By the Bog of Symbolism
By the Bog of Cats is a play that takes place in present day Ireland. Filled with suspense and tragedy, it tells a story of a woman by the name of Hester Swane, who copes with the separation of her and her husband. Throughout the play there were significant parallels between the setting and the plot. The landscape created by the author, Marina Carr, helps shape the characters and its outcomes of the play. She uses history and tradition of the Bog, use of time of day, the dead black swan and its color contrast, as well as the caravan; in order to create and set a presence.
By the Bog of Cats, by Marina Carr takes place on a terrain of land known as the Bog. Bogs are one of the most distinctive pieces of wet lands. "its spongy ground consist mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. They are found in cooler climates that have poorly drained lakes and lake brazens" ("Ireland's Peat Bogs."). Bogs, also referred to as blanket bogs are deeply interwoven into Irish history, and have been useful in many ways. The peat found on bogs, were widely used to heat homes. They were also used for water storage. Because of the lack of drainage within bogs, rain water would be stored there, which prevents flooding. The bog also holds history; literally. Due to its denseness and many layers of turf, bogs are an excellent habitat for preserving things. A prime example of this would be a recent discovery made in 2011. The body of a man was found who is believed to be dated at 2,000 BC. The body was discovered by a peat-cutter who was working on the bog.
Marina Carr’s choice of setting that is steeped in such history was no coincidence. Just as bodies of people thousands of years old were preserved within the peat of the bog; so was By the Bog of Cats main character, Hester Swane dedication to it. Her preserved dedication to the bog and things that belonged to her on the bog was undeniable: "I'm going nowhere. This here is my house and my garden and my stretch of the Bog and no wan's runnin' me out of here. (p.9 lines 11-12). Scene two opens up with Josie singing a song in the snow barefoot and in pajamas: "By the Bog if Cats I'll stay no more a- rueing, To the Bog of Cats I will one day return. In mortal form or in ghostly form, And I will find you there and there with you sojourn. Forever By the Bog of Cats my darling one"(p.11 lines 1-6) Hester and Josie's connection with the bog has lasted longer than almost any other character in the play. This tradition of strong dedication to their homeland was passed down from generation to generation. Josie got it from her mother, Hester. Who we can safely assume was passed down from Hester's mother to her. Although very tragic and seemingly ruthless, the death of both Hester and Josie was necessary. Hester's refusal to leave the bog behind and everything on it was her downfall. Since Hester and Josie shared the same tradition, devastatingly, they shared the same fate.
Another way ambiance impacted the play was through creating Liminal Space. Liminal space is a literary element. It's the in the middle, confusion twilight zone. Setting a time as such, opens up possibility to the story and builds up anticipation for the reader. Carr introduces liminal space at the very beginning of the play. Hester is talking with somewhat of a mystical character known as the Ghost Fancier. "Ghost Fancier: (Looks around confused) is it sunrise or sunset?" (p.8 lines 16-17) He asks Hester.
"It's that hour when it could be aither dawn or dusk the light being so similar. But it's dawn, see there's the sum comin' up" (p.8 lines 20-21) She replies. "Then I'm too previous, I mistook his hour for dusk. A thousand apologies."(p.8 lines 22-23) Says the Ghost Fancier. The uncertainty of the time of day, weather it being dawn or dusk, automatically shows confusion. That did belong to the Ghost Fancier primarily, before getting clarification from Hester. But confusion now lies with Hester when the Ghost Fancier admits he has arrived too early. At this point, anticipation for the plays ending simultaneously manifests within the reader. Liminal space was not the only element that set up landscape successfully.
Note the dead black swan that Hester is dragging along in the snow during the opening of scene one. Hester Swane trails the corpse of a black swan after her, leaving a trail of blood in the snow (p.7). We find out soon into the play, when Hester speaks to Catwoman, another character in tuned with the supernatural, that Hester’s mother Big Josie intertwines the life of her daughter with the life of the black swan. Catwoman shares the story of Hester as a baby and her mother. “And when I asked her why she do a thing like that, ya know what she says, Swane means swan. That child, says Josie Swane, will live as long as the black swan, not a day more not a day less.” (p.14 lines 26-31). Big Jose’s statement was the most important part of the play. Because, Hester did not live another day past the death of “Auld Black Wing.” The black swan expired by dawn and Hester commits suicide by dusk. But to go a step further, color contrast within the opening scene was hugely influential for the way it stood out. Leaving a trail of blood in the snow (p.7). It was imperative to recognize the significance of the swan from the beginning to the very end of the play. There was a distinct difference to be visualized, between the red blood being trailed and smeared on a white canvas. The contrast of red on white was an object taken to represent an abstract idea. The white snow represented conformity. A society that was not appreciative or welcoming towards outsiders. The red represents Hester, the outsider, the one that stands out and shunned from the rest of society. “Think yees all Hester Swane with her tinker blood is getting no more than she deserves.” (p.9 lines 33-34). A tinker is an Irish traveler, also known as a gypsy, they were frowned upon, and compared to the rest of society lower in class. Having the white and red color contrast initially set up a powerful distinction between Hester, versus everyone else that resided on the Bog. It also highlights the importance of the swan to the tragic ending of Hester Swane. This has the potential to be a fabulous paragraph. Remember that you initially stated in your thesis that you’re discussing landscape. Clean this paragraph up by getting clearer on what you’re trying to say regarding Hester, the swan and landscape. The clearer you are in your mind the clearer your writing will be.
Since tinkers are typically nomadic and spend most of their time moving around, they would live in trailer homes or caravans. The caravan that Big Josie left Hester behind with was now stationary. It might have moved at one point, when Hester was younger but now it is the only place Hester feels at home. She explains in dialog with the ghost fancier: “You live in that caravan over there?” He asks. “Used to, live up the lane now. In a house though I’ve never felt at home in it.” (p.8 lines 7-9) Desperately cleaving to the caravan shows Hester’s longing for a relationship with her mother. Still holding on to the caravan gives Hester false hope of her mother’s return back to her and the Bog of Cats. But by the end of the play, that hope is lost when the reader realizes that Hester is going to kill herself. Hester stands there alone, takes a drink goes to the caravan and comes out with a knife. She tests its sharpness, teases it across her throat, shivers (p.58). Killing Josie, her own daughter, was not a way to get back at her ex-husband, it was a revelation. Big Josie was not coming back, Hester saw the dangerous cycle of pain from missing a mother, she would have perpetuated by leaving Josie behind. She herself was a victim of growing up without a mother and could empathize for Josie. Hester Kills Josie out of selfless unconditional love.
Through the use of history and tradition, liminal space, the dead swan and its color contrast, as well as the caravan; Marina Carr created a landscape that helped shape the characters within the play and its outcome. Her symbolism satisfies the reader and gives purpose to the ending of the play By the Bog of Cats.

Works sited Page
Oldest 'Bog Body' Found with Skin Intact: Discovery News." DNews:. Laura Poppick, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Liminal." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liminal>.

"Blanket Bogs." Irish Peatland Conservation Council IPCC. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ipcc.ie/a-to-z-peatlands/blanket-bogs/>.

Abbot, Pattrick. "Ireland's Peat Bogs." Ireland's Peat Bogs. Patrick Abbot, 1997. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/geography/bogs.html>.

Carr, Marina. By the Bog of Cats. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2002. Print