Barefoot In The Park

“CORIE. I prefer it this way. It’s a medical fact, you know, that steam is very bad for you.

MAN. Yeah? In February?” 

The telephone repairman, Harry Pepper, has commented on how cold the apartment is. A deliveryman has just delivered wedding gifts from Ethel, and the telephone repairman says that he hopes one of them is an electric heater. Corie’s line demonstrates her tendency to see the positive and her sense of adventure in difficult situations. The telephone repairman’s response highlights that Corie’s approach can also be impractical.

“CORIE. (Taking nightgown out of suitcase.) I was going to cook you spaghetti with white clam sauce…in a bikini.

PAUL. We’re representing the furrier. He made four specially tailored coats for this woman on Park Avenue. Now she doesn’t want the coats.” 

Corie has been trying to attract Paul’s attention since a phone call from the office turned his mind to work. None of her provocations distract him, leading her to say, “The whole marriage is over” (15). Her response illustrates her impulsive and extreme nature. Paul smooths things over, promising her they can do something “wild, insane and crazy” (15) the following night. Theircontinuedbickeringforeshadows a scene later in the play when Corie threatens divorce.

“PAUL. With that wind it could blow six-foot drifts in the bathroom. Honestly, Corie, I don’t see how you can be so calm about all this.

CORIE. Well, what is it you want me to do?

PAUL. Go to pieces, like me. It’s only natural.” 

In this section, Paul has just noticed the hole in the skylight, and Corie has told him snow is expected. He becomes increasingly agitated, saying that he is going to be “shoveling snow in [his] own living room” (18). Corie has been downplaying the apartment’s issues and limitations, such as the lack of heat and bathtub, among others. Their roles have reversed as Paul is the one who is becoming hysterical and Corie the one to provide soothing. She tells him she will keep him warm, and they kiss. These interactions show how the two balance each other out. Circumstances that cause Paul to panic differ from those that distress Corie, which ideally enables them to supplement each other’s weaknesses. 

“Yes. I just came over the Whitestone Bridge and down the Major Deegan Highway and now I’ll cut across town and on to the Henry Hudson Parkway and up to the George Washington Bridge. It’s no extra trouble.” 

Ethel has dropped in for a visit unexpectedly to see Corie and Paul’s apartment. She was in Westchester, a suburban county north of Manhattan, and claims the above route was “on [her] way home” (22) to New Jersey, a state south of New York. In fact, the route she describes takes her far out of her way, demonstrating that she is preoccupied with her daughter rather than focused on moving forward with her life now that Corie has moved out of the house and married. This establishes Corie’s motivation to set up a blind date for her widowed mother in the hopes that her life will become more enjoyable and fulfilling for herself.

“I worry about you two. You’re so impulsive. You jump into life. Paul is like me. He looks first.” 

Here, Mrs. Banks expresses a key difference between Paul and Corie that causes strife during the first week of their marriage, which is covered in the play. Paul has gone out to buy scotch, leaving the two women alone. Corie acknowledges that her marriage might seem like a crazy idea to her mother, especially since Corie did not seek Ethel’s advice. Corie explains that she “just had to do all by [her]self” (26). Ultimately, both women will realize they can learn from each other. Ethel evolves and embarks on a new relationship through the blind date that Corie orchestrated, and Corie evolves to ask her mother for advice about her marriage with Paul.

“I read a story in the Times. A middle-aged woman traveling alone fell off the deck of a ship. They never discovered it until they got to France.” 

Corie has been encouraging her mother to make her life more fulfilling and fun. One of her suggestions is to travel. Ethel here demonstrates her abundance of logical thinking, which causes her to imagine the worst possible outcomes. Like Paul, she thinks primarily logically, and this can at times prevent her from enjoying her life.

“Do you know we have some of the greatest weirdos in the country right here, in this house?” 

Paul has just returned from the liquor store, where he heard gossip about his neighbors in the building. That he finds them weird demonstrates his conservative nature and inflexibility dealing with people who are different from him. One of those “weirdos” (30) is Victor Velasco, who, as Paul learns, is “known as ‘The Bluebeard of 48th St.’” (31). Like Corie, Victor can be adventurous and spontaneous, sometimes to an extreme. During his evening out with Ethel, he breaks his foot, which leads to a full medical exam that reveals he will need to temper his more extreme activities.  

“Corie, did you hear what I said? There’s an old nut out on our ledge.” 

Here, Victor has climbed out onto the Bratters’ ledge to sneak back to his apartment because he is behind in his rent payments. His carefree, careless approach aligns him with Corie, whereas Paul and Ethel share similar natures. In this moment, Paul and Corie reverse roles: Paul is trying to get Corie’s attention, but she is preoccupied with her plan to set up her mother and Victor on a blind date. While Paul is distracted by work, Corie’s preoccupations are adventure and fun.

“Everyone knows the intimate details of our life…I ring the bell and suddenly we’re on the air.” 

Unaware that Paul is not alone on the stairwell, Corie begins conversing with him as he climbs the five flights. She shares news about his family and other details of their personal lives, which makes Paul uncomfortable. The moment highlights their different approaches to life that will have to be reconciled. Corie looks forward to talking with Paul and does not want to waste a minute of her time with him, even if that time is mediated by five flights of stairs. Characteristic of his reserve, Paul prefers to keep their life private.

“Now, Mother…The only thing I’d like to suggest is…well…just try and go along with everything.” 

Here, Corie is preparing Ethel for her blind date with Victor. She knows that Ethel, like Paul, has difficulty letting go and enjoying herself. Unlike Corie and Victor, Ethel does not “jump into life” (26). For her date, she follows Corie’s advice, and it results in an exhausting, stressful evening that ends with her fainting. Yet she meets Victor, and despite all their differences, the two eventually find common ground when Victor learns he will have to modify his lifestyle.

“You can try it. You should try everything, right, Mr. Velasco?” 

Corie addresses Paul here. Victor offered him a knichi to “pop” (51), and Paul declined on the grounds that he has “a bad arm” (51). Corie recognizes that Paul’s arm is fine. The real obstacle is his inflexibility. Ethel agrees to try the knichi, and even though her attempts did not go flawlessly, she at least tries. Paul refuses even to participate. When he does sample the knichi, he does exactly what Victor says not to do: he “nibble[s]” (50). 

“She seems to get such a terrific kick out of living. You’ve got to admire that, don’t you, Paul?”

Ethel directs this observation about Corie after the group has returned from dinner. While waiting in the living room for Victor and Corie to make coffee, Ethel and Paul have collapsed, she on the sofa and he on the floor. Paul carried her up the five flights, and they are exchanging their thoughts on the evening. Ethel feels numb, and she “can’t make a fist,” while Paul’s “teeth feel soft” (56). Ethel here expresses her admiration for Corie’s zest for living. She tells Paul that she tried but was unable to keep up with Corie and Victor’s appetites. She feels discouraged by this despite Paul telling her she “mustn’t blame” herself (57). The exchange reveals that while Paul and Ethel share the same nature, Ethel tries while Paul does not. Ultimately, Corie and Victor pushed Ethel too far, but it is possible for her to compromise.

“MOTHER. The buses. They stop running at two. How will you get home?

VELASCO. Why worry about that now? I’ll meet that problem in New Jersey.” 

Corie and Victor have prepared flaming brandies to end the evening, but Ethel decides her night is over and announces that she will be heading home. Victor insists on driving her home in her car, which would leave him without transportation to return to Manhattan. Ethel worries, but Victor lives in the moment. His response to Ethel’s question demonstrates the benefits and drawbacks of his and Corie’s spontaneity. Victor is gallant, putting Ethel before himself, but his lack of planning can also create problems.

“Oh, I can just hear it now. What sparkling conversation. He’s probably telling her about a chicken cacciatore he once cooked for the High Lama of Tibet and she’s sitting there shoving pink pills in her mouth.” 

Paul is expressing the differences between Ethel and Victor, which stand in for the differences between him and Corie. Paul is angry at Corie for allowing Victor to take Ethel home. He believes Ethel had a terrible evening—which is partly true—and is incredulous that Corie does not seem to have noticed or cared. He asks her why she is not worried that her mother is out with an unpredictable man who makes bad decisions. Corie says she is terrified for her mother but also happy that there is finally something to worry about since her mother’s life has lacked joy.

“Do you know what you are? You’re a watcher. There are Watchers in this world and there are Do-ers. And the Watchers sit around watching the Do-ers do. Well, tonight you watched and I did.” 

Corie utters this during her fight with Paul that precipitates her demanding a divorce. She has been gloating about the success of the evening to “Mr. ‘This is going to be a fiasco’” (59). She enthuses over Victor’s offer to drive Ethel home and suggestsshe and Paul prank the neighbors. Paul is silent throughout, until Corie finally notices and asks him what is wrong. He launches into criticism and acrimony about Corie’s thoughtlessness, accusing her of not being worried about her mother. Corie responds that she is more worried about his inability to enjoy himself. Her assessment accurately captures their opposing natures and approaches to experiences. Their conflict escalates until they realize opposing can become complementing when they try to understand each other.  

“You’re always dressed right, you always look right, you always say the right things. You’re very close to being perfect.” 

Here, Corie demonstrates an understanding of both her own and Paul’s emotional lives, consistent with her emphasis on feeling over reason. She means “being perfect” (62) as an insult, an indication of how rigid and closed off Paul is, and he receives it as such, responding with “that’s a rotten thing to say” (62). In the moment, she sees his meticulous care to all things as problematic, an impediment to joy. By the end of the play, she will appreciate it as a stabilizing force in her life. 

“Oooh, that gets me insane. You can even control your emotions.” 

Corie has told Paul that he cannot go to sleep because they are fighting. He tells her to carry on the fight alone and “turn off the lights” (63) when she is done. His calm in the face of her emotional turmoil further distresses her, as does his obedience to his physical needs. This moment demonstrates the conflict between Paul’s self-control and reason and Corie’s impulsiveness and feeling. She surrenders to her emotions while Paul suppresses his. 

“Okay, Corie, maybe you’re right. Maybe we have nothing in common. Maybe we rushed into this marriage a little too fast. Maybe Love isn’t enough. Maybe two people should have to take more than a blood test. Maybe they should be checked for common sense, understanding, and emotional maturity.” 

Paul has been logically attempting to refute Corie when she claims, “I hate you!I hate you! (65)” as well as to refute her insistence that “[their] whole marriage hangs in the balance” (64). Here, he loses his patience and reverts to condescension, which he showed earlier in the evening toward Victor’s knichi and the Staten Island restaurant. His reason, logic, and self-control make him a good lawyer but do not serve him in the emotional arena of marriage. His implied judgment that Corie lacks “common sense, understanding and emotional maturity” (65) further intensifies their conflict. When he tries to deescalate it by issuing orders:“All right, Corie, let’s not get—” (65), Corie is not receptive. 

“Because I like the way they sm—never mind, it’s stupid.” 

Corie begins to say that she wears Paul’s pajamas because they smell good but stops herself. In this moment, Paul has decided to go along with Corie’s request for a divorce but approaches it with the cool calculation of a lawyer rather than someone who is devastated about the end of his marriage. He discusses what she is entitled to in a divorce—alimony, rent, furniture. He tells her he wants to keep his clothes then asks why she always wears his pajamas. Her response indicates she still loves him, but she breaks it off to cry. Paul’s criticism of her makes her second guess the validity of her feelings. Liking the way his pajamas smell is intuitive and emotional, the very qualities Paul has critiqued.

“To have gone through all you did last night. The trip to Staten Island, the strange food, the drinks, being carried up to my apartment like that. And you didn’t say one word about it.” 

Victor says this to Ethel the morning after their blind date. In this dialogue, he demonstrates his understanding of and appreciation for Ethel. He recognizes that she did not enjoy the outing and would have preferred a very different kind of night. Yet she did not complain—unlike Paul. She was willing to try something new, again unlike Paul, even though she discovered that she likes a quieter life. This mutual understanding and respect is what Paul and Corie eventually move toward, albeit in a more dramatic fashion. 

“It’s very simple. You’ve just got to give up a little of you for him. Don’t make everything a game. Just late at night in that little room upstairs. But take care of him. And make him feel important. And if you can do that, you’ll have a happy and wonderful marriage.” 

This is Ethel’s advice to Corie when she finally asks for it. Corie realizes that she loves Paul and made a mistake not listening to him. He has left the apartment, and she does not know where he has gone and when or if he will return. She also realizes here that, because they are so different, she does not know how to make him happy. She blames herself for everything that went wrong with Ethel and Victor’s evening after they left the apartment and for Paul wandering around outside with a cold. Ethel agrees the events are Corie’s fault but tells her: “Do you want to know something that may shock you . . . ? I still love you,” adding, “and Paul loves you too” (88). Differences do not have to be divisions when mutual respect exists.

“He’s dependable and he’s strong and he takes care of me and tells me how much I can spend and protects me from people like you.” 

Paul has returned to the apartment drunk, announced that he walked through the park barefoot, and proceeds to chase Corie around the room. In this moment, she has run away from him, barricaded herself in the bedroom, and is telling him why she wants “the old Paul back” (91). The qualities that she loves about him—his dependability, strength, and protection—are the same qualities she was critical of previously. They are also the qualities that can make him controlling and condescending when they’re not balanced by understanding and appreciation.

“Even when I didn’t like you, I loved you.” 

Here, Paul echoes to Corie a sentiment Ethel shared with her daughter: that love can survive mistakes and differences. Paul does not always like Corie or the way she behaves, but his love persists. The previous night during their fight, he wondered whether love was enough, and his answer may be that it is not because understanding and accommodation are also necessary. Either way, his love for her is constant and makes working toward understanding and accommodation desirable.