Character Bible

We have been asked to complete a character bible based on a scenario of our choice. We have chosen to base our character bibles on the scenario of 'A family dinner in World War 2, where a young woman has brought her GI boyfriend home to meet her family. Characters may include: young woman (18), GI (21), Mother (42), Father (50) and little brother (12).'

I will be completing a character bible based on the Mother.

Mother (Mary Smith)
To help with my character bible of the mother, I will be doing some research into mother's during the second world war and how they were generally at that time. BBC have a section on their website with archives and diaries from WW2 which I will be using to help me with my research. This is a very helpful resource due to it being a completely true archive with no manipulation to any stories or events. 

BBC History
History Learning Site

Characterisation is what people see on the outside of a character. Their physical appearance, first impressions & general surface details. 
Character is based on what they do - their personality, reactions to situations etc. 

Mother Characterisation 

Mary Smith lived in a large house just outside London with her 2 children and husband. Due to to the war and loss of many jobs, she was currently a 'house wife'. On the outside, Mary was a very presentable woman. She would always have her hair in the same style, out of her face and well groomed. Mary would always wear the same earrings and pearl necklace because she knew her husband loved them. Her lips always had a dark shade of lipstick - she would leave a mark on every cup she drunk from. She looked like a high class woman due to the fact that her clothes were so well kept and of a high standard. Mary was always smiling and making the most out of situations.

Women During WW2
Image

Mother Character
Mary seemed to put her children and husband first - she was protective over her children due to the war and her mothering instincts. She would always make sure that there was food on the table when her husband got home from work which shows that she cares for him and makes sure to keep him happy. Her relationship with her husband was good, most of the time. However, they weren't perfect due to stress of war, work and family. Mary was very giving and rarely took things for herself showing that she's a very selfless person. 

Mary started off working in a factory during the war, however, found it very difficult, as many other women, to keep up with the chores of the house as well as the long hours at the factory. She had featured on a couple of propaganda posters due to her good looks however still didn't get paid a large amount for them. Even though she wasn't getting a big sum of money for doing this, she still felt like she was doing her part for war which boosted her self esteem. 

Due to the fact that Mary was a very protective mother, she wasn't very happy with her daughter dating a GI. It was known that many people result in marrying GI's and Mary didn't want her little girl to move away from home. She was also worried that her daughter would get hurt because she was still young and the GI was 3 years older than her. However, she was happy that her daughter had found someone she loved so had to keep her opinions to herself.