*Note to Actors. This advanced scene has a shorter e dit below.*
SUMMER AND SMOKE
By Tennesee Williams Part I, Prologue ALMA, JOHN (as children This !lay, "hich "hich ta#es !lace in a small southern to"n, to "n, re$ol$es around the meetings and !artings o% Alma Alma and John& Alma is an e'tremely !ro!er ministers daughter, "ho, )urdened "ith the care o% a mentally distur)ed mother, %unctions as the the "oman o% the house& Her u!)ringing, her intense and sensiti$e nature, and her !remature res!onsi)ilities ha$e made her s!insterish and uncom%orta)le "ith other young !eo!le& Nonetheless she is in lo$e "ith John, a dissolute young doctor "ho she has #no"n since childhood& Their relationshi! e%%ects e%%ects dramatic dramatic changes in their res!ecti$e !hiloso!hies )ut *ate decrees that they al"ays cross each others li$es at the "rong time and thus remain estranged %rom each other& The %ollo"ing scene, %rom the !rologue "hen Alma and John are children, %oreshado"s the characteri+ations and the the mood o% the !lay& !lay& It is dus# on a May e$ening shortly a%ter the the turn o% the century& century& The setting is the %ountain in the !ar#& Alma, as a child o% ten enters& A%ter a %e" moments in thought she )ends to drin# %rom the %ountain& John enters and shoots shoots a !eashooter at her )ent )ac#& he utters a startled cry and "hirls a)out& John laughs& JOHN
Hi, Preachers daughter& (he advances toward her.) I )een loo#ing
%or you& (Hopefully.) -ou -ou ha$e. JOHN Was it you that !ut them hand#erchie%s on my des#. (ALMA smiles uncertainly. uncertainly. Ans"er u!/ A!MA I !ut a )o' o% hand#erchie%s on your des#& %igured it "as you& you& What "as "as the idea, Miss Miss Priss. JOHN I %igured -ou needed need ed them& A!MA -ou JOHN Trying to ma#e a %ool o% me. A!MA Oh, no/ "hat "as "as the idea. JOHN Then "hat A!MA -ou ha$e a )ad cold and your nose has )een running all "ee#& It s!oils your a!!earance& A!MA
-ou dont ha$e to loo# at me i% you dont li#e my a!!earance& A!MA I li#e your a!!earance& JOHN (Coming closer. Is that "hy you loo# at me all the time. A!MA I0dont/ JOHN Oh, yeh, you do& -ou )een #ee!ing your eyes on me all the time& 1$ery time I loo# around I see them cat eyes o% yours loo#ing at me& That "as the trou)le today "hen Miss Blanchard as#ed you "here the ri$er Ama+on "as& he as#ed you t"ice and you still didnt ans"er )ecause you " loo#in at me& Whats the idea. What$eygot on y mind anyho". Ans"er u!. A!MA I "as only thin#ing ho" handsome youd )e i% your %ace "asnt dirty& -ou #no" "hy your %ace is dirty. Because you dont use a hand#erchie% and you "i!e your nose on the slee$e o% that dirty old s"eater& JOHN (Indignantly Hah/ A!MA Thats "hy I !ut the hand#erchie%s on your des# and I "ra!!ed them u! so no)ody "ould #no" "hat they "ere& It isnt my %ault that you o!ened the )o' in %ront o% e$ery)ody& JOHN What did you thin# Id do "ith a strange )o' on my des#. Just lea$e it there till it e'!loded or something. ure I o!ened it u!& I didnt e'!ect to %ind no0hand#erchie%s/0in it2 A!MA (In a shy trembling voice) Im sorry that you "ere em)arrassed& I honestly am a"%ully sorry that you "ere em)arrassed& Because I "ouldnt em)arrass you %or the "orld/ JOHN 3ont %latter yoursel% that I "as em)arrassed& I dont em)arrass that easily& A!MA It "as stu!id and cruel o% those girls to laugh& JOHN Hah/ A!MA They should all reali+e that you dont ha$e a mother to ta#e care o% such things %or you& It "as a !leasure to me to )e a)le to do something %or you, only I didnt "ant you to #no" it "as me "ho did it& JOHN Hee4ha"/ Ho4hum/ Ta#e 5em )ac#/ (He snatches out the box and thrusts it toward her.) A!MA Please #ee! them& JOHN What do I "ant "ith them. (She stares at him helplessly. He tosses the box to the ground and goes up to the fountain and drins. Something in her face mollifies him and he sits down at the base of the fountain with a manner that does not preclude a more friendly relation. !he dus gathers deeper.) A!MA 3o you #no" the name o% the angel. JOHN
3oes she ha$e a name. A!MA -es, I %ound out she does& Its car$ed at the )ase, )ut its all "orn a"ay so you cant ma#e it out "ith your eyes& JOHN Then ho" do you do it. A!MA -ou ha$e to read it "ith your %ingers& I did and it ga$e me cold shi$ers& "ou read it and see i% it doesnt gi$e you cold shi$ers/ 6o on/ 7ead it "ith your %ingers/ JOHN Why dont you tell me and sa$e me the trou)le. A!MA Im not going to tell you& (JOHN grins indulgently and turns to the pediment# crouching before it and running his fingers along the worn inscription. JOHN 1. A!MA -es, 1 is the %irst letter/ JOHN T. A!MA -es/ JOHN 1. A!MA 1/ JOHN 8. A!MA No, no, not 8/07/ (He slowly straightens up.) JOHN 1ternity. A!MA $ternity%&3idnt it gi$e you the cold shi$ers. JOHN Nahh& A!MA Well, it did me/ JOHN Because youre a !reachers daughter& 1ternity& What is eternity. A!MA (In a hushed wondering voice) Its something that goes on and on "hen li%e and death and time and e$erything else is all through "ith& JOHN Theres no such thing& A!MA There is& Its "hat !eo!les souls li$e in "hen they ha$e le%t their )odies& My name is Alma and Alma in !anish %or soul& 3id you #no" that. JOHN Hee4ha"/ Ho4hum/ Ha$e you e$er seen a dead !erson. A!MA No& JOHN I ha$e& They made me go in the room "hen my mother "as dying and she caught hold o% my hand and "ouldnt let me go0and so I screamed and hit her& A!MA Oh, you didnt do that& JOHN (Somberly) 9h4huh& he didnt loo# li#e my mother& Her %ace "as all ugly and yello" and terri)le0)ad smelling/ And so I hit her to ma#e her let go o% my hand& They told me that I "as a de$il& A!MA -ou didnt #no" "hat you "ere doing& JOHN
My dad is a doctor& A!MA I #no"& JOHN He "ants to send me to college to study to )e a doctor )ut I "ouldnt )e a doctor %or the "orld& And ha$e to go in a room and "atch !eo!le dying/&&&Jesus/ A!MA -oull change your mind a)out that& JOHN Oh, no, I "ont& Id rather be a de$il, li#e they called me and go to outh America on a )oat/&&6i$e me one o% them hand#erchie%s& (She brings them eagerly and humbly to the fountain. He taes one out and wets it at the fountain and scrubs his face with it.) Is my %ace clean enough to suit you. A!MA -es/0Beauti%ul/ JOHN 'hat% A!MA I said :Beauti%ul;/ JOHN Well0lets0#iss each other& (ALMA turns away.) JOHN
4444444444444444>>>horter 1dited ?ersion %or class !ur!oses only 44444444444444444444444444 SUMMER AND SMOKE
By Tennesee Williams Part I, Prologue ALMA, JOHN (as children This !lay, "hich ta#es !lace in a small southern to"n, re$ol$es around the meetings and !artings o% Alma and John& Alma is an e'tremely !ro!er ministers daughter, "ho, )urdened "ith the care o% a mentally distur)ed mother, %unctions as the "oman o% the house& Her u!)ringing, her intense and sensiti$e nature, and her !remature res!onsi)ilities ha$e made her s!insterish and uncom%orta)le "ith other young !eo!le& Nonetheless she
is in lo$e "ith John, a dissolute young doctor "ho she has #no"n since childhood& Their relationshi! e%%ects dramatic changes in their res!ecti$e !hiloso!hies )ut *ate decrees that they al"ays cross each others li$es at the "rong time and thus remain estranged %rom each other& The %ollo"ing scene, %rom the !rologue "hen Alma and John are children, %oreshado"s the characteri+ations and the mood o% the !lay& It is dus# on a May e$ening shortly a%ter the turn o% the century& The setting is the %ountain in the !ar#& Alma, as a child o% ten enters& A%ter a %e" moments in thought she )ends to drin# %rom the %ountain& John enters and shoots a !eashooter at her )ent )ac#& he utters a startled cry and "hirls a)out& John laughs& JOHN
Hi, Preachers daughter& (he advances toward her.) I )een loo#ing
%or you& (Hopefully.) -ou ha$e. JOHN Was it you that !ut them hand#erchie%s on my des#. (ALMA smiles uncertainly. Ans"er u!/ A!MA I !ut a )o' o% hand#erchie%s on your des#& JOHN I %igured it "as you& What "as the idea, Miss Priss. A!MA -ou ha$e a )ad cold and your nose has )een running all "ee#& It s!oils your a!!earance& JOHN -ou dont ha$e to loo# at me i% you dont li#e my a!!earance& A!MA I li#e your a!!earance& JOHN (Coming closer. Is that "hy you loo# at me all the time. A!MA I "as only thin#ing ho" handsome youd )e i% your %ace "asnt dirty& -ou #no" "hy your %ace is dirty. Because you dont use a hand#erchie% and you "i!e your nose on the slee$e o% that dirty old s"eater& JOHN (Indignantly Hah/ A!MA Thats "hy I !ut the hand#erchie%s on your des# and I "ra!!ed them u! so no)ody "ould #no" "hat they "ere& It isnt my %ault that you o!ened the )o' in %ront o% e$ery)ody& JOHN What did you thin# Id do "ith a strange )o' on my des#. Just lea$e it there till it e'!loded or something. A!MA (In a shy trembling voice) Im sorry that you "ere em)arrassed& Because I "ouldnt em)arrass you %or the "orld/ JOHN What do I "ant "ith them. (She stares at him helplessly. He tosses the box to the ground and goes up to the fountain and drins. Something in her face mollifies him and he sits down at the base of A!MA
the fountain with a manner that does not preclude a more friendly relation. !he dus gathers deeper.) A!MA 3o you #no" the name o% the angel. JOHN 3oes she ha$e a name. A!MA -es, I %ound out she does& Its car$ed at the )ase, )ut its all "orn a"ay so you cant ma#e it out "ith your eyes& JOHN Then ho" do you do it. A!MA -ou ha$e to read it "ith your %ingers& I did and it ga$e me cold shi$ers& 6o on/ JOHN Why dont you tell me and sa$e me the trou)le. A!MA Im not going to tell you& (JOHN grins indulgently and turns to the pediment# crouching before it and running his fingers along the worn inscription. JOHN 1. A!MA -es, 1 is the %irst letter/ JOHN T. A!MA -es/ JOHN 1. A!MA 1/ JOHN 8. A!MA No, no, not 8/07/ (He slowly straightens up.) JOHN 1ternity. A!MA $ternity%&3idnt it gi$e you the cold shi$ers. JOHN Nahh& A!MA Well, it did me/ JOHN Because youre a !reachers daughter& 1ternity& What is eternity. A!MA (In a hushed wondering voice) Its something that goes on and on "hen li%e and death and time and e$erything else is all through "ith& JOHN Theres no such thing& A!MA There is& Its "hat !eo!les souls li$e in "hen they ha$e le%t their )odies& My name is Alma and Alma in !anish %or soul& 3id you #no" that. JOHN Hee4ha"/ Ho4hum/ Ha$e you e$er seen a dead !erson. A!MA No& JOHN I ha$e& They made me go in the room "hen my mother "as dying and she caught hold o% my hand and "ouldnt let me go0and so I screamed and hit her& A!MA Oh, you didnt do that&
(Somberly) 9h4huh& he didnt loo# li#e my mother& Her %ace "as all ugly and yello" and terri)le0)ad smelling/ And so I hit her to ma#e her let go o% my hand& They told me that I "as a de$il& A!MA -ou didnt #no" "hat you "ere doing& JOHN My dad is a doctor& A!MA I #no"& JOHN He "ants to send me to college to study to )e a doctor )ut I "ouldnt )e a doctor %or the "orld& And ha$e to go in a room and "atch !eo!le dying/&&&Jesus/ A!MA -oull change your mind a)out that& JOHN Oh, no, I "ont& Id rather be a de$il, li#e they called me and go to outh America on a )oat/&&6i$e me one o% them hand#erchie%s& (She brings them eagerly and humbly to the fountain. He taes one out and wets it at the fountain and scrubs his face with it.) Is my %ace clean enough to suit you. A!MA -es/0Beauti%ul/ JOHN Well0lets0#iss each other& (ALMA turns away.) JOHN
