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Ronald Brewster-Wright
Marion Brewster-Wright is, along with Jane Hopcroft, the character with the fewest number of lines in the play. However, it’s clear from the beginning that she’s an uncomfortable, frequently insecure woman. As the wife of a successful banker, Marion looks down on many of her husband’s friends—indeed, she can’t even remember Sidney Hopcroft’s name until the second act. By the end of the play, Marion has become a full-fledged alcoholic, suggesting that she’s unhappy in her marriage to Ronald Brewster-Wright (who never seems to show her much affection, or even take much interest in her).
Marion Brewster-Wright Quotes in Absurd Person Singular
The Absurd Person Singular quotes below are all either spoken by Marion Brewster-Wright or refer to Marion Brewster-Wright. 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 One Quotes
JANE: No, but it's special tonight, isn't it? I mean, with Mr. and Mrs. Brewster-Wright and Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. It's important.
SIDNEY: Don't forget Dick and Lottie Potter. They're coming, too.
JANE: Oh, well, I don't count Dick and Lottie. They're friends.
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Jane and Sidney are nervous about hosting their Christmas party, as many hosts would be. They want to make good impressions on their guests, and make it clear that they have a lovely, respectable suburban home. But as this passage makes clear, not all the guests are equal in the Hopcrofts’ eyes. Some are more important and respectable than others. The Brewster-Wrights, in particular, are people who Jane and Sidney see as very important. The passage establishes one of the key themes of the play: there’s an intricate social hierarchy, and every one of the Hopcrofts’ friends belongs in a 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
MARION: Just look at these working surfaces and you must have a gorgeous view from that window, I imagine.
SIDNEY: Well…
MARION: It must be stunning. You must look right over the fields at the back.
SIDNEY: No—no.
JANE: No, we just look into next door's fence.
MARION: Well, which way are the fields?
JANE: I've no idea.
MARION: How extraordinary. I must be thinking of somewhere else.
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In this scene, there’s a subtle contest between the host and their guests. Marion Brewster-Wright and her husband, Robert, are clearly wealthier and more socially distinguished than the Hopcrofts. As Marion examines the Hopcrofts’ home, she makes various comments suggesting that it’s not a very nice place to live: it doesn’t have a good view, for example (a house with a nice view being one of the quintessential signs of social status, all the more so because having a nice view is “useless”). Marion’s tone seems dismissive and even derisive, and the Hopcrofts seem embarrassed and intimidated by their wealthier Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi.
MARION: [bending to read the dial] What's this? Whites-coloureds—my God, it's apartheid.
JANE: Beg pardon?
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In this brief scene, the Hopcrofts give Marion a tour of their house and point out their washing machine. Marion notices that the machine has a colored / white setting, and makes a feeble joke about apartheid. (The idea being that apartheid, the South African system of racial segregation, involved separating human beings into white and black, or “colored,” groups. It’s really not a funny joke.) It’s notable that this is one of the only times in the play when the characters discuss politics, culture, or “the world at large.” And it’s no coincidence that Jane doesn’t get the joke, 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
MARION: Oh, that's lovely. Just that teeny bit stronger. You know what I mean. Not too much tonic . . .
SIDNEY: No, well . . .
MARION: Perfect.
SIDNEY: Actually, that's neat gin, that is.
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Marion complains that her gin and tonic doesn’t have enough tonic (in fact, it doesn’t have any). Then, Sidney goes to find some tonic water to add to her beverage. A moment later, he returns to Marion, without having done anything to the drink. Marion sips the drink and claims that it now has the perfect amount of tonic water in it. The exchange isn’t just a perfect example of the “placebo effect.” It’s also a sign that the characters are out of touch with reality. The mere power of suggestion—the fact that Marion thinks Sidney has added tonic to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provi
GEOFFREY: Oh now, come off it. Nonsense. She chooses to live with me, she lives by my rules. I mean we've always made that perfectly clear. She lives her life to a certain extent; I live mine, do what I like within reason. It's the only way to do it...
SIDNEY: Good gracious.
RONALD: I wish you'd have a chat with Marion. Convince her.
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Geoffrey Jackson, another one of the guests at the Hopcrofts’ party, is a charismatic, handsome man who likes to brag to his male friends about his sexual conquests. In oblique terms, Geoffrey suggests that he cheats on his wife all the time, but adds that she’s learned to “play by his rules.” In other words, Geoffrey uses adultery to assert his authority over Eva: he’s the “king of the castle,” and Eva has to support him in whatever he does. The passage is a grating, satirical example of “guy talk.” The three male characters crack little jokes about adultery, at Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequu
MARION: This really is a simply loathsome little house. I mean how can people live in them. I mean, Geoff, you're an architect, you must be able to tell me. How do people come to design these sort of monstrosities in the first place, let alone persuade people to live in them?
GEOFFREY: Well...
MARION: Oh, God. Now he's going to tell me he designed it.
GEOFFREY: No. I didn't do it. They're designed like this mainly because of cost and people who are desperate for somewhere to live aren't particularly choosey.
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Just as the Hopcrofts predicted, the Christmas party is in reality a subtle game of one-upmanship, in which the different couples quietly judge one another for social status. Marion, the wife of the successful banker Ronald Brewster-Wright, doesn’t seem to think much of Sidney and Jane, and in this passage Marion makes it clear why. She thinks they’re beneath her in the economic hierarchy: their house is cheap and ugly-looking, so they can’t be very wealthy at all. As Ayckbourn makes clearer and clearer as the play goes on, however, Marion and Geoffrey’s obsession with ranking other peoples’ social status 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 d
Act Three Quotes
RONALD: Drink? No, I don't honestly think so. She's always liked a—I mean, the doctor did say she should lay off. But that was only because it was acting as a stimulant—She hasn't touched it lately.
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As Act Three begins, another year has gone by. Ronald’s wife Marion has become bedridden for vaguely-defined reasons. Eva suggests that Marion is an alcoholic, while Ronald refuses to believe this. However, as the act goes on, it becomes clear that Eva is exactly right. Ronald’s refusal to believe the obvious truth about Marion is a form of denial: he can’t accept the painful truth that his wife is addicted to alcohol (even though he begins to admit that she is, and then cuts himself off). The passage is a telling example of the way Ronald—and all the other characters—hide Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Pro
RONALD: Both my wives, God bless them, they've given me a great deal of pleasure over the years but, by God, they've cost me a fortune in fixtures and fittings. All the same. Couldn't do without them, could we?
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Ronald delivers a long monologue about his marriages, and about his relationships with women in general. He mentions having been married once before marrying Marion, his current wife. However, his way of discussing his two wives is surprisingly clinical and bloodless. He shows no real affection for either woman; instead, he speaks about women as if they’re investments, measuring the risks against the rewards and coming to the bland conclusion that he can’t do without them. Ronald, no less than the other characters in the play, is a vulgar materialist, somebody who measures everything in life—even other people—based on how Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
RONALD: Nobody wants your damn picture, now shut up.
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In this passage, Marion Brewster-Wright has come down from her room and proceeds to deliver a long monologue about how she was once a beautiful woman. She’s clearly upset at having lost her looks (in part because she’s drank so much in the last couple years). But instead of offering his wife sympathy, comfort, or even constructive advice, Ronald just tells her to shut up. His reaction, while cold and unfeeling, is typical of the way the male characters in the play treat their partners: they make no effort to provide sympathy or compassion. The failure of communication between husbands Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dol
MARION: Why don't you just go in the hall and shout "Go away" through the letter-box?
RONALD: Because he happens to have a very large deposit account with my bank.
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The Hopcrofts have arrived at the Brewster-Wrights’ house, and now they’re trying to get in. Nobody inside wants to see the Hopcrofts; they seem to find them annoying. Furthermore, neither Geoffrey nor Ronald wants to talk to Sidney Hopcroft, who’s become increasingly successful over the last two years. Their envy for Sidney’s financial success is palpable. But at the same time, Sidney’s financial success is the only reason that Ronald doesn’t tell Sidney to go away; he needs Sidney’s business at his bank, which, we’ve already heard, is on the verge of going under. So because Ronald is so financially Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor
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Marion Brewster-Wright Character Timeline in Absurd Person Singular
The timeline below shows where the character Marion Brewster-Wright appears in Absurd Person Singular. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
...kitchen and hisses, “It’s them.” Jane knows that Sidney means Ronald Brewster-Wright and his wife, Marion Brewster-Wright.
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Marion Brewster-Wright, Ronald’s wife, enters the kitchen. She praises the kitchen, especially the shiny “working surfaces”...
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The doorbell rings, and Jane leaves the room to greet the guests. Marion asks Sidney, who she calls “Mr. Hopcraft,” how he managed to “squeeze” the washing machine...
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Marion and Ronald stay in the kitchen, studying the washing machine. Marion tells her husband to...
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Sidney returns to the kitchen to summon the Brewster-Wrights into the drawing room. Marion tells him, “we can’t tear ourselves away from your divine kitchen,” but she and Ronald...
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Sidney returns to the kitchen, carrying Marion’s glass, which needs tonic water. Then, Eva walks in. She’s in her thirties and “makes...
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Marion enters the kitchen, asking about her glass. She sips from it and claims that it’s...
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Marion enters the kitchen, just as Ronald is leaving. She tells Geoffrey that the house is...
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Sidney and Ronald, now wearing his overcoat, come back into the kitchen. Marion thanks Sidney and tells him that he and Jane should visit them sometime—assuming he can...
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Act Two
...to touch the wires. While Ronald and Sidney perform their respective jobs, Sidney asks what Marion is up to, and Ronald explains that she’s probably in the living-room, talking to the...
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...tin of paint stripper. She tries to pry open the tin, but can’t. Just then, Marion enters the room and says that something “ghastly” has happened—George has bitten Dick Potter’s leg....
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...the “thing.” Ronald decides he doesn’t need the “thing”—a nut—after all—he wants a screw instead. Marion puts the light on so make easier to see; just then Ronald, who’s touching the...
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Marion offers Ronald a drink, and Ronald replies, in a strained voice, “I feel very peculiar.”...
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...begins to sing, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” After each verse, a guest joins in—first Marion, then Jane, then Ronald, then Sidney. In the distance George barks. Suddenly, Geoffrey walks in....
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Act Three
...“she” is doing much better. Ronald thanks Eva for dropping by, and assures her that Marion appreciates it, too. Marion, he explains, has been living “on her nerves” lately, since she’s...
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The bell rings, and Ronald explains that it’s Marion upstairs. Eva goes to attend to Marion. With Geoffrey, Ronald reminisces about his first wife,...
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Suddenly, Marion walks into the room. She greets the guests and thanks them for coming. Ronald warns...
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...Ronald that it’s the Hopcrofts. Ronald says “Oh, good grief,” and Geoffrey adds, “Heaven forbid.” Marion asks Ronald why he doesn’t yell for them to go away, and Ronald replies, “Because...
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...Sidney and Jane walk into the kitchen and turn on the light, to find Ronald, Marion, Geoffrey, and Eva trying to hide in various spaces. There’s a pause, and then Marion...
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Jane offers Ronald and Marion their presents, which they open, confused. Jane and Sidney explain that the presents are a...
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...and Jane, “You’ll have to excuse us if we’re not our usual cheery selves.” However, Marion says, “I’m perfectly cheery.” Eva mentions that Geoffrey is “dying” to do jobs for Sidney,...
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The game begins, and everyone but Jane and Sidney begins dancing. Marion dances in a shaky “classical ballet style,” while the others dance “sheepishly and reluctantly.” Ronald...
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