Joe Turner's Come and Gone

by August Wilson

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In Joe Turner Has Come and Gone, why can't Martha Loomis and Harold Loomis be together at the end of play?

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By the time the two unite, Martha has already made a new life for herself. Herald accuses her of not waiting for him to return. She insists she had to make a new life because she figured either he wasn't coming back or he was dead. Martha has changed her last name to Pentecost, showing how much she has turned from the life she had with Herald. She begs Herald to turn to the church, but he rejects it, saying Jesus caused the pain he's suffered. He sees Christianity as part of the mental bonds that have held him back. Herald realizes he can't go back to their marriage because Martha no longer needs him as she once did. They have each found their needs and wants in life are totally different from one another.

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