Summary
The second act begins with Pierrette talking to everyone. The group is shocked by her sudden appearance and Germaine makes it explicitly clear that her presence is not wanted. Things then shift further when it is revealed that Angéline and Pierrette are familiar with one another. Everyone then learns that Angéline has been going to the club where Pierette works.
After the initial shock of this discovery, Angéline says that she goes to the club on most Friday nights. Many of the older women are scandalized by this, but the younger (Linda, Lise, and Ginette) ones are actually impressed. Rhéauna is particularly upset as she assumes that they told each other everything all the time. Angéline defends herself and says that she doesn't do anything wrong and just drinks Cokes.
The women do not believe her and speculate that she might be trying to get picked up. Pierrette defends her and the others viciously criticize her. The women speak in a chorus about the evils of the club and continue to say nasty things about both it and Pierrette. They claim that it is a "road to hell." The younger women defend the club and say that this is a drastic overreaction, but they are ignored.
They tell Angéline to go to confession and admit to what she has done, as their priest has designated it a sin. Angéline says that she only went to the club to see other parts of the town and experience laughter and fun, things she could not find in the basement of their church. Rhéauna still rebukes her harshly and demands that she never set foot in there ever again. Angéline is upset by this demand.
Pierrette tries to comfort Angéline, saying that this will likely blow over, but Angéline is too distraught. Germaine tells Pierrette to leave, but Pierrette says she doesn't want to abandon Angéline. Angéline delivers her soliloquy about how it is easy to judge people. She says that the people she has met at the club are kinder and more fun than the people at the stamp party. She says everyone deserves some fun in their lives.
Yvette gives another soliloquy and describes a party that a number of people attended. Linda talks to Pierrette about her many clashes with her mother. Pierrette offers to let Linda live with her. The other women complain about the priest that they want for a particular retreat. Then they discuss their deep-seated love of bingo.
They retrieve some Cokes from the fridge. Lise pulls Linda aside and tells her that she is pregnant. She is terrified of what her family will think and has no idea where the father is. Pierrette says she knows a doctor who could help her get a safe abortion. Lise weighs her options. Robert calls and Linda is annoyed that her Aunt Rose doesn't let her know sooner. Rose complains that she is rude.
Analysis
Gossip appears prominently in this act of the play, as Pierrette seems to be condemned on the basis of her reputation. In the context of the scene she comes off as empathetic and level-headed, but the other women describe her as a "demon." In this regard, the play seems to criticize the emphasis their social circle puts on the appearance of virtue, in place of actual kindness. Everyone seems mostly concerned with how being seen with certain people or present in certain places will reflect on them, more than doing or saying anything generous. Pierrette is unique in the play in that she shows actual concern for the well-being of others (Angéline, Linda, Lise) while everyone else is thinking mostly of themselves.
Generational conflict also plays a major role in this part of the play, as the two groups of women are sharply divided about Angéline going to the club. The older women condemn it, saying it is a sin and that she needs to both repent and never return. They say it is a den of sin and leads down the path to hell. The younger women deem this an absurd overreaction and are actually impressed that Angéline ventured out into a world beyond the limited scope of church socials. This brief exchange highlights how attitudes surrounding what is social acceptability are drastically different between the age groups. Additionally, by making these moments occur from separate choruses (the young women responding to the older women), Tremblay highlights how these opinions have solidified in both camps across the divide.
Angéline's soliloquy pushes back on the broader perception of the club as a place of sin. She notes that everyone deserves some fun in their lives and adds that many of the people at the club have been kinder to her than Rhéauna, her supposed best friend, has ever been. This criticism suggests that, much like the view of Pierrette, these criticisms are not founded on real experience but instead on the accumulation of idle chatter. Her comments also suggest that while the people at church may perform their roles, they are not particularly kind or generous to the people around them. In contrast, she feels that the people at the club treat her with a great deal of kindness.
Lise's moment with Linda and Pierrette in the kitchen point to other major conflicts between generations: single motherhood and abortion. Lise is very concerned about what her family will do and say when they find out she is pregnant. The father will not support her and she is afraid of becoming a social outcast in their very small community. Pierrette offers to help her get an abortion and she considers it but is concerned about anyone finding out, as abortions are also viewed extremely critically. In essence, Lise's dilemma reveals how trapped she is, as both having and not having the child will result in some form of social punishment for her. Her anxiety shows the incredible harm done by the views of the community, as it has left her without many options.
The beginning of the second act really highlights how much harm is done by all of this judgment and gossiping. Pierrette has a broken relationship with her sisters. Angéline is sent into a fit of anxiety over losing her friendship with Rhéauna. Lise is in a nearly impossible situation as an unmarried, pregnant woman. In this part of the play, the focus is placed on what happens in the aftermath of all of this criticism and the real damage done to the characters' lives and relationships by it.
