The Letterbox
by Ann Marie Di Mambro
The Letterbox
Significance of the title
• It gives nothing away about the content of the play
• This reflects the efforts of the protagonist to give nothing
away to society about her situation.
• A letterbox connects us to the wider world through mail.
We cannot see the sender. Martha is sending verbal
messages to Wendy loaded with significance about the
complexities of adult relations which the little girl does not
fully comprehend. She cannot see the whole picture.
• In a letter you might have to read between the lines. In
Martha’s spoken words you have to “read between the
lines” because she is not being wholly honest and we
have to guess at Wendy’s words.
The Letterbox
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“Jack and Jill” frame the monologue
This device represents wider society
They choose to ignore Martha
Their relationship contrast with Martha’s plight.
Jack and Jill are happy, carefree stereotypical lovers.
However, the nursery rhyme itself is quite violent, but
the violence is trivialised by the regular rhythm.
• Violence in Martha’s life is not trivial, it is brutal
• Her domestic reality does not conform to society’s
expectation of the happy family.
The Letterbox
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Discuss the significance of the names of “Jack and Jill”
Discuss how they are used to contrast ideals and promises of
romance with the brutal realities of abusive relationships
Their parts are very short – discuss what their presence adds to
the play
Discuss what would be lost were we to ignore their contribution
Discuss how the snapshot of their behaviour hints at how
romantic relationships start
Discuss what Jack’s final “pissed” comment suggests about
wider male attitudes to violence and women
The Letterbox
The husband is sleeping like a baby. Discuss why:
Is he oblivious to the impact of his actions?
Is he in a drunken stupor?
How far does he think he has a right to abuse his
family?
How widespread do you think these attitudes are in
our society?
What point is the playwright trying to get across about
male attitude’s here?
The Letterbox
Does Martha think he has a right to treat her
this way?
How far is the author suggesting that Martha
is responsible for her own plight?
What do you think?
Do some background thinking to support
your understanding of the text.
The Letterbox
List all of Martha’s reasons or excuses for her
husband’s violence towards her:
 For each, decide:
Whether Martha really believes it
or
whether Martha is saying it to comfort her daughter
or
whether Martha is saying it out of fear of consequences
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The Letterbox
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Martha exhorts her daughter, Wendy, not to tell
anyone about the incident
What reasons does she give?
For each decide if the reason is valid or just an
excuse
List all of the reasons that Wendy has to tell
somebody
List all of the reasons that she has to keep quiet.
The Letterbox
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Martha also tries to downplay the seriousness of the abuse that
she has suffered
List all of the ways that she seeks to assure Wendy that the
abuse is not serious:
For each try and decide:
whether it reflects her own genuine belief
or
is motivated by her desire to reassure her daughter
or
is motivated by fear of the consequences of telling Wendy the
truth
The Letterbox: Themes
The Letterbox is a short monologue.
Domestic Violence
Female Solidarity
Child Abuse
Denial
Society being Judgemental and ignoring truth
The Letterbox : Themes
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Domestic Abuse: Research task
Find statistics to show the prevalence ( how commonly it
occurs) of Domestic Abuse in Scotland
Find some evidence of organisations which are set up to tackle
Domestic Abuse
Find evidence of any strategies that are used to help end it
The Letterbox: Themes
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Female Solidarity
What does the play say about the need for women to stick
together?
How is the portrayal of Jack ( basically an average decent
young man) used to reveal wider attitudes amongst men?
Why do you think the playwright chooses to make the child a
daughter rather than a son?
How valid is the implication here that men and women have
different attitudes to violence and abuse?
The Letterbox: Themes
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Child Abuse
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List the effects of her mother’s abuse on Wendy’s welfare in the
play
What dangers does Wendy now face given that she is trapped
inside the house with her father?
How might her mother feel that she is protecting Wendy by her
reaction to the abuse by her husband?
Why might she be wrong in assuming that she is helping to
protect her daughter?
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The Letterbox: Themes
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Society being Judgemental and ignoring truth
What evidence do we have that the agencies involved with
Wendy’s welfare are not aware of her home situation?
What evidence might there actually be that is being ignored?
Why might society choose to ignore such abuse?
What evidence do we have of attitudes to Martha and the family
which reveal the judgement of others who are unaware of the
truth?
What message do you think the playwright is trying to get
across here about our attitudes as a society?
How well do you think she succeeds in that aim?
The Letterbox: Themes
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Denial
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Denial is a strategy that is used to avoid truth and thereby avoid
having to take action that would be painful.
How do Jack and Jill show evidence of denial in their actions
towards Martha?
How does Martha’s monologue reveal that she is in denial over
the abuse that she faces
What potentially could be the long term effect of those who
could affect change being in denial about the situation?
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The Letterbox
Past Paper Question
Choose a play in which one of the main concerns is
injustice or cruelty or exploitation or betrayal. State the
main concern * and go on to show how the playwright
deals with this concern in such a way as to involve your
sympathies.**
*Stating the main concern (the cruelty and injustice of
domestic abuse) would be part of your introduction.
Remember keep referring to ** throughout the essay not just
at the end.
The Letterbox
Topic Sentences:
•Open each paragraph with a key or topic sentence
•Develop the point made in the topic sentence (try to
either use a quotation or make close reference to the
text in each paragraph)
•Use a closing sentence that rounds off the
paragraph and perhaps points the way to the next
topic.
Possible Topic sentences and
paragraph endings.
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Our sympathies are immediately engaged when we realise that
the young lovers have cruelly ignored Martha who is bleeding
and in pain…
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The range of emotions displayed, from stoical acceptance to
straightforward tearfulness, keep the audience hooked and
sympathetic to Martha’s plight …
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The elipses used to depict Wendy’s side of the conversation
invites audience participation. We must create a voice for this
character … Being a child (and a child whose words we are
actively creating) trapped in a terrible situation is enough to
evoke sympathy in the audience.