MICHEL TREMBLAYS LES BELLESSOEURS Presentation by Sam Friyia

MICHEL TREMBLAY’S “LES BELLES-SOEURS” Presentation by: Sam Friyia

INTRODUCTION TO MICHEL TREMBLAY (B. 1942) Photo source: Radio-Canada. ca

“LES BELLES-SOEURS” “The Sisters-in-law”, 1965

LANGUAGE • The play being translated into English takes away one of the most important elements, the actual way the French language is spoken throughout the play • “Joual” Quebec working-class dialect • “[Tremblay] resolved to write about the people he knew in ways that would reflect their lives and experience as Quebeckers, and in the language they really spoke – not French or even “French-Canadian” but Quebecois…” (pg. 59) • “his characters would speak not in “proper French” but…the bastardized local slang that was for some Quebeckers an embarrassing sign of their cultural degradation, but for others a symbol of their uniqueness as a people…”

ANALYSIS • Germaine’s character and the older women in the play symbolize old traditions/old religious ways in Quebec, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church and British influence of purity - something Trembley and his plays were trying to escape or pull away from. • The older women were all stealing stamps from Germaine throughout the play while synonymously judging the younger girl’s morals all while they themselves were technically actively committing sin • The younger generation of girls symbolized the new form of thinking in Quebec culture, a new wave carrying in a new outlook on how life really is/how it should be

Setting/Time (“Scene”) • The conversations in this play take place in the kitchen of a Montreal tenement, 1965

CHARACTERS (FAMILY CHART)

CHARACTERS (NEIGHBORS/FRIENDS) • Lisette De Courval • Marie-Ange Brouillette • Yvette Longpré • Des-Neiges Verrette • Angéline Sauvé • Rhéauna Bibeau • Lise Paquette

CHARACTERS (OLD TRADITION VS. NEW) YOUNGER CHARACTERS (“GIRLS”) OLDER CHARACTERS (“WOMEN”) • Linda Lauzon • Germaine Lauzon • Lise Paquette • Rose Ouimet • Gabrielle Jodoin • Ginette Menard • Lisette De Courval • Pierrette Guérin • Marie-Ange Brouillette • Yvette Longpré • Thérèse Dubuc • Olivine Dubuc • Des-Neiges Verrette • Angéline Sauvé • Rhéauna Bibeau

Act One (Summary) • Scene begins with four boxes in the middle of Germaine’s kitchen, they are the boxes of a million stamps and stamp-books that she has won in a contest • Act also begins with Germaine and her daughter Linda fussing over small things, demonstrating to the audience their rocky relationship • Germaine cannot redeem her stamps unless they are all pasted individually into the stamp-books the company also gave her so she decides to organize a group of women to come over and help her paste the stamps • The women all gather in the kitchen area to do the stamp-pasting • As the act continues the women all start to explore their resentment towards Germaine’s good fortune and begin to steal some of the stamp books for themselves

Act One (Summary continued – Pierrette’s entrance) • Rhéauna and Angéline (neighbors) engage in a conversation about Germaine’s youngest sister Pierrette Guérin: • Rhéauna: “…Now if there’s one person I can’t stand, its Pierrette Guérin. A shameless hussy! Nothing but shame to her whole family…” • Angéline: “You know, Rhéauna, deep down inside, Pierrette isn’t all bad. ” (pg. 81) • Then the sisters begin to talk about Pierrette while in the stage spotlight • Rose: “I was lousy at school…but her, the little bugger, always coming home with prizes. First in French, first in arithmetic, first in religion…She was pious as a nun, that kid… But to see her today… I almost feel sorry for her. She must need help sometimes… She must get so lonely…” (pg. 81) • Gabrielle: “She wanted to be a teacher. She was all set to begin her training… And then she met her Johnny. ” • The Three Sisters: “Damn Johnny! He’s a devil out of hell! It’s all his fault she turned out the way she did!” • Pierrette shows up to the house, all the women are shocked

Act Two (Summary) • The scene opens with Germaine greeting Pierrette saying • Germaine: “What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again” • Pierrette responds back saying: • Pierrette: “I heard that my big sister, Germaine, had won a million stamps, so I decided to come over and have a look. Well, I’ll be damned! Angéline! What are you doing here? ” • This is where Pierrette exposes Angéline for coming to the club every Friday to see her • The women react to this recently learnt knowledge by saying “Dear God, this is horrible!” while Linda, Ginette and Lise (the younger girls) said “Holy shit, that’s great!”

Act Two (Summary continued – differed opinions) • Here is when we start to see the divide between the two generations of women • All the women (except the girls) “A club! The fastest road to hell! The road to hell, the road to hell! If you go there you’ll lose your soul! Cursed drink, cursed dancing! That’s the place where our men go wrong and spend their money on women of sin!. . . Women of sin like you, Pierrette!” • Rhéauna: “But Angéline, a club! It’s worse than hell!” • Pierrette (laughing heartily): “If hell’s anything like the club I work in, I wouldn’t mind spending eternity there!” • Rose, Germaine, Gabrielle: ”Shut up, Pierrette. The devil has your tongue!” • Linda, Ginette and Lise all answer back saying: “The devil? Come on! Get with the times! The clubs are not the end of the world! They’re no worse than any place else. They’re fun! They’re lots of fun. The clubs are lots of fun. ”

Act Two (Summary continued – Lise’s pregnancy) • There is a spotlight on the refrigerator area of the stage, Lise tells Linda she is pregnant (older generation of women can’t hear any of the conversation) • Pierrette overhears and tells Lise she “knows a doctor” and Linda replies saying “Pierrette, she can’t do that!” • Marie-Ange brings up another pregnant young lady into her conversation with the older women who unknowingly parallels Lise’s situation and is referred to as Mme Bergeron’s daughter • Lise overhears the conversation and gets upset over what is being said

Act Two (Summary continued – Lise’s pregnancy) • Rose: “…she’s been looking for it, too. Look how she dresses. Last summer, I was embarrassed to look at her! And you know me, I’m no prude. Remember those red shorts she had on, those shorts? Well, I said it then, and I’ll say it again “Monique Bergeron is gonna turn out bad. ” She’s got the devil in her, that girl, a real demon. Besides, she’s a redhead … No, you can say what you like, those unwed mothers deserve what they get and I got no sympathy for ‘em… for me unwed mothers are all the same. A bunch of depraved sluts. You know what my husband calls ‘em? Cockteasers!” • Lise says “I’ll kill her if she doesn't shut up!” • Pierrette comes to Lise’s aid saying “there's lots of ways to prevent [pregnancy]. Ever heard of the pill? ” • Rose: “It’s not use talking to you! That’s not what I meant! I’m against free love! I’m a Catholic! So leave us alone and stay where you belong, filthy whore”

Act Two (Summary continued – Stolen stamps) • Angeline comes back and wishes to go to confession for her sins • Germaine decides to see how many books have been filled • Gabrielle tries to distract Germaine from noticing how many books have been stolen by telling her she found a corset-maker for her • Germaine goes over to the box that is supposed to be holding completed books and says “My God, there isn’t much here! Where all the booklets? There’s no more than a dozen in the box. Maybe they’re… No, that tables empty! What’s going on here? ” • Germaine stations herself in front of the door and demands her stamps • Germaine then finds the complete books in the women’s purses and in various articles of their clothing

Act Two (Summary continued – Confrontation) • Germaine: “Ah hah! I knew it! I bet it’s the same with all of you! You bastards! You won’t get out of here alive! I’ll knock you to kingdom come!” • Pierrette offers her help • Pierrette: “I’ll help you, Germaine. Nothing but a pack of thieves! And they look down their noses at me!” • The older women all then proceed to take all of Germaine’s stamps that they could carry out with them, at the end of the scene only Linda and Pierrette are left in the kitchen with Germaine • Pierrette tries to comfort Germaine but Germaine rudely dismisses her, both Pierrette and Linda head for the door • Play ends with the stage directions: • “Germaine falls to her knees beside the chair, picking up the remaining stamps. She is crying very hard. We hear all the others outside singing “O Canada. ” As the song continues, Germaine regains her courage. She finishes “O Canada” with the others, standing at attention, with tears in her eyes. A rain of stamps falls slowly from the ceiling…”

KC Performing Arts - Les Belles-Sœurs • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Nc. TDKh. Uh 31 M • Act 2: 1: 29