Explore this scene
Scene Overview
Note: We are not able to display the full text for this scene.
- Female: 2
- Male: 0
More Scenes
Context
Mrs. Patrick lives in an abandoned life-saving station in Provincetown, Massachusetts with her hired helper, widow Allie Mayo. Formerly used as a place to attempt to revive drowning victims, the house was put up for sale by the government and Mrs. Patrick bought it. She and her husband used to spend joyous summers in Provincetown and planned to paint the house and host parties there. But something happened to her husband (it isn’t made clear what) and Mrs. Patrick now uses the house to shield
to read the context for this scene from The Outside and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Text
Note: We are not able to display the full text for this scene. However, to assist users who already have access to the script, starting and ending lines are presented below. Please visit our scenes database to find scenes that include text.
MRS PATRICK: You call what you are life? (Laughs) Bleak as those ugly things that grow in the sand!
ALLIE MAYO: Ugly!
MRS PATRICK: I have known life. I have known life. You're like this Cape. A line of land way out to sea—land not life.
ALLIE MAYO: A harbor far at sea. Land that encloses and gives shelter from storm.
MRS PATRICK: (Facing the sea, as if affirming what will hold all else out) Outside sea. Outer shore. Dunes—land not life.
ALLIE MAYO: Outside sea—outer shore, dark with the wood that once was ships—dunes, strange land not life—woods, town and harbor. The line! Stunted straggly line that meets the Outside face to face—and fights for what itself can never be. Lonely line. Brave growing.
MRS PATRICK: It loses.
ALLIE MAYO: It wins.
MRS PATRICK: The farthest life is buried.
ALLIE MAYO: And life grows over buried life! It will. And Springs will come when you will want to know that it is Spring.
MRS PATRICK: Savers of life! You savers of life! 'Meeting the Outside!' Meeting—(but she cannot say it mockingly again; in saying it, something of what it means has broken through, rises. Herself lost, feeling her way into the wonder of life) Meeting the Outside!
Citation: Susan Glaspell, The Outside, Public domain, 1917.
Videos
Sorry! We do not currently have videos for this guide.
Related Products
Related Articles
Related Learning Modules
All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners.
Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.