Choices and Consequences
Throughout the play, myriad moments arise, underscoring how the women who choose the perilous path of prostitution must grapple with its inherent dangers.
In the opening scenes, Suzy suffers a brutal attack and finds herself cast out of her room by a ruthless client. Before long, she shares the news of her decision to move in with a new, opportunistic pimp. Her companions worry that this new figure will inflict the same cruelty as his predecessor.
Meanwhile, April adopts a sardonic stance toward her clients' peculiar cravings, yet faces genuine danger from the more sinister among them. Although Wilson does not overtly highlight these perils, it becomes unmistakably apparent that the world of prostitution teeters on the edge of danger at every turn.
Human Condition
The Tragic Abandonment
Jamie's abandonment tragically highlights the fragile tapestry of the human experience. Without Jackie, he stands on the precipice of despair, his mind unable to conjure logic or reason. The question of his survival looms large, casting a shadow over his future without his sister's guiding hand. The image of this young boy, clutching his worldly belongings in the lobby, tugs at the heartstrings. While hope fades, the residents, aware of Jackie's permanent absence, share a silent understanding with the audience. The curtain falls on April, a beacon of solace, as she attempts to lift Jamie's spirits with a dance lesson, a fleeting distraction from his harrowing reality.
Echoes of the Past
Among the residents, conversations swirl with the echoes of yesteryears. Millie, for instance, recounts her youth spent in a sprawling mansion, haunted by whispers of ghosts. The Girl, in turn, weaves stories of her adventures across America. These cherished memories serve as a balm, soothing the anxiety of an impending homeless future. Clinging to the past becomes a lifeline, a necessary anchor as the inevitability of their displacement approaches.
Memory and Reminiscence
Most of the chatter among the inhabitants revolves around reminiscing about days gone by. Millie regales her fellow residents with tales of her youth, sharing enchanting stories of a grand mansion that echoed with the whispers of ghosts. Meanwhile, the Girl captivates them with her adventures as she journeyed across the sprawling landscapes of the United States.
These delightful recollections serve as a soothing balm, easing their worries about an unpredictable future. Reflecting on their past is especially crucial as they face the looming reality of impending homelessness.
Morality
In Wilson's world, prostitution unfolds as just another trade in the tapestry of professions. There is an absence of moral scrutiny regarding the career paths chosen by these women. The vivid tales of April's clients and their peculiar whims are crafted to entertain and perhaps elicit sympathy, yet never to cast a shadow of disapproval on her choices. She is depicted as someone merely striving to make ends meet.
The narrative holds true for Suzy, especially during her clash with a client. The audience is prompted to chuckle at Jamie's astonishment, without any anticipation that legal authorities will be summoned. The scene is painted with colors of humor rather than judgment.
Criticism surfaces only through Bill when the Girl is beckoned for an assignment. His disapproval is laced with affection, a desire to shield her from harm. In Wilson’s narrative, moral judgment is conspicuously absent, not just from the playwright but also from his cast of characters, maintaining an atmosphere free of condemnation.
Wealth and Poverty
The tale of Paul Granger and the mystery surrounding his missing grandfather paints a stark contrast between opulence and indigence. While Paul's parents bask in affluence, his grandfather embodies the life of a diligent laborer. The family harbors embarrassment over this working-class...
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legacy. At first, Paul embarks on a quest to find his grandfather, driven by a desire to offer him shelter and comfort. Yet, as time passes, his fervor wanes and his pursuit fades.
Author Wilson never divulges the catalyst for Paul's abrupt lack of interest. Perhaps the hotel, a silent witness to his grandfather's humble existence, reveals to Paul the profound divergence between their worlds. It may dawn on him that his parents' views hold weight—that within their lavish lives, there's no place for a destitute, aging man living on the meager earnings of a railroad pension.
Transience and Decay
The Hot l Baltimore explores the transitoriness of social institutions and human relationships and comments upon the ways that people try to maintain a sense of identity in a constantly changing world. The hotel itself represents this theme of transience. Built in the nineteenth century, this once-elegant hotel is now the home of prostitutes and the elderly. The e in its sign has burned out and been left unrepaired, a fact that represents the decay and dissolution of the neighborhood. Now the owners have decided to cast out its residents and demolish it.
Search for Stability and Identity
The play is comic rather than tragic. The characters try to find something to hold on to; losing one dream, they try to grab another or to embrace chaos. The Girl, for example, abandons what little stability her own name provides and talks of having traveled around the country, abandoning place entirely. Millie, on the other hand, very much wants rootedness. She puts her faith in a kind of transcendence that enables her to see ghosts. Jackie tries to achieve a utopian dream of returning to nature, only to have it shattered. She talks of helping others and being helped but uses a close relationship only to steal and betray; ultimately, she abandons even her brother in a flight from responsibility. Bill, who clearly feels much affection for the Girl, is unable to express himself to her and thus comes to the end of the play with his emotional needs unsatisfied. To the derision of all, Suzy leaves to look after a new pimp; everyone knows that she will soon return.
Family and Community
Ultimately, what draws the characters together and gives them a sense of place— more than the hotel itself can—is the sense of family, and Lanford Wilson explores this concept in the feelings of his characters for one another. Several of them have family members whom they attempt to care for. For example, Mrs. Bellotti argues with Katz for the fair treatment of her son, Horse, although she does so unsuccessfully. Paul claims that he is the only one who cares about his grandfather and does try to find him throughout most of the play; yet when confronted with hotel records documenting his existence, Paul gives up his search and leaves. Wilson contrasts this lack of feeling with the far stronger familial relationship among the hotel’s residents. When the group scorns Suzy and her new pimp, she first leaves angrily, but then she returns, crying, to hug them all and say, “I’m sorry. I know you love me. I can’t leave like that. Mr. Morse. We been like a family, haven’t we? My family. Baby. I’m not that horrible. I can’t be mad. Bill. I’ll always remember this.” A family is not something received, but something worked for, something earned.
Movement and Avoidance of Decay
The play ends with an expression of this emotional investment when April, the most amusing and pragmatic of all the characters, forces the abandoned Jamie to dance with her. “Come on,” she says; “you’re so shy, if someone doesn’t put a light under your tail, you’re not going to have passions to need convictions for.” Only by continuing to move can humanity avoid the decay confronting the Hotel Baltimore.
