On Tidy Endings
... away. At the beginning of the play she feels sorry for herself because of the grief she is experiencing. She didn’t consider the pain Arthur went through. She realizes he had done so much for Collin. She tells him, “I watched you care for him, and I was in awe. I could Glover 2 never have done what you did. I never would have survived” (line 252). Arthur entered a relationship with Collin that he knew would end in death, but he was so in love that it didn’t matter. He was a “prisoner of love” (line 239). He cooked Collin’s meals and spoon-fed him. He pushed his wheelchair, carried him, and bathed him. He wiped his backside and changed his diapers. He kept him alive for two years longer than any doctor had ever expected. After all that love and care, he was neglected. His name was edited out of the obituary. None of Collin’s family or coworkers acknowledged him at the funeral. Marian apologizes to Arthur for the way she had acted and for ignoring him. She gains respect for homosexuals. She realizes that society often mistreats gays. She learns more about the AIDS epidemic through Collin’s death. When he was first diagnosed she was afraid. She wouldn’t let Jimmy visit him in the hospital for the first month. But as time progressed, she realizes that steps can be taken to prevent exposure to the disease. She realizes that Collin wasn’t any less of a person because of AIDS. She learns more about Collin through the conversation with Arthur. She realizes that he had a great desire to live and was a strong individual. He fought hard for his life. Arthur says, “It wasn’t the machines that kept him breathing. He did it himself. It was that incredible will and strength inside him. Whether it came from his love of life or fear of death, who knows. But he’d been counted out a hundred times and a hundred times he fought his way back” (line 243). Arthur realizes that he is not the only one grieving for Collin. However, he doesn’t show any sympathy for Marian. In the play Marian says, “I know you’ve been hurt and I know you’re hurting but you’re not the only one who lost someone here”. He replies, “Yes I am! You didn’t just lose him. I did! You lost him five years ago when he Glover 3 divorced you! This is not your moment of grief and loss, it’s mine!” (line 213) He learns that Marian still loves Collin. She says she envied their relationship but she also says, “I was happy for Collin because there was no way to deny that he was happy. With everything he was facing, he was happy. Love did that. You did that” (line 237). He realizes she has always considered him a friend. She tells him, “how could we not be friends with something so great in common: love for one of the most spec...