Martina Cowen, Section 13

Essay 8

Picnic Millie

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

A. Desires

Millies strongest desire is to find a boy who likes her. She wishes she was as pretty as her sister,

Madge. She is jealous of her Madge and constantly compares herself to her. She also wishes that

she had friends.

B. Strengths

Millie is very intelligent. She received a scholarship to go to college for four years. She is witty, fun

and adventurous.

C. Values

Millie values learning. She is always reading, and cant wait to go to college to pursue her love of

knowledge. She believes that beauty always wins male attention, rather than intelligence.

D. Physical Description

Millie is sixteen years old. She is not particularly attractive, especially not when compared with

Madge. She is probably not ugly. Perhaps she is just rather plain. She does not take good care of

herself, but in Act II she dresses up for the picnic and this changes her whole appearance: She has

permitted herself to dress up and wears a becoming, feminine dress in which she cannot help

feeling a little strange. She is quite attractive. When she makes an effort, she looks much more

attractive.

E. Adjectives

Insecure, intelligent, witty, strong-willed, ambitious, unladylike, young, defensive

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F. Character Mood (Act II)

a. Heartbeat Her heartbeat raises when people compliment her on her new look, as

she is scared that she looks silly. Her heart races when she is talking to Hal, showing

him her drawings, and dancing with him. When Hal starts dancing with Madge and

Millie starts drinking the whisky her heart beats fast because she is upset and

embarrassed.

b. Perspiration She starts to sweat when people see her in her new outfit because

she does not feel entirely comfortable or like herself. She also perspires when she

talks to and dances with Hal as she is nervous and wants him to like her.

c. Stomach She feels butterflies in her stomach when she talks to Hal, but when he

starts dancing with Madge, she feels a sinking feeling in her stomach and she can tell

he likes Madge more than he likes her.

d. Muscles Her muscles (stomach, shoulders, fingers, toes, legs, jaw) tense up when

Madge and Hal dance together because she is so upset that he finds her sister more

attractive.

e. Breathing Her breathing is faster when she is around Hal, as she fancies him and

wants him to like her. Her breathing is shallow when she is drinking the whiskey and

watching Madge and Hal dance as she is trying not to cry.

G. Polar Attitudes

a. Beginning/Ending of play At the beginning of the play Millie is desperate to fall in

love and to have someone love her back (even though she claims she wont change

how she is for anyone, she still dresses up nicely so that Hal will like her). At the end

of the play she decides that she wants to move to New York and become so great

and famous that shell never have to fall in love. She wants to find her own

independence. However, this may just be a front. She still wishes for love, but she

doesnt want to get hurt again.

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What the character says about themselves

Everyone around here gets to dress up and go places except me.

Im gonna dress and act the way I want to, and if you dont like it you know what you can
do!
I feel sorta funny. (in this outfit)
How do you talk to boys?... Supposing nothing ever comes into my head?
Do you think hell like me?... I dont really care. I just wonder.
(Im) not (smart) when it comes to boys. Im absolutely ignorant.
Youre just saying Im pretty because youre my Mom.
Here comes Millie Owens, the great beauty of all times! Be prepared to swoon when you
see her!
Ive written poems Ive never shown to a living soul.
I never danced with boys I always have to lead.
(Dancing with Hal) I feel like Rita Hayworth!
Its awfully hard to show someone you like them It makes you feel like such a sap. I dont
know why.
When I get out of college Im going to New York, and Ill write novels thatll shock people
right out of their senses. Ill become so great and famous Ill never have to fall in love.

What others say about the character

BOMBER Go back to bed and tell your pretty sister to come out. Its no fun lookin at you!
Im talkin to you, Goon-face!... She cusses just like a man!... Lookit Mrs. Tar-zan!
MADGE Beggars cant be choosers!... If she wants a date, why doesnt she dress up and act
decent?... Always complaining because she doesnt have any friends, but she smells so bad
people dont want to be near her!... You are a goon!
MADGE Thats all I hear poor Millie, and poor Millie won herself a scholarship for four
whole years of college!

FLO A girl like Millie can need confidence in other ways.

FLO Where Millie comes by her tastes, Ill never know.

MADGE Some of the pictures she has over her bed scare me.
MADGE It wouldnt kill Millie if she ever did any cooking,

FLO No, but it might kill the rest of us.

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MADGE Millie can take care of herself.

MADGE You look very pretty. I always knew you could You look wonderful in the dress.
MADGE You think every boy you see is something horrible.
MADGE If you give him a chance, he will (like you) Why ask me all the questions? Youre
supposed to be the smart one.
FLO Doesnt Millie look pretty, Madge?
MADGE When she isnt picking her nose.
MRS. POTTS Its a miracle, thats what it is! I never knew Millie could look so pretty all
the boys are going to fall in love with her!
HOWARD Hey, Millies a good lookin kid. I never realized it before.
HAL You folks shoulda seen Millie this morning. She did a fine jackknife off the high diving
board!
HAL You mean to tell me you can draw pictures?... You read a whole book in one
afternoon?... I sure do admire people who are artistic.
HOWARD Millies not gonna be shocked if she sees someone take a drink.
FLO My Millie is too young to be drinking whiskey!
MADGE Millies so smart and talented. I get to feeling so jealous of her and worthless
when I try to be like her. Then I tell myself that Im not Millie Im me! And I feel lots
better.
FLO You dont know anything, Millie Owens! And if anyone should say anything to you,
you just
ALAN I Im glad you like me, Millie.
ROSEMARY Millie, youre going to be a famous author some day and Ill be so proud I knew
you!
MRS. POTTS Wait till youre a little older, Millie-girl, before you say that (youll never fall in
love).
FLO You be just as great and famous as you want to be. Now go on to school.
BOYS VOICE Hey, Goon girl! Come kiss me! I wanna be sick!
MADGE Tell Millie I never meant it all those times I said I hated her. Tell her Ive always
been very proud that I had such a smart sister.

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What the character does

Millie defends herself against nasty comments from other people. In an attempt to impress Hal, she

dresses up in her sisters clothes and tries to be the kind of girl she thinks guys like. When she

realises that nothing shes done can make Hal like her over Madge, she drinks whiskey secretly and

gets drunk. Having been hurt, she decides that if she can be a famous author she wont need to fall

in love.

SCENE ANALYSIS (Act II)

A. GOAL Millies goal is to attract Hal

B. OBSTACLE Her obstacle is the fact that she is considered less attractive than her sister, and

therefore she is not confident in herself.

C. TACTIC Her tactic is that she dresses up and does her nails. She shows Hal her drawings

and dances with him.

D. EXPECTATION She expects that Hal will like her and fall in love with her.

E. WHAT IF If I were in this situation I would be very nervous. I would feel uncomfortable in

clothes that I do not normally wear. I would talk to Hal and smile at him to show that I like

him, and analyse his responses to see if what I was doing was having an effect.

F. GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES & PREVIOUS ACTION The given circumstances are that they are all

going on a picnic and Millie believes this is the perfect time for her to dress up to impress

Hal. Her previous action was that she went swimming with Hal and he showed off doing all

sorts of tricks, and boasted about his accomplishments. When they went out for lunch, all

the girls fawned over him. Millie knows he is desirable, and she feels inadequate, hence why

she feels that she has to dress up to get his attention.

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CHARACTER ANALYSIS UTA HAGENS SIX BASIC STEPS (Act II)

1. WHO AM I?

a. What is my present state of being? Nervous about how she looks and going on a

date with Hall

b. How do I perceive myself? She feels funny in the dress she is wearing, but she

knows that she looks much more attractive in it.

c. What am I wearing? She is wearing a becoming, feminine dress in which she

cannot help feeling a little strange.

2. WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?

a. What time is it? It is late afternoon, on Labor Day weekend. It is late summer,

Labor Day, and autumn has just begun to edge the green landscape with a rim of

brown.

b. Where am I? She is on the porch and in the yard of her own house, in a small

Kansas town.

c. What surrounds me? The houses are humble dwellings, built with no other

pretension than to provide shelter for their occupants, but their occupants are

women who have worked hard to keep up an appearance, so the houses, although

they may need a coat of paint, are kept tidy, and there are colorful slip-covers on the

porch furniture and lush flower-beds at the edge of the porches. Surrounding the

houses are clusters of heavy foliage from the trees and a stretch of green lawn that

levels back, fading into the horizon. It is a homey scene Beyond the yard, the

houses and the alley is the panorama of a typical, small Midwestern town, with a

church steeple, a grain elevator, a railroad station, a great silo in the centre of a

cattle ranch, and a few municipal buildings rising out of the level, sloping terrain.

G. What are the immediate circumstances? Millie and Hal went swimming together and he

was showing off. Then they went out for lunch and all the girls paid him a lot of attention.

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She feels that the picnic is her opportunity to show Hal that she is worthy of his attention.

She hopes that he will see her in a different light and fall in love with her.

3. WHAT ARE MY RELATIONSHIPS? She is jealous of Madge as Madge is constantly receiving

attention from boys. Madge is the pretty one and knowing that she will never be as

attractive as her makes Millie very upset. Millie and her mother have some conflict as Flo

constantly tells her that she is not as pretty as Madge. She also does not approve of the

books Millie reads. Millie likes Hal, but she is concerned that she is not good enough for his

attention and that he wont like her back when it seems that he can have any girl he wants.

4. WHAT DO I WANT? Millie wants someone to think she is pretty and fall in love with her.

She wants what Madge has. Millie has her sights set on Hal. She fancies him and wants him

to notice her, think she is attractive, and fall in love with her.

5. WHAT ARE MY OBSTACLES? She is not as attractive as Madge and so she feels insecure and

inferior.

6. WHAT DO I DO TO GET WHAT I WANT? To get what she wants Millie dresses up in one of

Madges dresses and paints her nails. She thinks that she has to change who she is and be

more like Madge in order to win Hals heart.