Genre
Two-act stage play, comedy
Language
English (translated from Joual, a working-class dialect of French unique to Québec)
Setting and Context
The play is set in a small kitchen Montreal during the 1960s
Narrator and Point of View
The play occurs in front of an audience so it is seen from a third-person point of view. The soliloquies briefly offer access to the interior thoughts of various characters.
Tone and Mood
The tone is frequently raucous and acerbic. The mood is fast-paced and charged.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Germaine, a middle-aged woman. The antagonists of the play are her friends and family members who steal her stamps.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the play is driven by Germaine winning stamps. She invites her friends over to help her paste them into booklets, but seems unaware of their resentment of her. This leads to them stealing from her.
Climax
The climax occurs when Germaine realizes her friends and sisters are stealing her stamps.
Foreshadowing
The ending is foreshadowed in Marie-Ange's soliloquy in which she expresses her intense jealousy about the stamps.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
There are various allusions to local Quebecois culture, including religious ceremonies and minor celebrities.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
N/A
Personification
N/A
Use of Dramatic Devices
Almost all of the women deliver soliloquies, which gives them the opportunity to share their innermost thoughts with the audience.
