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Mother's Day Class 11: Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald

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EnglishCBSE Class 11 · Mother's Day

Mother's Day (J. B. Priestley): Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family, Class 11

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Mother's Day, Mrs Pearson is a kind but over-indulgent mother whom her husband and children treat like a servant. Her neighbour Mrs Fitzgerald swaps personalities with her and, in Mrs Pearson's body, refuses every demand, shocking the family into respect. Mrs Pearson then learns to stay firm, and the family returns humbled.

Notice how Mrs Fitzgerald's firm refusals in Mrs Pearson's body turn a family of demanding takers into a humbled, respectful one.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family

Mrs Pearson at the start. She is pleasant but worried and cannot say no. She does everything for George, Doris and Cyril, and they take her for granted. She agrees with Mrs Fitzgerald that she spoils them but cannot confront them.

Mrs Fitzgerald. She is strong, bold and fortune-telling, with tricks learnt "out East". She urges her neighbour to "put your foot down" and offers to do it for her by swapping personalities. In Mrs Pearson's body she smokes, plays patience, refuses to make tea or iron Doris's dress, mocks Charlie Spence, and tells George that the club calls him "Pompy-ompy Pearson". She also demands a forty-hour week.

The family. George is slow and pompous, Doris and Cyril are spoilt. The shock of seeing the mother change makes them anxious and humble.

Resolution. The real Mrs Pearson insists on changing back. Mrs Fitzgerald warns her not to go soft, explain or apologise. Mrs Pearson proposes a family game of rummy, the children will get supper, and everyone agrees eagerly.

Genre. It is a satirical one-act comedy that uses fantasy to make a serious point about how mothers are valued at home. Neighbouring topics (summary and drama as a medium) are on the chapter page.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

  • Put your foot down, once an' for all

    Mrs Fitzgerald: Advising Mrs Pearson.

    Sets up the lesson of assertion.

  • They call you Pompy-ompy Pearson

    Mrs Fitzgerald: Speaking as Mrs Pearson to George.

    Shows how the family is shocked into humility.

  • Sometimes it does people good to have their feelings hurt.

    Mrs Fitzgerald: Near the end.

    States the play's lesson on self-respect.

Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family: key facts

Plot movement
  • Complaint
  • Swap
  • Shock
  • Change back
  • Firm stand
Five stages of the play.
Character answer
  • Trait
  • Action
  • What it shows
Use for Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald.
Message
  • Respect
  • Assertion
  • Balance
Mothers deserve respect; assertion should be gentle but firm.

How to answer Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family questions

Use this for any question on a character or the message of the play.

  1. 1Name the character and her role in one line.
  2. 2Give two actions or lines from the play.
  3. 3Explain what they show.
  4. 4Link to the status of the mother in the family.
  5. 5End with how the play resolves.

Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

The unthanked helper

Suppose a woman packs lunches, irons uniforms and fixes everyone's schedule at home, and one day she fails to do so. The family realises how much depends on her.

What lesson of the play does this match?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Her work is taken for granted.
  2. When she stops, everyone notices.
  3. The family learns respect.

Answer: It matches the play's lesson that a mother's work is valuable and must be respected, a lesson the family learns only when Mrs Pearson stops serving them.

Memory hook: Notice before it stops.

Tricks to remember Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • S-S-S-F

    Swap, Shock, Stand, Family changed.

    Use it when: Order of events.

  • Foot down

    Put your foot down.

    Use it when: Mrs Fitzgerald's advice.

Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Who is the fortune-teller · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

In the play, the fortune-teller who learnt her tricks "out East" is
(a) Mrs Pearson (b) Mrs Fitzgerald (c) Doris (d) Charlie Spence

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It is Mrs Fitzgerald, the neighbour (1 mark).

Answer: (b)

Example 2: Why Mrs Pearson cannot refuse · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Why is Mrs Pearson unable to stand up to her family at the start? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. She is kind and over-indulgent (1).
  2. She spoils them (1).
  3. She cannot bring herself to confront them (1).

Answer: Mrs Pearson is pleasant and over-indulgent, so she has spoilt her husband and children. She knows this but cannot confront them, so she is treated like a servant until Mrs Fitzgerald offers to help.

Example 3: The Pompy-ompy remark · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why does Mrs Fitzgerald, in Mrs Pearson's body, tell George that the club calls him "Pompy-ompy Pearson"? (40-50 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. To deflate his pomposity (1).
  2. To make him see how others see him (1).
  3. Shows the effect on the family (1).

Answer: She says it to deflate George's pomposity and make him see how others see him. Hearing it from his wife, and with Cyril confirming it, crushes him and shows that the family can no longer take Mrs Pearson for granted.

Example 4: Status of the mother · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Is the play's picture of how Mrs Pearson is treated exaggerated or genuine? Argue in 120-150 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Examples of neglect (2).
  2. Exaggeration by comedy (1).
  3. Genuine truth beneath it (2).
  4. Conclusion (1).

Answer: The play exaggerates for comic effect, but its core is genuine. Doris expects her silk dress to be ironed without thanks, Cyril expects tea and mending, and George goes off to the club without a thought for his wife. A magic swap of personalities is of course a fantasy, and the family's swift humility is comic. Mrs Pearson's own readiness to serve them, and the family's shock at being refused, are also played for laughs. But the idea that a mother's endless work is treated as duty and not valued is true to many homes. Priestley uses exaggeration to make the audience laugh and then reflect. The play is therefore a gentle satire with a real point about respect for mothers, and its ending suggests that firmness and fairness can change a household.

Example 5: Assess the advice · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Mrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson not to "go soft". Is this good advice? Give a balanced view. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Why firmness helps (1).
  2. The risk of harshness (1).
  3. Judgement (1).

Answer: Partly. Firmness is needed because the family has long taken Mrs Pearson for granted, and softness would undo the lesson. But Mrs Fitzgerald's methods are harsh, so the best course is to be firm and kind together.

Where students lose marks in Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Treating Mrs Fitzgerald as the real mother

    Identity confusion.

    Wrong working

    Mrs Pearson refused to iron the dress.

    Right working

    Mrs Fitzgerald, in Mrs Pearson's body, refused.

    Do this: Say "in Mrs Pearson's body".

    Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.

  • Mistake: No message

    The long answer needs the theme.

    Wrong working

    The family is shocked.

    Right working

    The play shows that a mother deserves respect.

    Do this: End with the theme.

    Usually costs: 2 marks of 6.

  • Mistake: Calling the play tragic

    It is a comedy.

    Wrong working

    The play is a tragedy.

    Right working

    It is a satirical one-act comedy.

    Do this: Use "comedy" and "satire".

    Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.

Exam tips

  • Name the genre: one-act satirical comedy.
  • Say "in Mrs Pearson's body" for the swap scenes.
  • Quote "put your foot down" and "Pompy-ompy Pearson".
  • End with the message about respect for the mother.
  • Keep a 3-mark answer to 40-50 words and a 6-mark answer to 120-150 words.

Practice questions on Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Who are the children in the Pearson family?
    (a) Doris and Cyril (b) Doris and Charlie (c) Annie and George (d) Cyril and George

    Hint

    Grown-up and spoilt.

    Answer

    (a)

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What does Doris ask her "mother" to do, and how does she react? (40-50 words)

    Hint

    Think of the yellow silk.

    Answer

    Doris demands that her yellow silk dress be ironed for a date with Charlie Spence. Her "mother" refuses, calls Charlie unflattering names and reduces Doris to tears. Doris is shocked, because her mother has never refused her before, and she is left upset and bewildered by the change.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What does Mrs Fitzgerald warn Mrs Pearson against after they change back, and why? (40-50 words)

    Hint

    Think of the family slipping back.

    Answer

    Mrs Fitzgerald warns her not to go soft, explain or apologise. If she does, the family will slip back into their old habits and the lesson will be lost, so she must stay firm and let them see that she expects respect and help.

  4. Q4 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Write a character sketch of Mrs Fitzgerald. (120-150 words)

    Hint

    Mention fortune-telling, boldness and her plan.

    Answer

    Mrs Fitzgerald is a bold, outspoken neighbour who tells fortunes and learnt her tricks out East. She quickly sees that Mrs Pearson is treated like a servant and urges her to put her foot down. When Mrs Pearson cannot, she offers to do it herself by swapping personalities. In Mrs Pearson's body she smokes, drinks stout, refuses to make tea or iron a dress and tells George the club calls him Pompy-ompy Pearson. She even says she has joined the movement and demands a forty-hour week. She is blunt and forceful, and her plan works, though her methods are harsh. Yet she cares about Mrs Pearson, and at the end she warns her not to explain or apologise. She stands for assertion and common sense, and her advice finally earns respect for the mother.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Do you think a play is a better medium than an essay to convey this message? Why? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Think of humour and action.

    Answer

    Yes, a play shows the family's reactions and uses humour to make the audience reflect. An essay would explain the problem, but the play lets us see it, so the lesson reaches the audience more strongly.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who wrote Mother's Day?Show answer

    J. B. Priestley.

  2. 2.What is the husband's name?Show answer

    George Pearson.

  3. 3.What are the grown-up children called?Show answer

    Doris and Cyril.

  4. 4.What does the club call George?Show answer

    Pompy-ompy Pearson.

  5. 5.What game does Mrs Pearson propose at the end?Show answer

    Rummy.

Mother's Day: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald and the Family: frequently asked questions

What is the message of the play?

A mother deserves respect, and she must be firm to get it.

Is the play serious?

It is a humorous satire with a serious point.

What device drives the plot?

A spell that swaps the two women's personalities.