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K. Alexa Mavromatis’ “Bone China” is primarily centered around two sisters, Mary and Lainie, who are remembering instances in their lives while going through various items in the attic, while being locked inside together. Lainie is introduced to the story, having cancer and a husband and daughter, and we are quickly taken through her mindset about her situation. Contrary to popular conceptions and my own, she isn’t completely phased by her not being able to grow old with her family. It almost seems as it daunts on her, and maybe even haunts her as it creeps up on her slowly and sporadically. Additionally, I would like to address the author’s use of her title. I think that the reason she chose to name it Bone China was to make a correlation between the teacups and Mary and Lainie. Although I am not sure which cup would be which person, I do think that the author was trying to show a comical effect or maybe even an uplifting moment when Mary finds the second teacup. I think that the found teacup is supposed to show Lainie that she is still here even though she thinks she practically done for and that she has nothing to offer anymore.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Campos
In K. Alexa Mavromatis' Bone China, I genuinely thought of it to be my favorite reading so far because personally while reading I felt like crying most of the time because the topic of death makes me emotional. There's a lot of little things I picked up while reading to represent different things. I saw the "go" pile as letting go, at first I wasn't sure until I got to 324 and discovered Mary hadn't had much time to live her life because she had to care for those who are sick and needed her. I can't tell if Mary is okay with being that person for everyone considering she avoids it. Maybe she avoids it because she doesn't want to hurt Lanie by agreeing with her? I find Lanie cotradicting herself on 324 because she tells Mary she feels bad that everyone needs her, but a few lines down she tells her"you should help me" almost as a silent "I still need you to be here with me through this." I found it so saddening how Lanie has all this time to contemplate time about life before dying, but her mom was killed instantly by a drunk driver- I can see she feels guilty for having time. I got the chills reading like 327 when Lanie says "I was growing life and death at the same time." I have never thought about someone having a tumor while pregnant in that sense, and it seems she's saying it in a comical sense I can feel the pain behind it. Now, at the end when they found the screwdriver in a box, I saw the box as their pain and the screwdriver as not only their physical escape, but also their emotional escape. i was looking at Alyssa's response above I found her interpretation of the teacups so interesting, so I started thinking of different ways the teacups could represent something else. When they find the "sole survivor" teacup on 323 I took the sole part more literal as possibly their last memory with their mother, but then when they find the other matching one this could possibly foreshadow this being their last memory with one another especially because Lanie says her days are numbered, so I'm assuming she really doesn't have enough time left.
ReplyDelete- Faith Ortiz
"Bone China" by K. Alexa Mavromatis is about two sisters named Mary and Lainie. They are in their childhood home in their attic looking at all the things their late mother had up there. They discover various things including a bone china tea cup that came from a set. Lainie says she is grateful her mother died so she wouldn't see her go through surgery. Lainie has brain cancer and has a limited number of days left. Her mother was hit by a drunk driver and now she is going to die. Mary tries to stay positive, but knows she can't bring her sister to life. It was a sweet story and connected to me personally because my dad had cancer and we were so afraid, but he ended up being so strong and beating cancer's ass. I also loved the fact that they were sisters because I act the exact same way with my sister. It was a bittersweet play and I enjoyed it for the most part.
ReplyDeleteSidney Carranco
K. Alexa Mavromatis introduces sisterhood, love, family, and loss in her play, “Bone China.” The audience is met with two sisters, Mary and Lainie, who find themselves stuck in their childhood attic. With no way out, they sit and reminisce over major moments that have happened throughout their life. They dive deep into topics regarding first memories, Heaven, the loss of their mother, and the eventual loss of Lainie who is dying. Readers get a strong understanding that these two women have been through the ringer, yet they find it in themselves to be close to one another and push past the hurt that they have experienced. Mavromatis does not shy away from the hard truth of unexpectedly losing someone, and to continuously worry about losing someone because of cancer.
ReplyDeleteAs for the title, bone china is a type of china that contains a mixture of bone ash and clay and is supposed to be somewhat stronger than normal china. Therefore, I feel that the title is a representation of strength between the sisters. Whether they know it or not, they have been the foundation for their family: Mary who took care of their father when their mom passed away due to a drunk driver, and Lainie never let her tumor get the best of her and strived to find love and start a family of her own. I’m not sure which sister the first teacup represents, or if it even matters, but I feel that Mary finding the second teacup is reassurance that no matter what happens when the curtains close everything will be okay because they are stronger together.
Kimberlee Salas
“Bone China” by K. Alexa Mavromatis, was a sad, yet, warm play to read. I could envision the two sisters in the attic, going through boxes of old things that even the scent or the touch of something from their childhood triggers a memory. I found that aspect of the play to be beautiful; I relate to it so much because I often go through a box of old memories that I keep in my closet and the texture and the smell of a certain object will bring either happy or sad memories of my childhood. The sad part about this play is the older sister Lainie is dying of some sort of tumor as she indicated on page 325- 327. And they also mention that their mother had died due to a drunk driver on page 325. It made the play interesting and sad but the fact that Lainie wants to spend her weekend looking through a box of old things, is a beautiful and humbling experience as a reader. We often take life for granted so thinking about stopping for a few minutes and looking back at things that our parents kept tucked away or stuff that we have put away, is something that really makes you think about how much life changes around us.
ReplyDeleteIlene Guevara
I really enjoyed reading this play because of all the emotions that they had in it. I interpreted as two sisters bonding right before the sister with cancer was going to die. I really liked how they were having a conversation while they were locked in the room because Mary was trying to make Lainie feel as good as possible. I also really liked how we were able to see the different types of toys and memories that they had because that gave us an insight as to how these two characters were and also showed us their relationship. I have to include that when Lainie was saying that she would rather not think about Heaven I related to that. I have had a similar experience of losing someone to cancer, and although I hoped and prayed for the best I also had doubts. I like that this play included that because personally I know a lot of people that believe that saying things happen for a reason or are meant to be is ridiculous when someone is given cancer. Lainie was a very likeable character though because she was still grateful for everything, but at the same time knew what to expect and how to accept it. This play really made me sad though because her daughter was never going to know who her mother was. It was also very saddening how it seemed that she had played all her cards right and married the man she was in love with and had a daughter while also getting all of that taken away by having cancer and not being able to spend a long happy life with them. I just overall really enjoyed this play because of how heartfelt it was, and how two sisters had such a beautiful relationship.
ReplyDeleteLianna Andrade
I really enjoyed this play due to the feel good atmosphere it gives. despite the fact that the sisters are faced with their mothers death and one of them dying soon they still try to stay lively. the title was a clever way of confusing the readers. Many titles give some sense of what the play is about but "Bone China" doesn't. The title refers to a set of toy tea cups that Lainie and Mary used to play with as kids. the play made me sad in a sense that both girls have suffered loss in their lives. the sisters lost their mother in a car accident and now one of them is facing imminent death in weeks. the play was symbolic of life by the way the tea cups represent a time in Lainie and Mary's life when they lived their lives to the fullest. another example of this is the way the sisters talk to each other about the following weeks to come. they didn't seem sad but rather nostalgic about their past and informing on another what to do when their time comes.
ReplyDeleteKatia Garcia
The play “Bone China” by K. Alexa Mavromatis was about two sisters who are going through their old stuff in the attic and having some deep conversation about losing their mother and the tumor that Lainie has. I felt like the title was symbolic for the overall theme of the play, which was overcoming obstacles in life and being strong through tough situations. On page 323, Lainie mentions that “Bone China” is the strongest, and there is a small pause afterwards which makes it seem like it is trying to make that statement have impact to the audience. With the dialogue between these two sisters, I got the feeling like they are close, or at least have become close because of life events. Even though Mary is the younger sister of the two, she comes off as more mature than her older sister Lainie and I think this is because she has been the one that has to deal with first losing her mom, but then also having to deal with her sister also dying. She is more emotionally mature. I like Lainie’s attitude throughout the whole play because she is dying with a tumor and still manages to have a good attitude even though they are stuck in the attic. On page 328, they end up finding the lost screwdriver to open the stuck door and the lost tea cups and I took it as symbolic in that everything will turn up fine for them.
ReplyDeleteFrancisco Rosales
In ‘Bone China” by K. Alexa Mavromatis is written about two sister who are going reminiscing through some old boxes seeing what they’re going to keep and what they’re going to leave behind. The oldest sister Lainie is dying due to a tumor in her brain and she will leave behind a husband and two-year-old daughter. In the beginning of the play Lainie finds a china teacup from a kid play set and on it says “Bone China” both sisters then start to bicker on how not all the pieces are not in the box. Mary later on is trying to get Lainie’s mind off of the fact that she will soon pass on asking that they should spend some time together. I feel that these sisters are like regular sisters who bicker over the smallest of things and the next second the conversation will shift as if the fight had never happened. Lainie is the older sister therefore rather then being scared of her dying she is more worried on how her husband will raise their daughter. Lainie ends up doing research and finds out her daughter will be too young to remember her (Lainie) when she passes because of the age of remember is at three years old. I personally really enjoyed the story it has the sister bond that I have with my own sister and to be honest I feel like there isn’t anything greater than a sibling relationship.
ReplyDelete-Krystdamayne Guerrero
In bone china by alexa mavromatis is about two sisters in the attic looking through old boxes and seeing what theyre going to put in the go box and keep box. I dont really understand the significance very well even after reading it a second time of the teacup set, maybe it was fate that they didnt find it until the end of their conversation about several personal topics, like had she found it right away would it had led the same direction when it wasn't founded, I see it as a symbol to when she finds the other cup the sense of the completion just as coincidental they had just finished their conversation and they also find other things as well, maybe they weren't looking as hard because they were conversating, but that's just as fate works, like the play sure thing how any slightest of change was made it changed the fate of the story. I look forward to discussing this play I didnt find it very interesting but maybe im looking too closely and my classmates can point out things I didnt catch :-)
ReplyDeleteStephanie Ruiz
“Bone China” by K. Alexis Mavromatis is a play that centers around two sisters as they go through boxes of items in their childhood home. These sisters aren’t in a good spot in their life at the moment. First their mother dies then Lainie who will not only be leaving Mary and her father, but her husband and her daughter as well. Mary throughout the play seems to be indulging Lainie in the beginning, specifically in page 324, and I feel like while it’s not completely obvious in the rest of the play, she still continues to do it. I did like how their relationship was shown, from the debate about the teacups to the guilt Lainie feels and how Mary handled it to the end when they discuss Tommy Marcum. All of it felt like a real way siblings would actually interact with one another. The ending felt rushed to me though for some reason. I liked it, don’t get me wrong, but something about it felt like it was hurried. I did like how by the time the screwdriver was found, the sisters seemed to be on better terms than in the beginning. Them being trapped forced them to talk about things that they were probably avoiding until now. They entered the scene kinda tense and finished it with a better understanding of one another, I think.
ReplyDeleteTeresa Villarreal
K. Alexa Mavromatis “Bone China” is about two sisters going through childhood items in the attic of their life. The sisters do not seem to be happy with one another while they discuss their mother being gone the older sister says she won’t be around much longer either leaving the little sister behind with their father and the older sister family. When the play starts Lainie finds a teacup from their childhood play set and they speak of how there is only one left Mary the younger sister wants time with her and take her death off her mind (from what I understood). Lainie goes off and wonders how her husband would take care of her daughter and is worried that since her daughter is only 2 years she would not remember anything. They speak of their mother’s death and how it was sudden that they did not know what to and Lainie says she’s happy their mother is not around to see her that way. The story was heartbreaking and I enjoyed reading it I do not understand the meaning of the teacup other than it by itself out of a set and while Mary and Lainie are sister it will only be Mary left.
ReplyDeleteAndi Rubalcava
K. Alexa Mavromatis’ “Bone China” traces the conversation of two sisters in an attic, who discuss the future while reminiscing about their past, partly visualized through various attic knick-knacks. We see signs of Mary, the younger sister, worrying about the interest of her older sister (Lainie) in the attic wares, and the pieces begin to fall in place as first we see Lainie in a headscarf, and on the middle of page 324 when she confesses to being sick. As the play progresses, we learn she has a pernicious tumor. Interestingly, it is Lainie who says she is worried for Mary (pg. 324) and this shows more mental toughness on the part of Lainie, physical illness aside. The scene itself never leaves the attic, and while the conversation seems “natural” and commonplace, the sisters do actually cover a lot of ground topic-wise in such a short scene, from dealing with their mom’s “scary” brain and eventual passing, to Lainie’s daughter and husband who will be left without a wife and mom, to an ex-boyfriend from years ago, and tea parties the girls used to have. I liked the teacup, and what it represents: the cup of a life, small, but strong (bone china, in this case) and better with another one to “party” with. Overall, this play was sweet in its portrayal of the unique bond of sisterhood. <3
ReplyDeleteNatalie Roeglin
"Bone China", written by K. Alexa Mavromatis deals with two sister who rummage through items after their mother had passed away. Looking through their old items, they come across objects which they can tie back to previous events in their life. As they look at their past, they also look at what the future holds for them. Death seems to play a large role in the play, wherein it is the means by which these sisters are brought together again in their mother's home, as well as a binding for these sisters as preparations are made for the passing of Laurie. Line fine china, life is fragile and can be easily broken. It takes responsibility and care to ensure things are kept well. In addition, one can compare the beauty and delicacy of the children's bone china to the beauty and delicate nature of Laurie's child, which she entrusts to her sister's care partially after she passes. It is interesting to see the interactions which develops between these two characters, how there are more than one conflict and how there is an immersion of scene- just the two sisters, in one room, with the memories of their childhoods. But just like the bone china, that has been put away, but is always beautiful to revisit and remember.
ReplyDelete-Jose Montoya
Reminiscence is a key theme throughout the play, and its presence prompts the two characters to call on details they remain almost sure on yet not so certain on simultaneously. There is a question as to when one’s memory begins, and if such a memory actually occurred; I think this is a question that isn’t brought so explicitly to our audience’s attention, but shows shades of it being posed through the two sisters distinctive interpretations of the past. There is also the question that is explicitly posed: Is it all right for myself to leave what’s behind? In this sort of setting, the audience would most likely be familiar with the “character with a terminal illness who decides to fulfill a bucket list before they die” archetype. However, there is a key difference: Though obvious, the younger sister Mary is someone who remains optimistic, yet holds an uncertainty and detachment to the past; the older sister Lainie remains resigned to her future and strives to confront the past with a certainty. At this point, there’s a thematic message of striving for a bleak future with certainty while confronting the uncertain past. There’s a certain irony written here - you come closing in on your death, yet you come back to your childhood prior. You’d think the sister would be living her life with joy to fulfill her desires to the last brim, but the reality is a much harsher and gritty truth for this sister, so much she looks back on the memories that did bring her joy.
ReplyDelete- Gary Tolar
“Bone China” by K Alexa Mavromatis was centered around two characters, Mary, and Lainie. The setting of the play was the attic of Mary and Lainie’s childhood home. This room is full of boxes, random items on shelves, old furniture, and clothing racks. The two women visit this home after their mothers passed away, and as Mary and Lainie look through the items, it brings up memories from their past. As they reminisce of the past, they being to visualize what is in store for the future. As their conversation continues, death seems to be an obvious theme. They both know that it is inevitable, and they begin to wonder what their loved ones would do without them. Unfortunately not many people think about death until someone close to them passes, or their life is coming to an end, like Lanie.. I enjoyed the setting of this play; I don’t feel like it would have had the same effect if it were set in a bedroom, or kitchen perhaps. I think the Tea Cup set resembles life. You don’t realize how much time you have lost, or how many milestones you have passed until actually pause and look at your life in retrospect.
ReplyDeleteValerie Jackson
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