The song Paper Doll is central to the play, and it is used in two key scenes (p.22 and p.42). Miller uses it to develop character and plot and for its symbolic qualities. But what is the song about and why did he choose to use it?
This is the original version of the song from 1943 by the Mills Brothers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2m8VZBfRYo
The song was a hit twice, once in the Second World War and then again for Frank Sinatra in the 1950’s. Perhaps Miller was interested in the sense of snatched forbidden romances that war may have offered. The inter-continental relationship of Rudolpho and Catherine may have suggested war brides and love affairs across cultures and nationalities. Perhaps though he was interested in the cool and fresh reuptation that Sinatra had in the 1950’s (yes really he once young and handsome), and was suggesting that Rudolpho had the same attractive qualities. The song has therefore romantic associations both of time but also of performer.
What might be of more interest though are the lyrics and the staging of the song:
I’m gonna buy a Paper Doll that I can call my own
A doll that other fellows cannot steal
And then the flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, flirty eyes
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real.
When I come home at night she will be waiting
She’ll be the truest doll in all this world
I’d rather have a Paper Doll to call my own
Than have a fickle minded real live girl.
I guess I had a million dolls or more
I guess I’ve played the doll game o’er and o’er
I just quarreled with Sue, that’s why I’m blue
She’s gone away and left me just like all dolls do.
I’ll tell you boys, it’s tough to be alone
And it’s tough to love a doll that’s not your own
I’m through with all of them
I’ll never fall again
Say boy, whatcha gonna do.
I’m gonna buy a Paper Doll that I can call my own
A doll that other fellows cannot steal
And then the flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, flirty eyes
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real.
When I come home at night she will be waiting
She’ll be the truest doll in all this world
I’d rather have a Paper Doll to call my own
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl.
You might notice that the lyrics are centred on the idea of possession. The singer wants a doll that other men with ‘flirty, flirty eyes’ cannot ‘steal’ whilst she waits at home. This could suggest that Rudolpho is keen to have Catherine as a wife and protect her from the unhealthy interest of Eddie. However we could equally see it from the other perspective, that Eddie wants to keep Catherine at home as his plaything, his empty headed doll, protected from Rudolpho’s attention. The lyrics seem appropriate for both characters. Whichever way we interpret it the moment where Rudolpho sings foregrounds the competition between the two men for Catherine’s love. Note that Eddie tries to block the space between them as he moves ‘upstage’ as Rudolpho sings.
What if the song is being used as something more sinister though? If you look at the lyrics it suggests that the singer is something of a lothario or playboy who has ‘played the doll game o’er and o’er’. Does this mean that singing is a seduction technique that Rudolpho has used before, and that Catherine is just the latest to fall for it? What about an even more sinister suggestion? What if the Paper Doll is really symbolic of Rudolpho’s desire for immigration papers that he can only obtain by marrying a girl (doll). Does the choice of song hint that Eddie was right all along and the love affair is being faked? After all, Catherine is dazzled by Rudolpho’s beauty from the start – it would be all too easy to exploit her wouldn’t it?
Notice that Eddie links the singing to immigration worries from the start, a move which foreshadows his telephone call later in the play. From the start he tries to silence the music of love. Notice also that the second time that the song appears Rudolpho doesn’t sing but takes Catherine in his arms instead, which leads to the boxing scene.
Whether the song is an innocent moment that signifies the start of a love affair or instead is the first part of a more sinister plot it offers us the chance to explore the depths of character, plot and symbolism that Miller has invested in the play.
prophetsandkings 