Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

by

Ray Lawler

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Pearl Cunningham Character Analysis

Pearl is one of Olive's coworkers at the pub, though she's much less content with her position than Olive is. Pearl is a widow about Olive's age with an eighteen-year-old daughter named Vera, and she hopes to marry Barney. She believes marriage will allow her to quit her job and lead a more "proper" life, as well as set a good example for Vera. Though Pearl accepts Olive's invitation to join her for the layoff season, she's skeptical of the entire arrangement: she sees the lifestyle as indecent and infinitely less desirable than marriage, and she fears that she's setting a terrible example for her daughter. Pearl also fails to see the charm and the fun in the layoff season activities, and becomes extremely offended when Olive silences her for voicing her opinions on the matter. Though Pearl is wary of becoming involved with Barney, she does eventually agree to stay for the season and have a relationship with him. She believes Barney is desperately in need of marriage and seeks to reform him and his relationships with his children. Pearl never fully grasps the significance of the layoff season to Barney, Roo, and Olive, and when she points out how shabby something is or how much fun they didn't have, she seems not to notice when it makes the others sad. The last straw for Pearl comes when Barney asks her if Vera can accompany Johnnie Dowd to the races. This causes her to reassume what Barney terms her "protective mother" guise, call things off with Barney, and leave Emma's house before the end of the season.

Pearl Cunningham Quotes in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll quotes below are all either spoken by Pearl Cunningham or refer to Pearl Cunningham. 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:
Youth, Maturity, and Growing Up Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes

That's what the lay-off is. Not just playing around and spending a lot of money, but a time for livin'. You think I haven't sized that up against what other women have? I laugh at them every time they try to tell me. Even waiting for Roo to get back is more exciting than anything they've got.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham, Barney Ibbot
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis:

All round would be the regulars—soft city blokes...and then in would come Roo and Barney. They wouldn't say anything...there'd just be the two of them walkin' in, then a kind of wait for a second or two, and quiet. After that, without a word, the regulars'd stand side to let 'em through, just as if they was a—a coupla kings. She always reckoned they made the rest of the mob look like a bunch of skinned rabbits.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham, Barney Ibbot, Nancy
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 2 Quotes

But the ordinary bloke's got a way out, he can get married. There's always been a sorta reason why I never could—

Related Characters: Barney Ibbot (speaker), Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 40
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 1 Quotes

Y'know, it's a funny thing. All the wimmen I've ever knocked around with, there's never been one of them ever knitted anything for me. Now, why d'yer reckon that is?

Related Characters: Barney Ibbot (speaker), Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:

The way you went on about everythin'—sounded just as if when they arrived, the whole town was gunna go up like a balloon.

Related Characters: Pearl Cunningham (speaker), Roo Webber, Olive Leech, Barney Ibbot
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes

I started off trying to fix up what they broke. After that, I couldn't seem to stop. Emma always sez tryin' to shift heavy furniture on your own's a sign you're crooked on the world. Wonder what spring cleanin' at two o'clock in the morning means?

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Pearl Cunningham, Emma Leech
Related Symbols: Kewpie Dolls
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:

All right. But the least you can do is to see what you've got as it really is. Take a look at this place now you've pulled down the decorations—what's so wonderful about it? Nothing! It's just an ordinary little room that's a hell of a lot the worse for the wear. And if you'd only come out of your day dream long enough to take a grown up look at the lay off, that's what you'd find with the rest of it.

Related Characters: Pearl Cunningham (speaker), Olive Leech
Related Symbols: Kewpie Dolls, Pearl's Black Dresses
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:

And it's more than looking—it's havin' another woman walking around knowin' your inside and sorry for you 'coz she thinks you've never been within cooee of the real thing. That's what hurts. It was all true, everythin' I told her was true, an'—and she didn't see any of it.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:
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Summer of the Seventeenth Doll PDF

Pearl Cunningham Quotes in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll quotes below are all either spoken by Pearl Cunningham or refer to Pearl Cunningham. 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:
Youth, Maturity, and Growing Up Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes

That's what the lay-off is. Not just playing around and spending a lot of money, but a time for livin'. You think I haven't sized that up against what other women have? I laugh at them every time they try to tell me. Even waiting for Roo to get back is more exciting than anything they've got.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham, Barney Ibbot
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis:

All round would be the regulars—soft city blokes...and then in would come Roo and Barney. They wouldn't say anything...there'd just be the two of them walkin' in, then a kind of wait for a second or two, and quiet. After that, without a word, the regulars'd stand side to let 'em through, just as if they was a—a coupla kings. She always reckoned they made the rest of the mob look like a bunch of skinned rabbits.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham, Barney Ibbot, Nancy
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 2 Quotes

But the ordinary bloke's got a way out, he can get married. There's always been a sorta reason why I never could—

Related Characters: Barney Ibbot (speaker), Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 40
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 1 Quotes

Y'know, it's a funny thing. All the wimmen I've ever knocked around with, there's never been one of them ever knitted anything for me. Now, why d'yer reckon that is?

Related Characters: Barney Ibbot (speaker), Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:

The way you went on about everythin'—sounded just as if when they arrived, the whole town was gunna go up like a balloon.

Related Characters: Pearl Cunningham (speaker), Roo Webber, Olive Leech, Barney Ibbot
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes

I started off trying to fix up what they broke. After that, I couldn't seem to stop. Emma always sez tryin' to shift heavy furniture on your own's a sign you're crooked on the world. Wonder what spring cleanin' at two o'clock in the morning means?

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Pearl Cunningham, Emma Leech
Related Symbols: Kewpie Dolls
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:

All right. But the least you can do is to see what you've got as it really is. Take a look at this place now you've pulled down the decorations—what's so wonderful about it? Nothing! It's just an ordinary little room that's a hell of a lot the worse for the wear. And if you'd only come out of your day dream long enough to take a grown up look at the lay off, that's what you'd find with the rest of it.

Related Characters: Pearl Cunningham (speaker), Olive Leech
Related Symbols: Kewpie Dolls, Pearl's Black Dresses
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:

And it's more than looking—it's havin' another woman walking around knowin' your inside and sorry for you 'coz she thinks you've never been within cooee of the real thing. That's what hurts. It was all true, everythin' I told her was true, an'—and she didn't see any of it.

Related Characters: Olive Leech (speaker), Roo Webber, Pearl Cunningham
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis: