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Jo’s Flower Bulbs
When Helen and Jo get engaged within a few hours of each other, it seems that they are both about to commit to serious, long-term relationships. However, reality soon shows these expectations to be ill-founded. While engagement rings represent fidelity and stability, the non-conforming, precarious nature of the two women’s relationships is at odds with such symbolism. When Peter jokingly asks Helen if she wants an engagement ring, Jo makes a derisive comment about the inherently sexual nature of Peter and Helen’s relationship, believing that it has passed the stage of such symbolic attachment. However, moved by youthful enthusiasm, she herself gladly accepts her boyfriend Jimmie’s ring, which she wears around her neck—before her mother tears it off her neck in an outburst of anger. In the end, both women are forced to accept romantic failure. As Helen’s ring fails to materialize when Peter abandons her after a few months, Jo too finds herself both ring- and boyfriend-less at the end of the play. In both cases, the women’s rings thus fail to materialize the stable relationships they are supposed represent. Instead, these symbols of romantic stability only emphasize the contrast between the two women’s desire for emotional fulfillment and the inherently insecure nature of their lives, and come to symbolize broken promises rather than dependability and strength of commitment.
Engagement Rings Quotes in A Taste of Honey
The A Taste of Honey quotes below all refer to the symbol of Engagement Rings. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1: Scene 1 Quotes
JO: Anyway I’m not getting married like you did.
HELEN: Oh!
JO: I’m too young and beautiful for that.
HELEN: Listen to it! Still, we all have funny ideas at that age, don’t we—makes no difference though, we all end up same way sooner or later.
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After Jo and her mother discuss the possibility of Jo working in a bar and thus, according to Helen, potentially “ruining” her life, Jo accuse Helen of already ruining her own. She concludes that she does not want to get married and end up like her mother. Helen’s ironic comment about her daughter’s hopes suggests that she herself has no hope that Jo will make the right decisions in her life, or even that she is special at all. Instead, she believes that everyone ends up “the same way.” This comment might indicate death, since everyone is bound to die, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut.
PETER: Is she always like this?
HELEN: She’s jealous . . .
PETER: That’s something I didn’t bargain for.
HELEN: Can’t bear to see me being affectionate with anybody.
JO: You’ve certainly never been affectionate with me.
PETER: Still, she’s old enough to take care of herself.
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When Jo first meets Peter, he is flirting with her mother and ultimately asks Helen to marry him. Despite her weak efforts at rejecting him, Helen visibly enjoys her lover’s advances and interacts playfully with him. Jo decides to stay in the room and try to interrupt their conversation as often as possible, which makes Helen conclude that she is jealous. Jo’s interference in Peter and Helen’s relationship reveals her desire for attention—a desire that is not egotistical and self-absorbed but, rather, the reflection of the very real threat that Helen might once again abandon her for one of her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non invento
Act 1: Scene 2 Quotes
HELEN: […] There’s two w’s in your future. Work or want, and no Arabian Knight can tell you different. We’re all at the steering wheel of our own destiny. Careering along like drunken drivers. I’m going to get married. [The news is received in silence.] I said, I’m going to get married.
JO: Yes, I heard you the first time. What do you want me to do, laugh and throw pennies?
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When Jo sees an advertisement in a magazine for an Arabian mystic who can read people’s destinies, she mentions it to her mother. This leads Helen to give Jo a speech about life, telling her that there is no point in consulting so-called mystics and that she should rely only on her own discipline. Helen’s vision of life involves a paradoxical mix of control and ignorance. While she claims that Jo should take control of her life and that hard work is the only means for survival, she also accepts that this appearance of control can be entirely blind or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ap
HELEN: You stupid little devil! What sort of a wife do you think you’d make? You’re useless. It takes you all your time to look after yourself. I suppose you think you’re in love. Anybody can fall in love, do you know that? But what do you know about the rest of it?
JO: Ask yourself.
HELEN: You know where that ring should be? In the ashcan with everything else. Oh! I could kill her, I could really.
JO: You don’t half knock me about. I hope you suffer for it.
HELEN: I’ve done my share of suffering if I never do any more. Oh Jo, you're only a kid. Why don’t you learn from my mistakes? It takes half your life to learn from your own.
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When Helen learns that Jo has gotten engaged to her boyfriend, she reacts with anger and frustration. This is one of the few moments in the play when Helen tries to reason with Jo as best she can and sincerely expresses a desire to help her daughter make the right decision. Despite Helen’s frequent aggression, insults, and threats of physical violence, in this moment she also tries to impart wisdom to Jo and to reason with her. She argues that love and long-term commitment are two separate things, and that Jo is too young to become stuck in marriage. Jo’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime.
HELEN: I don’t suppose you’re sorry to see me go.
JO: I’m not sorry and I’m not glad.
HELEN: You don’t know what you do want.
JO: Yes, I do. I’ve always known what I want.
HELEN: And when it comes your way will you recognize it?
JO: Good luck, Helen.
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When Helen leaves the apartment to go get married to Peter, she assumes that Jo is not upset by her departure. Jo’s equivocal words suggest precisely the opposite. While Jo admits that she is not sorry, thus seemingly confirming her mother’s opinion, she also adds that she is not glad, either. This serves as a subtle, yet noticeable hint that she does actually care for her mother, and that at least part of her would have wanted her to stay. Helen’s failure to notice this suggests that she is incapable of understanding her daughter’s true feelings—or, perhaps, that she does Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta p
Act 2: Scene 1 Quotes
GEOF: Has anybody ever tried?
JO: What?
GEOF: Taking you in hand.
JO: Yes.
GEOF: What happened to him?
JO: He came in with Christmas and went out with the New Year.
GEOF: Did you like him?
JO: He was all right . . .
GEOF: Did you love him?
JO: I don’t know much about love. I’ve never been too familiar with it. I suppose I must have loved him. They say love creates. And I’m certainly creating at the moment. I’m going to have a baby.
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During Geof’s first visit to Jo’s apartment, he harshly criticizes her drawings but still recognizes their potential and Jo’s nascent artistic talent. He encourages her to think about attending art school, concluding that what Jo needs in life is formal guidance. Jo’s refusal to consider going to art school is intimately related to her rejection of being taken care of (what Geof calls being “taken in hand”). This distrust of other people’s care is the consequence of her story with Jimmie, which, as she relates, was short-lived despite the boy’s promise to return to her. More broadly, it can also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molesti
Act 2: Scene 2 Quotes
JO: So we’re back where we started. And all those months you stayed away from me because of him! Just like when I was small.
HELEN: I never thought about you! It’s a funny thing, I never have done when I’ve been happy. But these last few weeks I’ve known I should be with you.
JO: So you stayed away.
HELEN: Yes. I can’t stand trouble.
JO: Oh, there’s no trouble. I’ve been performing a perfectly normal, healthy function. We’re wonderful! Do you know, for the first time in my life I feel really important. I feel as though I could take care of the whole world. I even feel as though I could take care of you, too!
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By the end of A Taste of Honey, Jo and Helen are living together again, just as they were at the beginning of the play. Jo realizes that this situation is one that she has experienced repeatedly throughout her life, as time and again her mother has left her for her boyfriends and then returned when those relationships have failed. Helen’s present return, then, cannot be a reflection of any long-term commitment. Helen does not try to contradict her daughter. Rather, she emphasizes her independence from any motherly responsibilities, as she explains that her happiness is completely separate from Jo’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laboru
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Engagement Rings Symbol Timeline in A Taste of Honey
The timeline below shows where the symbol Engagement Rings appears in A Taste of Honey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1: Scene 1
...accompany him out, Peter pulls her toward him, asking her if she wants an engagement ring and saying that he knows she is interested in his money. Jo slyly comments that...
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Act 1: Scene 2
...and she says she simply does. Jimmie says he adores her and gives her a ring he bought earlier that morning in a shop.
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...two discuss when they should get married and decide to do it in six months, during Jimmie’s next leave. Jo tries to put the ring on her finger but realizes it...
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Jo uses her hair ribbon as a necklace for her ring. Jimmie says she has a pretty neck and Jo tries to hide the ring away,...
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Jimmie then tenderly puts on Jo’s necklace. When Jo asks him about the ring, Jimmie admits that he bought it a supermarket, but Jo still finds his intention endearing....
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...to hide something. Aggressive in her curiosity, she finally succeeds in grabbing hold of the string around her daughter’s neck and snatches the ring off. Jo then reveals that she is...
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Act 2: Scene 2
...plans, Jo criticizes her mother’s attitude of superiority, reminding Helen that being offered an engagement ring only led to her being kicked out of her marriage and forced to return to...
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