Part 1: Act 2, Scene 8 Summary

Joe calls his mom from a Central Park payphone. It is four in the morning. He asks her if his father ever loved him, and he confesses that he is gay. She says his father did not love him. She is determined to forget the contents of the phone call, and complains about the fact that Joe is drunk. She says drinking is a sin, and hangs up.

Part 1: Act 2, Scene 8 Analysis

Joe's release from the responsibility of his heterosexual persona is symbolized by his drunkenness, and by the candid question he asks his mother. He seems not only to have reached a fuller self-awareness, but has also thrown off his restraint. This scene associates his mother with strict religious code and the original source of Joe's oppression.