Brighton Beach Act 2

Act 2 was not what I had initially expected. At the end of act 1 I said that maybe some of the family`s problems would be solved, but that hasn’t really happened. The major theme in this act is family. Despite all of the problems they faced from act 1 everyone really stopped caring about those problems. Instead they all realized that being a big happy family was more important. There were multiple conflicts in act 2 such as Blanche and Kate getting into arguments. Also a problem is the decline of Jacks health. This is bad because he need to be healthy in order for the family to be supported from his income. An example of them not really caring about the problems would be when at the end Jack`s cousins were coming to America. Where he would usually be more frustrated thinking about ways to get more income to support more people coming into the house, Jack was happy for them to come. All of this shows how the entire family started coming together at the end and didn’t care for their financial problems. Their main concern was that everyone was together and happy. That is why I believe that family is the main theme of the 2^nd act. In the end everyone was happy.

Brighton Beach Memoirs Act 2

This act takes place one week later. The household is in disarray because Jack has had a heart attack in the past week and is resting at home. Blanche is getting ready for dinner with Frank Murphy. Stanley sneaks into the house and talks to Eugene in their room. Stanley has lost his entire week’s salary playing poker and is desperate about what to do. Jack decides to get up and go downstairs to see Blanche off. Kate is appalled at her husband’s disregard for his health, and they argue. Nora comes downstairs and leaves for her date, not wanting to see her mother. Blanche makes an appearance, and everyone feels she looks like a movie star. Jack sends Eugene and Laurie to get ice cream. Kate goes upstairs to ask Stanley for his pay so she can give emergency money to Blanche. Stanley tells her that he lost it in a poker game. Kate tries to remain calm and decides not to tell anyone about the matter until later.
Kate comes back into the kitchen in a very agitated state. Blanche is still worrying about Nora. Kate gets angry at Blanche for only focusing on her own problems. The sisters get into a fight which is interrupted by Laurie’s return. On her way to get ice cream, Frank Murphy’s mother gave the girl a note. Frank had a car accident and will not be able to keep their date because he is in the hospital.  Kate then expresses her resentment at Blanche for things that go back to their childhood. Blanche decides that she will move out and live with a friend while she looks for a job. When she has a job, she tells Kate, she will take her daughters and move into her own home. I felt like all these problems were to be solved by the end but I wasn't planning on more of Jack's family coming over. I feel this book had some pretty weird problems like incestual feelings.

Brighton Beach Memoirs Blog Post 2 Gender Roles

Brighton Beach Memoirs Blog Post 2

In the book Brighton Beach Memoirs not only are there financial problems throughout the whole extended family that affect the way they all live but also there are gender roles. Everyone in this time period presented in this book seem to be affected by gender roles and it's almost like that is what they do all the time.

Eugene is the perfect example of a set of gender roles that are shown in this book in the beginning of the book it says, “Outside on the grass stands Eugene Jerome, almost but not quite 15. He is wearing knickers, and shirt and tie, a faded and torn sweater, Keds sneakers and a blue baseball cap. He has a beaten and worn baseball glove on his left hand, and in his right hand he holds a softball that is so old and battered that it is ready to fall apart” (Act 1 Brighton Beach Memoirs). In the beginning of the story the author portrays Eugene outside as a boy playing baseball this is a gender role that we see very often in our lives because boys usually play baseball.

Jack and his wife Kate are another example of a gender role in this book. Jack goes and works all day which makes him the source of all income. While he is out all day, Kate (the wife) gets dinner ready, makes sure the house is clean and makes sure Jack (the husband) is happy when he gets home from his hard day of work. “Kate Jerome, about forty years old, is setting the table” (Act 1 Brighton Beach Memoirs).  Kate in this quote is getting dinner ready for Jack when he gets home.

In this book all or most of these gender roles are outdated. Back in the 30’s women didn’t have as many rights as they have now and so now things are a lot different. In today’s world both parents are working all day while the kids go to school and then come home to do chores and homework.

Act 2

During Act 1 Eugene's family worried about the problems they had more then realizing the most important thing is family.  Often they talked a lot about how they had little money but so many people to care for. What they didn't do is look around at the love ones that surrounded them everyday. That is why this picture connects to Act 2 of Brighton Beach Memoirs. 

Act 2 had the family face multiple conflicts between each other for example, Kate and Blanche fighting, Jacks health declining and Nora claiming  she felt unloved because she got less attention then her sister. Everything seemed to be falling a part. At first I thought the family was going to split up and Blanche and her children would move out but by the end they realized family is more important than fighting and decided to end it. Nora realized her mother does love her and Blanche tells  her sister Kate on page 97 "But if you love someone, you forgive them." Love is what holds a family together and that shows in Act 2. The family has faced many difficulties with the loss of Blanche's husband years before, Jacks health declining, Blanche having to depend on her sister Kate to have a place to live. But through all the fights and hard times they have stuck together and remained a family. 

Act 2

In Act 2 I thought that everyone's problems were going to be solved. After reading it their problems weren't really solved at all but they just stopped caring about them. Everyone in the family just started caring about each other more. As at the end Jacks cousins were released from Poland and were coming to America. Instead of worrying about feeding them and housing them, Jack was just very happy that they were alive and coming to America. Everyone stopped looking at all the little problems they had and began to realize that what they really have is a good family. Everyone started to get along a lot better towards the end as Kate and Blanche got into a big argument. After their argument, they apologized and became close. As Kate was willing to help Blanche get a job and find her own place. Everybody was happy at the end of the play.

Brighton Beach Memoirs #1

Author: Neil Simon

Meet Eugene, a fifteen year old boy who only causes trouble in his family. Or at least that is how the family treats him. Any small command made, is made towards Eugene and only Eugene. Along with a whole lot of girls. Being an outcast, he shouts one bit about baseball, and he is shut down. When "Pop" comes along into the story there is some gender roles brought up. There is clear showing of it when he discusses the roles of women and how they are meant to be working around the house. On page 40 it is mentioned that Kate in a sense "babies" her husband. "He gets up at five-thirty. My mother has to line up his shoes at night because he can't make decisions at five- thirty." It shows that Eugene seems to be the only one standing out of his family, describing other interests in life. But with his father having strong opinions towards everything... how will the family stay together so strong in a time so weak?

The gender roles can only go deeper as the women in the story work more and more, wearing themselves out completely. Will anything change? Will the women in the family ever say enough is enough and demand a break? Or will they continue to let the father Pop decide their every day choices and control their lives?

With the difficult time this family is trudging through, and the money they are struggling with, how will anyone get their way? Nora dreams of dancing but it won't make her much money for long. And most importantly, what will Eugene do with his love for baseball? Who knows where this book leads, so many different characters all in different directions.

Act 1 Brighton Beach Memoirs

The story begins with the main character Eugene Morris Jerome taking part in his own imaginary setting where he created a virtual baseball game outside of his house.  Eugene explained to us that his dream is to play professional baseball or to pursue a career as a writer.  We also see that Eugene possesses a journal. Eugene wanting to play professional sports is a typical dream of a young boy but him wanting to be a writer stood out to me. To be a writer it takes an observant person that is very creative. So I immediately waited for signs of creativity within Eugene. The virtual picture he painted of that baseball game pointed towards his imagination and creativity. Eugene’s father, Jack Jerome, is struggling to figure out how he can support the large family with the additions of his aunt Blanche and his two cousins Laurie and Nora. While his father deals with his problems, Eugene has his first sexual encounter in a dream.  He has his wet dream and this is where his sexual obsession begins. At fifth teen years of age it’s not normal to be addicted to sex however the awareness of sex and the attraction to the opposite sex, especially in males are absolutely normal. “How am I going to become a writer if I don't know how to suffer? Actually, I'd give up writing if I could see a naked girl while I was eating ice cream.” Eugene’s statement shows that he is absolutely willing to get rid of his career aspirations just to satisfy his sexual addiction. In act one it doesn't get too specific with his sexual encounters it was more of an introduction of the thoughts that he begins to have. One very awkward scenario was when he wrote the letter for his brother Stanley in order to receive a detailed explanation of how his cousin Nora looked naked when Stanley spotted her in the shower.  "Her breasts were gorgeous. Like two peaches hanging on the the vine waiting to be plucked...Maybe nectarines. Like two nectarines, all soft and pink and shining in the morning sun." This was very weird because although Eugene is young, by now he should understand how gross it is to be attracted to his family. Stanley feeds his sex addiction by promoting masturbation to him. "Do me a favor, Eugene. Go in the bathroom, whack off, and grow up by yourself." It should be even more apparent that she was off limits because she lives with him, making her more of a sister to him. Stanley began to sense this amusement with Nora within Eugene. Let me give you a piece of advice: When you're going through puberty, don't start with anyone in your own house. Im curious to see how far this sexual addition goes in the story before coming to light to the family. I wonder how the main character will deal with this plight. Moving forward i look to find out whether or not he will approach Nora. I also want to know how his family would react if the discovered such a thing and I hope to see him grow up soon and avoid any more fantasies about his family.