Exploring Daniel R. Lillford's The Mystery of Maddy - Centaur Theatre

Exploring Daniel R. Lillford’s
The Mystery of Maddy Heisler
Centaur Theatre’s 2007-2008 season
A series of discussion questions and essay topics created
by Seth Shugar (Marianapolis College) and
Liana Bellon (Dawson College) for Centaur’s Theatre of Tomorrow program
Supported by

SYNOPSIS
As Daniel Lillford explains in his author’s note, while the play is “entirely a work of fiction” it is “in
part based on rumors of fifth columnists who spied for Nazi Germany while living in Lunenberg
County, Nova Scotia during those dark days when the world was at war.” A fifth column is an
organization of individuals who seek to undermine a larger group.
While set in the present, Lillford’s play is organized through a series of flashbacks that allow us to
discover the controversial mystery of Maddy Heisler. In present day Nova Scotia, Jacob Meisner, an
aging detective fiction writer, begins to wonder if the ghost of Maddy Heisler, his first love, is
haunting him. Maddy was discovered to be a Nazi spy and Jacob’s long-concealed secret about his
romantic relationship with her creates tension in his home and community. When Ingrid, Maddy’s
granddaughter, arrives, Jacob is shown a journal that helps him reconcile himself with the past.
Lillford’s play also explores the process of writing. Criticized by Myrtle for having flat female
characters, Jacob desperately needs to rekindle his writing. The play implies that his inspiration may
lie in his suppressed memories of Maddy Heisler and the difficult ethical decisions he made during the
summer of 1942.
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Jacob Meisner is a South Shore native from Nova Scotia in his early seventies.
He also appears as a seventeen-year old army recruit.
Myrtle Kelly is an African-Canadian Nova Scotian in her fifties.
Earle Murphy is a South Shore native from Nova Scotia in his early seventies who also
appears as a seventeen-year old army recruit.
Maddy Heisler is an attractive German woman in her thirties
Ingrid Traeger, also in her her thirties, bears a striking resemblance to Maddy Heisler and, we
discover, is her granddaughter.

THEMES:
1. Racism and anti-Semitism
2. Reason and logic versus superstition and religion
3. Power of the past and memories (the past haunting the present)
4. Creativity and inspiration
5. History vs. historiography (the awareness that historical accounts are not entirely objective)
6. Love versus infatuation
7. Forgiveness and the reluctance to forgive
8. Moral absolutism vs. Relativism
9. Slipperiness of identity
10. Manipulation
11. Ethical dilemmas
12. The potential positives in negative situations
13. Falling in love with ‘the enemy’
RESEARCH TOPICS:
1. Fifth columnists who spied for Germany while living in Nova Scotia during the Second World
War
2. The biblical significance of Jacob’s name
3. What was “Jacob’s Ladder”?
4. Basic facts about World War II
5. Africville, Halifax (a displaced African community)
6. German U-Boats
7. Mata Hari, a famous spy
8. Personal accounts of WWII by veterans
LITERARY TERMS:
The following terms are useful when engaging in a literary analysis. The definitions are taken from
M.H. Abrams’s Glossary of Literary Terms (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1993).
1. Figurative language: Figurative language “is a departure from what users of the language
apprehend as the standard meaning of words, or the standard order of words, in order to
achieve a special meaning or effect” (Abrams 66). There are three types of figurative
language: similes, metaphors, and personification.
a) Simile: “In a simile, a comparison between two distinctly different things is indicated
by the word ‘like’ or ‘as’” (Abrams 67).

) Metaphor: “In a metaphor, a word or expression which in literal usage denotes one
thing or action is applied to a distinctly different kind of thing or action, without
asserting a direct comparison” (Abrams 67). Simply put, a metaphor is different than a
simile because it does not establish a comparison by using the words ‘like’ or ‘as.’
c) Personification: Personification refers to the technique of describing an inanimate
object, an animal, or an abstract concept “as though it were endowed with life or with
human attributes and feelings” (Abrams 69).
Note that figurative language is also referred to as imagery. The two terms can be used
interchangeably. However, imagery is a more general term that refers not only to similes,
metaphors, and personification, but simply to all the evocative, poetic images a writer
creates.
2. Theme: A theme is a central idea or concept that is developed throughout a work of literature.
That said, each piece of literature often has as many different themes as there are readers who
interpret the work. When asserting that a work has a particular theme, be sure to refer to
textual details and cite from the text to support your argument.
3. Symbol: “In the broadest sense, a symbol is anything which signifies something; in this sense
all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however, the term ‘symbol’ is applied only to
a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something or has a
range of references beyond itself” (Abrams 206).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS and/or ESSAY TOPICS
1. Jacob rejects the idea that there is absolute good and absolute evil. Do you believe in moral
absolutes? Lillford’s play presents us with complex characters. For example, Angus, while a war
hero fighting the fascists, is also a bigot, and Maddy, although a Nazi spy, expresses rather
modern views about women’s roles. How does Lillford complicate notions of ‘good’ and ‘evil’?
Discuss Angus and Maddy.
2. Why are the female characters Jacob creates “weak, sickly sweet, flat, vanilla donut woman,” as
Myrtle says? Is this tendency related to his inability to come to terms with the unpalatable side of
Maddy’s character? Myrtle tells Jacob “How can you expect others to read what ain’t got no soul
in it to begin with”? What does she mean by soul? Myrtle also declares Jacob is “out of touch.”
What is he out of touch with? Is his inability to write well related to his reluctance to tell the story
of Maddy Heisler?
3. Should a creative writer write for a particular audience? Does thinking of our audience prompt
or inhibit our creativity? Myrtle criticizes Jacob for not writing for “anyone but himself.” Should
writers write for anyone but themselves?

4. The epigraph Lillford uses for his play comes from the long, late-fourteenth-century poem Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight:
For long they laughed and played
Till she gave him a gracious kiss.
A fond farewell she bade,
And went her way on this.
One of the most well known Middle English romances, the long poem pits good against evil.
While Sir Gawain symbolizes truth and valour, the green knight is associated with duplicity
and cunning. Maddy repeatedly refers to Jacob as her “little green knight.” What light do
these references to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight cast on the central themes of the play?
5. The play opens to Sergey Prokofiev’s “The Year 1941, Op. 90, In the Night.” Prokofiev, a
Russian composer of operas, ballets and chamber music, was evacuated from the Soviet Union
when Germany attacked in 1941. What mood does the piece evoke? Does knowing the piece
and its context add to your experience of the play?
6. In her seminal 1963 essay “Eichmann in Jerusalem,” Hannah Arendt coins the influential
phrase “the banality of evil” to describe moral monsters such as prevalent figures in the Nazi
regime who, in spite of the fact they had committed atrocities, had ordinary and common
personalities and loved their families. She rejects the notion that perpetrators of heinous
crimes were psychopaths. Ingrid, Maddy’s granddaughter, states that “a lot of people died
because of Maddy’s activities. Many ships [were] blown up by the wolf packs.” Is Maddy evil
or, as Arendt suggests, is she an embodiment of the banality of evil? Put yourself in Jacob’s
position. He puts his country and friends at risk by saving Maddy and delivering her back to
the Germans. Would you have done the same? Ought personal love relationships trump
national duties?
7. There are a number of indications that racism is still prominent in Jacob’s community.
Angered by Jacob’s interracial relationship, Angus, an old war buddy of Jacob’s and a member
of the Ku Klux Klan, once planted a cross in Jacob and Myrtle’s front yard. Jacob reminds
Earle that he “let it happen” because “in [his] heart, like [Angus’] heart, [he’s] a racist son of a
bitch.” Jacob also states that if a man crosses the street because of the colour of someone’s
skin “that says more than any words ever will.” As well, much to Jacob’s frustration, Earle
rationalizes his wife Greta’s behaviour by saying “it’s just the goddamn way she is,” and says
she “can’t change that.” Various questions arise from these details.
a. Do you agree that racism cannot be changed? Is contemporary Canadian society still
haunted by the racism that afflicts many of the characters in the play? In the play, are
there many differences in the social views expressed in the 1940s scenes and the
present-day ones?
b. How is Jacob a non-conformist? Discuss his rebellious character and his rejection of
racism and conventional marriage. Is Jacob’s relationship with Myrtle, a victim of
racism, compensation for the guilt he feels for having been attracted to Maddy, a
racist?
c. Despite the play’s rejection of racism, do you find the character of Myrtle is presented
as a stereotype or stock character?

8. Myrtle is superstitious and, while he is initially not superstitious, Jacob begins to echo
Myrtle’s views when he says “one crow in the poplar” after he sees Ingrid who he thinks is
Maddy. Discuss omens. Why are birds often omens? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we are told
that there is providence in the fall of a sparrow. Find other expressions that reference omens.
9. Earle complains about the lack of history being taught in school. Does the play redress this
situation?
10. Since Maddy seems to appear in Jacob’s present day situation, Lillford implies Jacob is
experiencing a blurring of past and present. What does this suggest about Jacob’s state of
mind?
11. Research other books, movies, and plays which explore the theme of falling in love with ‘the
enemy.’
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
1. In Lillford's play, Ingrid is able to explore her family's history because of the book, or journal,
her grandmother leaves behind. Often, our anecdotal family history is not recorded by elderly
relatives and, as a result, details of our family's past are forever lost. In an attempt to recapture
your family's history, interview your older relatives, such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Prepare the questions in advance with your teacher and classmates. You might want to consider
recording the interviews so that you can enjoy the conversation. This way, you will also have a
record of your relatives' voices.
After the interview, your teacher may ask you to choose the most detailed responses and present
them to the class or you may be asked to write about one family member's memories or
history using the details that surfaced in the interviews.
2. Having a good grasp of major historical events and when they occurred is crucial not only for
your future studies but for your understanding of world history and your general knowledge.
World War II began in 1939 and ended in 1945. Commit these dates to memory. As a class,
create a timeline of key events in the twentieth century and quiz each other until you feel confident
you have retained the dates and understood the main aspects of the events. Be sure to include the
following and feel free to add specifically Canadian events as well:
-Death of Queen Victoria
-Women given the right to vote (dates vary depending on country)
-The Wright Brothers’ first flight
-Albert Einstein publishes his Special Theory of Relativity
-World War I
-Russian Revolution
-In India, Gandhi peacefully demands Indian independence
-The Depression
-The Spanish Civil War
-World War II

-The Cold War
-The Vietnam War
-Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
-Canada’s Jubilee Celebration
-Astronaut Neil Armstrong is the first man on the moon
-Fall of the Berlin Wall
3. Append a scene to Lillford's play. Working in groups of four, write a five-minute script which
you will then perform in front of the class. The scene might be a flashback involving Maddy and
Jacob or it might be a scene set in Jacob's present-day community or home. The scene could be
added at the end of the play or at any other point. Before you perform your scene, be prepared to
explain where the scene is being inserted and why.