'He and She' Summary

He and She revolves around the Herford family composed of Tom, Ann, and Millicent. Other characters include Ruth Creel, Ann's friend; Keith, Tom's assistant who is engaged to Ruth; Ann's father Dr. Remington; and Tom's sister Daisy who lives with the Herfords. The first act of the play is set in the sculpting studio in their house in New York City. At the beginning of the play, Tom has a frieze that he is entering into a contest. Ann thinks she can do better and enters the competition with a piece of her own. At the same time, Keith and Ruth constantly argue about marriage because Keith wants a traditional, domestic wife while Ruth wants to continue working. In act 2 (set in their living room), they nervously wait for the results of the competition. During the waiting, Ruth breaks off her engagement with Keith. When the results come, everyone starts congratulating Tom, until they find out that Tom really isn't the winner, Ann is. This causes strife between her and Tom. Ann's father is furious that she did this to her husband. To make matters worse, Millicent comes home suddenly from boarding school. In act 3, the conflicts between the characters escalate. It is revealed that Millicent has ran away from school because she is engaged to the school's chauffeur. Ann believes that the only way to prevent this marriage is to give up her own sculpture to spend more time with her daughter, asking Tom to make her frieze for her. "He and She, pits a daughter's need for maternal care against her mother's passionate desire to fulfill her artistic ambition."

"The setting of Crother's three-act drama, a spacious old New York home, externalizes the ideal of Tom and Ann Herford, both sculptors, to forge an egalitarian marriage, free of the limitations of the stereotyped masterful male and the submissive female. Each has a studio in the basement of the home where Act One is set. Its ceiling is raised to double height to accommodate the couples's work, and to signal, perhaps, their less-confined domestic horizons."

"Millicent, the Herfords' 16 year old daughter, goes to boarding school and when she is home for holidays she is obliged to respect Ann's need to work- something her father enforces. As the play progresses, however, and conflicts begin to restrict Ann's sphere, the setting enhances the play's theme."

"The play is simply plotted around events which cause Ann to reevaluate her life as an artist. Two subplots, following the conflicts of two other women characters, enrich our understanding of Ann's conflict between her public aspirations and private duties and broaden the spectrum of women's dilemmas. at the end of Act One, Ann decides to enter a sculpture competition for which Tom is also vying, and although her decision surprises him, Tom eventually supports her move. The act ends with the couple shaking hands. When Ann wins the $100,00 prize, and Tom places second, his opposition to her mounts and reaches a climax near the end of Act Two. He accuses Ann of being dominated by ambition and selfishness, and he demands that she take up full-time domestic duties. Ann refuses him, while recognizing the danger to their marriage. The act ends, however, on Millicent's unexpected arrival from boarding school and her refusal to return. In Act 3, Ann finally learns that Millicent's hysteria and stubbornness are related to her romance with the boarding school chauffeur. Millicent announces her decision to marry the man, but it is clear to Ann that Millicent has come home out of a need to be guided in her confusion. Ann blames herself for Millicent's trouble because, during a holiday period when Ann was working on the frieze, Millicent stayed at school and obviously responded to the man out of loneliness. Once Ann becomes convinced that she alone can help Millicent, she decides to take her to Europe, and asks Tom to complete her sculpture."