Petrusso is afreelance writer and screenwriter. In this essay, she discusses the spectrum of women's morality in The House of Blue Leaves, and how this relates to the play's larger purpose.

Much of the critical attention paid to John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves focuses on the character of Artie Shaughnessy. Artie desperately wants to escape his life in Queens and longs for fame. Unfortunately, he is unrealistic about his life and his chances for success.

Although many critics note that Bunny Flingus, his mistress, pushes Artie to revive his career and that Bananas Shaughnessy, his wife, impedes Artie's efforts, the spectrum of female characters is rarely analyzed on its own. Each of the female characters, two major (Bunny and Bananas) and two minor (Corrinna Stroller and the Little Nun), works to a specific end.

Bunny and Bananas are opposite ends of the spectrum. Bunny's life...