Play It As It Lays

by Joan Didion

Play It As It Lays: Chapter 29 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Maria’s pain and bleeding begin a few weeks later. The doctor on Wilshire Street assures her that whoever did the operation did a good job. He gives her some Edrisal, though it does nothing to alleviate the pain, Maria keeps gin bottle beside her bed that night and wishes she could talk to her mother.
The trauma of the abortion causes Maria’s unresolved grief for her mother to resurface. Maria masks her pain with pills and alcohol. 
Themes
Meaninglessness  Theme Icon
Loss and Recovery  Theme Icon