Beauty by Jane Martin Essay

Each day, an individual will talk to their peers at work or in school, come across with strangers on the street, see celebrities on the television, and automatically assume how their life looks like. In most cases, they view the other individual’s life as something better and bigger than their own life. Such a vision makes the individual become jealous. Consequently, the jealously consumes them and makes the unhappy with the characteristics and the assets they possess. At times, individuals can become discontent with their own lives such that they are very much willing to give up everything they own. This is in an attempt to take a different life or start over with different issues or problems. In the play, Beauty by Jane Martin, the main characters portray their lives as not desirable, and they wish to change their present status. Their actions clearly indicate how individuals tend to be not content with their lives despite what they have (NY Essay 1).

The play Beauty is about two girls, Bethany and Carla. Their lives and personalities are developed through dialogue. Bethany is intelligent, and Carla is a beauty, and each has her own troubles. Bethany desires to become a beauty just like Carla, and her dream comes true through the assistance of a magic genie. Carla is a beauty, and she is the center of attraction by the men. She is always busy going to dates and having telephone conversations. However, she is not very good at studying and this can be ascertained by the fact that she cannot even remember what she has read previously. Bethany, on the other hand, is outstanding in school. She earns $40,000 from her job, and she has published several short stories. However, she is not as beautiful as Carla, and this makes her desire to become a beauty (Fryfreely 1).

As mentioned before, Beauty by Jane Martin is a play, and she introduces the main characters through a dialogue. The first, main character is Carla, and she is seen speaking on the phone with a casual suitor that she had met at the bar, and she seems not to remember the suitor. From this scenario, it is evident that Carla possesses some form of beauty that grabs male attention even without any real interaction. Her beauty can be ascertained when she mentions that she has to attend a modeling meeting with Ralph Lauren. The second main character is Bethany; she is one of Carla’s friend and apparently a very good friend because she minds less interrupting Carla on the phone. She does this despite the fact that Carla requests her to be quiet. Bethany is a public accountant, and her job is very demanding. This makes her decide to take a break from work and go to the beach where comes across a lamp containing a magic genie (NY Essay 1).

Bethany is granted three wishes and three chances by the magic genie to get something she would not have gotten in her normal life. The magic genie is used by Martin, to uncover Bethany’s discontent and hidden desires in her life (NY Essay 1). After testing the magic genie, Bethany races, to inform Carla that the genie is real. She requires assistance in deciding what her last (third) wish should be. For Carla, it is all about the money but for Bethany, it is the desire to become like Carla. She desires her glamorous life style and beauty. Bethany tells Carla that beauty is the actual deal and that she, (Carla) is the center of any moment in her life; people stare and men flock at her (Christian 27).

Carla responds by saying that she cannot engage a conversation without men coming to her. She suggests that she possesses no privacy and that she is hassled on the streets. She further says “Well, it’s not what I want.” “I have never read a whole book.” “I leave dinner parties right after the dessert because I’m out of conversation.” “I barely exist outside a mirror! You don’t want to be me” (Christian 27). Bethany is begged by Carla not make this despicable wish, but it is already overdue. In the end, they switch positions and become each other. Both Carla and Bethany had an immature perception of themselves, and their self-image. At the end of the play, Carla states that they have what each desired, and it was not their beauty or brains but various sets of problems (Christian 27).

Works Cited
Christian, Stephanie. “Comparing Generations.” ESSAI 8.1 (2010): 22-28. Print.
Flyfreely. Introduction of the Play Beauty by Jane Martin. Flyfreely, 11 June 2010. Web. 26 April 2012.
NY Essay. Discontent in Jane Martin’s “Beauty.” NY Essay, 2012. Web. 26 April 2012.