'Night Mother by Marsha Norman

     I believe the Main Dramatic Question (MDQ)  in ‘Night Mother is “Will Jesse be convinced by Mama to not kill herself?”  The reason I word the questions this way is because it implies that Jesse is still the Protagonist.  The play is about Jesse and her decision to kill herself.  The question of whether or not she will and if Mama can stop her both make her the protagonist.  I do agree that whether or not she will actually kill herself is a MDQ, but I think that she makes it pretty clear to the audience that she wants to.  As a dramaturg, I would not agree with the hypothetical director to only have the script answering that question because I think what drives the play is the other MDQ.  What made this play interesting to me was the dynamic between Jesse and Mama and the fight between life and death. A key part of this play is the fight to understand Jesse's reasons for wanting to end her life.  In the play Mama's primary goal is to try to understand and convince her to live.  This plot also leaves the audience wondering her reasons, such as what happened at Christmas time.  By mentioning the Christmas Incident it leaves an unopened question about what has driven Jesse to this tragic state.