Barefoot In The Park

“Mothers, friends, relatives, mothers. I mean no one just ‘pops’ in on you when they have to climb five flights.” 

In this conversation between the telephone repairman and Corie, the repairman is incredulous that shechooses to live in an apartment with so many stairs. She explains that she loves the apartment, adding that “it does discourage people” (8) meaning she likes the idea of not being easily accessible to anyone other than her husband. Her unwillingness to listen to others and her tendency to act on impulse are foreshadowed in this early line; her mother later notes that Corie did not seek her mother’s advice before getting married. This dialogue also demonstrates Corie’s need for balance. The idea of being inaccessible to her mother appeals to Corie, but by the end of the play, she will desperately need her mother’s advice.

“CORIE. I prefer it this way. It’s a medical fact, you know, that steam is very bad for you.

MAN. Yeah? In February?” 

The telephone repairman, Harry Pepper, has commented on how cold the apartment is. A deliveryman has just delivered wedding gifts from Ethel, and the telephone repairman says that he hopes one of them is an electric heater. Corie’s line demonstrates her tendency to see the positive and her sense of adventure in difficult situations. The telephone repairman’s response highlights that Corie’s approach can also be impractical.