bold and dominating, while Mrs Fitzgerald becomes nervous and fluttering. The change in body and personality allows Mrs Pearson to speak without fear and cont…

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George Pearson is about fifty, fundamentally decent, but solemn, self-important, and pompous. He takes himself seriously and is exposed as someone his club friends secretly mock.