I want to say that this scene is about WW2. I don't know a lot about it, neither am I Jewish. If I do offend, I am sorry. I want to say that WW2 was an awful war and tragedy, and that this scene doesn't show any of my personal views of WW2 or Judaism. I'm also probably not going to turn this into something, cause I suck when writing full plays.
Characters
HADARA: SARAH’s abusive mother.
SARAH: Main character. Daughter of HADARA. She is 9-10 years old.
SCENE
Setting
New York, 1940, during WW11. A small apartment. The living room.
Scene opens with SARAH, who is kneeling near a small window, praying in Hebrew. Her mother, HADARA, enters, smoking a cigarette. She looks at her, disgusted.
HADARA: What’s the point in praying? You and I both know your father isn’t going to make it out of the war.
SARAH: It’s still nice to have hope once in a while that he may return.
HADARA: How many people do you honestly think would survive a day in Germany?
HADARA blows out a puff of smoke, and then coughs.
SARAH: I heard that stuff can kill you.
HADARA: Yeah, so can a bunch of Nazis, but people still go and fight anyway.
SARAH: I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face. You know, if dad wasn’t fighting in the war, those Nazis would’ve put him in one of those camps. Don’t you feel sorry for any of those poor people?
HADARA looks at her, shocked. She then smacks SARAH so hard that she falls over.
HADARA: (outraged) Don’t you DARE say such a thing! Just because I don’t talk highly of them doesn’t mean that I don’t care! If you don’t shut your ungrateful little mouth, I’ll throw YOU into one of those awful camps!
SARAH: I think it would be better than living here. I miss dad.
HADARA: I miss him too, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We can only wait.
SARAH: Things used to be a lot better around here when he was around. Remember when we used to run around in the fields back home in Austria? Then we’d go get cookies from the bakery downtown?
HADARA: Those fields are swarming with Germans now, and that bakery is probably destroyed.
SARAH: I don’t like it here in America. I want to go back to Austria. I can’t walk around here and be proud of who I am. Back in Austria, at least I could wear my star of David without getting beat up.
HADARA: It wasn’t much better in Austria, either. Besides, we won’t even be able to go back there after the war.
SARAH: We won’t?
HADARA: You honestly thought we would?
Just then, the phone rings. HADARA walks up and answers it.
HADARA: (on the phone) Hello? Yes, this is her. He is? Are you positive? Ok, I understand. Thank you and goodnight.
HADARA hangs up the phone. She stands there, silently.
SARAH: What’s the matter, mom?
HADARA: (quietly) Your father is dead.
SARAH: What?
HADARA: (yelling) Your father’s dead! A German soldier shot him in the head!
HADARA tries hard not to cry.
SARAH: But he just sent a letter only a few days ago saying that he would come back….
HADARA: Well he’s not coming back now!
SARAH looks at her mother for a minute. Then, she begins to cry.
SARAH: (through her tears) No….. Daddy…… he couldn’t have died!
HADARA: Go to bed, Sarah. Please.
SARAH exits. HADARA picks up a picture of her husband, beginning to cry.
HADARA: (crying) You promised! You promised you’d come back OK. You promised we would live through this. You’re a liar! You left us! You left me! You left Sarah! You left everybody!
HADARA falls to her knees and bawls. Just then, SARAH re-enters, crying.
SARAH: Mommy?
HADARA looks over at SARAH.
HADARA: I thought you went to bed.
SARAH: I couldn’t sleep. I miss dad too much.
SARAH starts to cry. HADARA walks over to her and hugs her.
HADARA: Its gonna be ok, sweetie. We’re gonna get through this.
SARAH: I miss daddy.
HADARA: I do too, sweetie. I do too.
END OF SCENE
Gender:
Points: 1212
Reviews: 5