Bed among the Lentils - analysis

What key information do we learn about Susan from the opening stage directions?

She is a vicar’s wife who is noticeably thin and nervous. The stage directions make the assumption that she smokes.

What does Susan’s language reveal about her age, social class and attitudes?

Susan uses proper English, for example, “and from whom no secrets are hid,” which suggests she has a fairly high social status. This use of correct language also suggests she is nearing old age because stereotypically, the older you are, the more well-spoken you are. In addition, she speaks very slowly with many pauses and simple sentences which could mean she is middle aged/elderly because the younger you are, the faster you talk, and as you age, you tend to slow down. She blatantly has a strong dislike for the church, “I didn’t actually nod off, though I have heard it before.”

Which techniques has Bennet employed to make this sound like spontaneous speech?

Bennet uses punctuation effectively to show Susan’s vast amount of pauses, “I top off a thrill-packed morning by taking round Meals on Wheels… somehow – ‘and this to me is the miracle,’ says Geoffrey – ‘somehow managing to rustle up a delicious lunch in the interim. Bennet also uses consecutive simple sentences, “A god. Not the God. Not the definite article.” These techniques are all used to show that she is thinking carefully about what she is saying it, showing that possibly, she means every word she says.

Identify any moments of humor and explain what makes them funny.

Susan has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor, especially when describing her day – “I kick off by changing the wheel on the Fiesta,” and later, “I top off a thrill-packed morning by taking round Meals on Wheels.” So she makes what she does sound exciting by using phrases such as “kick off” and “thrill-packed” which sound energetic and interesting but she is actually describing very dull activities. Also, Susan is very negative, “looks a bit more fun than Jesus anyway,” so she is constantly referring back to religion and her distaste for it. As well as this, she uses specific lexis when making jokes, “it’s Mary Magdalen and the Nivea cream all over again,” that few people would understand unless they had read the bible. However the hints of comedy are useful for involving the reader and making the text feel slightly more light-hearted.

Identify any moments of pathos (sadness) and explain what is significant about them.

Susan refers to her drinking problem when she informs the audience that she has just been to the off-license and the cashier didn’t smile at her – “I can’t think why. I spend enough.” This is emotive because Susan is deeply reflecting on the fact that not only does she depend on alcohol; she is losing a lot of money because of it. She continues to emotionally inform the audience of her unhappy life by saying, “once upon a time I had my life planned out…” and then explains how she would have liked her life to have been which is upsetting for her because she describes a life of independence but with a happy marriage which is the antithesis of what she actually has. So quite often there is a very melancholy tone to this monologue.

How does Bennet hint or foreshadow events in the narrative?

In the opening few paragraphs, there are many references to sex – “the sermon was about sex” and “marriage gives the OK to sex” as well as “gifted with all this sex.” This greatly foreshadows that she later, is going to have