Essay Questions

Why does Harlan kill himself?

Ultimately, Harlan kills himself for two reasons: 1) to protect Marta and 2) to prevent himself from suffering because of a narcotics overdose.

After the two get done with a rowdy board game, Marta enthusiastically asks Harlan if "[he] wants to get high." Harlan agrees and Marta administers both his medication and Morphine - or so she thought. In fact, Marta had, in her mind, accidentally administered Harlan an overdose of Morphine. Realizing that he would would be dead in minutes (and die what was likely to be an agonizing death, something which he wished to avoid) and that Martha's mother would be deported because she was an illegal alien, Harlan decided to commit suicide to not only protect Marta's mother, but her nursing license.

What leverage do the Thrombeys have over Marta?

Quite simply, the Thrombeys had Marta's mother to use as leverage over her in hopes to get the money and property Harlan had left Marta in her will back. Because Marta's mother was an illegal immigrant, the Thrombeys could threaten to report her to ICE, ensuring a swift deportation to her home country, something that Marta obviously did not want.