Character Analysis
She's only on stage for a couple of minutes, but Mom is one of the most interesting characters out there. All we know at the beginning of the play is that Mom is on vacation in Alaska. Everything about her house leads us to believe that she is a pretty regular person. She collects antiques, she likes her plants to be watered, and she lives in a decent neighborhood outside of Los Angeles.
All of the talk about their estranged father that Austin and Lee engage in only furthers the idea that their mother must be the good parent. That is what makes her bizarre entrance all the better.
Mom arrives to find her house nearly destroyed. It's such a mess that she says she's going to have to check into a hotel. Here's the kicker, though. She doesn't get mad. She never even raises her voice. Even when it looks like Austin might be killing Lee, this is her response:
Mom: (calmly to AUSTIN) You're not killing him are you? (2.9.269)
This short glimpse of Mom suddenly makes Austin and Lee make so much more sense. They're not just two brothers who kind of went off the rails; they're the product of an absent father and a mother who isn't quite all there. Remember, she's come home in the hopes of meeting Picasso at the museum. Picasso, as has been discussed, is dead.
There is also one more little thing that you don't want to overlook about Mom. When Lee says that he won't be taking Austin to the desert with him, this is the exchange that takes place:
Lee: I don't really think Austin's cut out for the desert do you?
Mom: No. He's not.
Austin: I'm going with you, Lee!
Mom: He's too thin. (2.9.192-196)
Sure, it's strange and quick, but it gives a hint into where Austin's jealousy and his desire to be looked at the same as his brother might have come from. Has he always been seen as the weak one in the family?
While Mom' s scene is a great read, it's even better when you see it.