My Sister In This House

2542 Words11 Pages
I. Given Circumstances A. Environment and Images 1. Geographical Location The play is set in Le Mans, France. Le Mans is traditionally situated in the former province of Maine, but at present it is the capital of the Sarthe department, located on the Sarthe river, and part of the Pays de la Loire region. It is about 209 to 215 kilometers southwest from Paris. Le Mans is a provincial town in France. Le Mans is an old town. These are present images, but the houses are old. This could possibly be how the streets of Le Mans looked liked during the 1930s. 2. Date The play was set in the early 1930s, which was based on an actual event that took place on February 2, 1933. (That event is the infamous Papin Murder, by the Papin sisters)…show more content…
Having a maid is an addition to one’s status symbol. In the play, the Danzards are social climbers because they often checked on what their neighbors are doing and buy things for themselves so that their friends will notice. The play is based on the murder case of the Papin sisters, namely Christine and Lea who were maids for 6 years in the Lancelin household when one night, Sir Lancelin was waiting for his wife and daughter at the place where they were supposed to have dinner. When they didn’t arrive, he went home to find the doors locked and only the maids’ room lighted. He brought in the police to barge in and found the bodies of his wife and daughter lying on the bloodied floor with their faces no longer recognizable for their eyes were gouged out. The sisters admitted to their crimes and were arrested that night. According to psychologists, they have a mental disorder that is shared paranoia. Lea’s personality was said to be absorbed in her sister’s personality which makes Christine the dominant one in this disorder. During their sentence, they were reunited for a short while. When they saw each other, Christine acted inappropriately that proved there the sisters engaged with sexual acts with each other due to the sexual tension they portrayed. When Christine was sentenced to life imprisonment, her mental disorder eventually declined and
Open Document