August: Osage County

The second act, which occurs in one long scene, opens in late afternoon after Beverly’s funeral. The house has been straightened and cleaned, presumably by Johnna, who is in the kitchen. The dining room is set for a large family meal. Barbara and Karen, the third Weston sister, are in the dining room. In Beverly’s study, Violet is “relatively sober” (57) with a pill bottle in hand. She talks to a copy of Meadowlark and reads a dedication to herself as she takes pills. In the dining room, Karen prattles happily about how she used to dream about her future husband, but men in real life never measured up. She had looked to Beverly and Bill as examples. Karen had tried to convince herself to love men who treated her badly, blaming herself for their behavior. Then Karen decided that she was enough and that she would be single and focus on herself. After she did that, she met her fiancé Steve, who is a good man. Karen asserts that planning for the future is impossible because the unexpected always happens. As a sign of support, Steve cancelled a big work presentation to be with her at her father’s funeral.

Johnna enters with iced tea, and Barbara asks what she’s cooking. The meal includes green bean casserole, which Barbara notes that Mattie Fae always makes. Johnna wonders if she shouldn’t have made it, but Barbara reassures her that Mattie Fae’s casserole is inedible. Karen wants Barbara’s opinion of Steve, but Barbara demurs that she barely spoke to him, conceding that he seems nice. Karen asks Barbara if she’ll come to her wedding, explaining that she had planned it at a time when Barbara and Bill would be able to come. Barbara agrees, although she has to be reminded that Karen has moved from Sarasota to Miami. Karen adds that she is finally happy for the first time in her life, and she’s hoping that she and her sisters can get to know each other better. Barbara tries to shift the conversation to what they will do about Violet, but Karen interrupts her with a hug. Barbara wonders aloud what is taking so long for Bill, Steve, and Jean to come back from buying wine. Karen chirps that this is another instance that proves that Steve is acting like family already.

On the second floor, Violet is trying to harangue Ivy into wearing one of her dresses after Ivy wore a suit to the funeral, which she found embarrassing. Mattie Fae, who is looking through a box of old photos to find some to display during dinner. She mentions that Little Charles is thinking about moving to New York, scoffing that he wouldn’t survive a day. Mattie Fae rants her disapproval of her son, who apparently slept through the mid-day funeral, and of Charlie who always supports him and has gone to pick him up at the bus station because, at age 37, he can’t drive. Violet wheedles Ivy to take the dress, exclaiming that she’s getting rid of her belongings and “downgrading,” which Ivy corrects to “downsizing” (65). The three women look at an old photo of Violet, and Ivy says, “You’re beautiful, Mom” (65). Violet argues that she “was beautiful. Not anymore” (65). She asserts that although men can remain attractive as they age, “Women are beautiful when they’re young, and not after” (65). Mattie Fae interjects that she’s still sexy, and Violet retorts, “You’re about as sexy as a wet cardboard box, Mattie Fae” (66).

Ivy complains about the heat in the house, and Violet keeps pushing the dress, criticizing that Ivy doesn’t know anything about attracting a man. Ivy blurts that she has a man. Stunned, Violet and Mattie Fae turn to her. They beg for more information, but Ivy won’t say any more although she acknowledges that it isn’t her ex-boyfriend, “Loser Barry” (67). Violet asks if Ivy is in love, and Ivy becomes flustered before laughing awkwardly and escaping down the hallway. Violet and Mattie Fae squeal and go after her. In the living room, Bill and Steve enter from the front porch, talking about Steve’s work, along with Jean, who rushes inside to turn on the television. Barbara enters, desperate for wine, and she notices Jean in front of the television. She is irked to realize that Jean was pressed about the time of the funeral and antsy to get back to the house to watch a special showing of Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera. Bill and Barbara exit to the kitchen. Steve joins Jean and tries to impress her with facts about the film, which she already knows. Steve jokes inappropriately with Jean, stressing the sexual innuendo he finds in almost everything she says. Then, Steve sniffs Jean and comments that she smells like pot. He says he has weed and offers to smoke with her, which Jean agrees to gratefully since she has run out.

Karen enters from the kitchen looking for cigarettes, but Steve forgot to buy them. Jean offers to share, and Karen hesitates about encouraging her to smoke, but then they take them. With a show of affection, Karen invites Steve to go to the backyard and see the fort the sisters had once played in. As they exit, Steve quietly promises Jean, “Hook you up later” (73), rubbing his hand jokingly over her entire face. Meanwhile, Charlie and Little Charles enter on the front porch. Little Charles is distraught, apologizing profusely for missing the funeral. Charlie reassures him, but Little Charles is dreading his mother’s wrath. He swears that he set an alarm, but the clock was flashing when he woke up, so there must have been a power outage. Little Charles adds that he loved his uncle and wanted to be there. He starts to cry, certain that he has reinforced the idea that the rest of the family has that Little Charles is a disappointment. Charlie insists Little Charles has not let him down, asserting that the family loves Little Charles and just hasn’t had the chance to see all he has to offer. He helps his son clean himself up, and they go into the house. Bill and Barbara argue about Jean in the dining room as Johnna sets the table. Barbara insists that Jean’s prioritizing of a movie over her grandfather’s funeral showed a lack of character, suggesting that Bill is to blame for showing poor character by sleeping with a student and being an absentee father lately.

Bill argues that he hasn’t been any less of a father and accuses Barbara of using Jean as “a buffer” between her and Violet. Barbara brings up the student he slept with, and Bill asserts that he only went to her because Barbara is so closed off. Johnna announces that dinner is ready, and the rest of the family filters into the dining room, carrying on their individual arguments and conversations at once. Karen tries to talk to Barbara and get her to open up. Mattie Fae and Charlie argue about Little Charles, who, to Mattie Fae’s fury, left her green bean casserole in the car. Violet pesters Ivy for the name of her beau, but Ivy refuses to tell. Bill calls Jean to come to the table, denying her request to eat in front of the television. Ivy learns that Little Charles is there and has gone out to get something. She goes out too. Mattie Fae suggests that Little Charles can sit at the kid’s table with Jean. Johnna offers to sit with Jean, asserting that she doesn’t mind. Outside, Little Charles and Ivy meet each other on the front porch. It becomes apparent that although they are cousins, Little Charles is the man who Ivy has been seeing and is in love with.

Ivy tells Little Charles that Violet knows that she is in love with a man, suggesting that perhaps they can inform the rest of the family about their relationship in small pieces. In the dining room, everyone starts to pass the food. Little Charles enters with the casserole, and Mattie Fae informs him that she had wanted to seat him at the children’s table. As Little Charles goes to set the casserole down, he accidentally drops it, causing an eruption of insults from Mattie Fae and reassurance from Charlie as Little Charles tries to help Johnna clean up. Charlie tells Mattie Fae to let it go, shifting the conversation by commenting that Jean didn’t get any meat. Jean says that she is a vegetarian. Violet enters, carrying a photo of herself and Beverly to display on the sideboard. Barbara puts it up, and they all admire it.

Violet comments disdainfully that the men have taken off their suit coats. Abashedly, they all put their coats back on. Then, Violet insists that someone say grace, and the responsibility lands on Charlie. Steve gets a phone call during the prayer and exits to take it. Violet offers the sideboard to Barbara and then Ivy, stating again that she plans to get rid of everything. As everyone compliments Johnna for the meal, Violet interjects rudely that that’s what Johnna is paid for. Charlie brings the conversation back to Jean’s vegetarianism, and Jean explains that eating an animal means eating its fear, or the chemicals and hormones produced by the body while facing death. Violet interrupts again with angry nonsense, making everyone uncomfortable.

They talk about the service, and Violet announces that no one told any stories about Beverly’s alcoholism. They only talked about his academic accomplishments, which were in the 1960s. Karen introduces Steve to Violet, and Violet quickly discovers that Steve has been married three times. Finally, Barbara asks Violet what pills she has taken, and Violet tells her to leave her alone. The tension rises until Charlie suddenly seems to be in distress. Everyone looks to him, panicked, until he quips that he just “got a big bite of fear” (90), making everyone laugh. Barbara jokes that Jean secretly eats cheeseburgers, which Jean denies. Violet snaps that her own mother would have beaten her if she’d ever called her a liar. There’s an uncomfortable silence, and Violet brings up Beverly’s possessions, informing everyone that Violet is his sole beneficiary. But she’s getting rid of the furniture, and if her daughters don’t want it, maybe she’ll have an auction. Barbara replies that maybe Violet won’t actually hold an auction, and the three daughters will get everything for free when Violet dies. Violet agrees coldly. Then, she announces that, based on her observations, Bill and Barbara are trying to hide that they’re separated or divorced, and that there is a younger woman. Bill admits that both are true.

Violet notes that there’s no way for Barbara to compete with a younger woman, as she believes that women get ugly as they age. Barbara accuses Violet of attacking everyone, and Violet loses her temper, exclaiming that her mother attacked her with a claw hammer (an attack that Mattie Fae had saved her from by taking the blows), and Barbara has no idea what it means to be attacked. The three sisters think they had a bad childhood, but Violet asserts that they knew nothing about bad childhoods. Violet insists that she’s just telling the truth. After a moment, Little Charles announces that he has a truth to tell, but Ivy pleads with him quietly to stop. He loses his nerve and admits that he forgot to set his alarm, exiting. Ivy is close to tears. Barbara calls Violet a drug addict, and Violet retorts that the pills are her best friends. Barbara demands that Violet hand them over, lunging at them when Violet refuses. The rest of the family watches as Barbara and Violet wrestle until they’re pried apart. Barbara announces that they’re going to raid the house for pills and throw them all away. She orders Charlie to get Violet some coffee “and listen to her bullshit” (97) and for Karen to call Violet’s doctor. Violet exclaims that it’s her house and Barbara can’t do this, but Barbara stands over her, shouting, “I’M RUNNING THINGS NOW!” (97).