Who Wendla Bergmann is
Wendla Bergmann is a bright, warm girl growing up in a small German town. Her questions help open a play about young people whose bodies and minds are changing. While her mother wants her to wear a longer dress, Wendla clings to her short childhood frock.
What Wendla Bergmann wants
Wendla wants to understand her own body and the world around her. She asks her mother where babies come from, seeking an answer that her mother cannot bring herself to give. The muddled reply leaves Wendla without the knowledge she is asking for.
Wendla Bergmann and the others in the story
Mrs. Bergmann loves Wendla and wants to protect her, but treats ignorance as a form of safety. Their conversation shows how affection can exist alongside a failure to offer honest guidance. Through this relationship, the play makes the cost of adult silence personal.
Questions
Who is Wendla Bergmann?
Wendla Bergmann is a fourteen-year-old girl whose curiosity brings the play's adult silence into view.
What does Wendla want to know?
She wants truthful information about her body, including where babies come from.
Does Wendla's mother care about her?
Yes, Mrs. Bergmann loves her daughter and hopes to protect her. Her anxiety nevertheless prevents her from answering Wendla's questions plainly.
