QWhy did Martha kill her aunt?
AMartha's kitten ran down the stairs. Her aunt, who hated the cat, beat it to death with her cane. When Martha saw her beating the kitten, she grabbed the cane from her aunt's hand and hit her with it...just once...but it caused the aunt to fall down the stairs. The aunt died instantly from the fall.
QA Note Regarding Spoilers
AThe following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
QWhat is Martha's 'strange love'?
AMartha's 'strange love' refers to the neurotic love that has grown out of her feelings of emptiness. This need for love has led her to have a long series of lovers. Walter lists them off for Sam. 'a gymnasium instructor in Philadelphia with a muscle for a brain and tendency to insipid verse...a guy named Pete in Erie who smells of fish and sings...last year's greatest fullback [who] flunked [his] bar exam but...wanted to be an industrial engineer...a guy who came along to fix a tire so well [he] became a city-paid inspector.' When Sam returns to Iverstown, Martha doesn't even recognize his name at first. However, once she realizes who he is, she becomes certain that he is the one man she has always dreamed about, the one man who can fill that emptiness in her. It refers also to the 'strange love' she shares with her husband. Throughout the film, she wants only to get away from him but, when she feels betrayed by Sam, she fears that Walter will no longer stand by her.
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