The Problem of Joe's Mother

Near the end of the novel, Grace leaves the China Doll to spend some time with Ruby and Helen as they prepare for their appearance on "Toast of the Town."  Grace makes her way through the usual crowd of stage-door Johnnies and then sees Joe -- thin, leaning on a cane, frail (340).  Joe has screwed up his courage to make one last effort to save his relationship with Grace. This is clearly a critical scene in the novel.

But it doesn't have the impact it could have because of the role Joe's mother Betty plays in it.  She wears "practical walking shoes" and "a decidedly non-New York dress", clearly worried that Joe's attempt at reconciliation with Grace will fail.  Betty tells Grace that she and Joe are in New York especially to see her (341).   Betty holds Grace's hand in hers and then says, "I came with my boy, because I wanted to make sure he didn't turn chicken.  He's got all sorts of medals now -- the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and a Purple Heart . . . But he's always been a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to girls."

Probably unaware of the embarrassment she has caused, Mrs. Mitchell asks if Joe is "set now". Then, preparing to leave, she squeezes Grace's hand and sends her the clear message, "Don't hurt my boy."  She embraces her son and tells him she'll see him at the hotel.

Most readers would probably say, "Hey, wait a minute. Why shouldn't Mrs. Mitchell be in this scene?  Joe is trying to come back from a traumatic war injury and his self image has been shattered.  In his mind the gap between himself in his frail condition and Grace, a famous and successful dancer, couldn't be greater -- especially since the popular press has highlighted her romances with wealthy men. Why shouldn't Mrs. Mitchell intervene to help her son narrow this gap?"

The reason is that this very gap is what gives the scene much of its power. Despite his war medals, Joe's dreams of being an ace pilot have all turned to dust -- because of what he has seen and what he has experienced first hand. In his painful start on his road to recovery he has come to realize that Grace is the only important thing in his life. Joe has never been "a scaredy-cat when it comes to girls" and he isn't one now. It is his courage in throwing the dice one last time, in meeting Grace face to face after everything that has happened between them that adds so much to the scene's power. Removing Joe's mother from it would make the scene even more touching.