What are some themes of Arsenic and Old Lace?

Answer 1

the connundrum of that which is living death (First answer above) (Second answer below) I cannot remember what the book was like, having read it so many years ago, but I have seen the cute movie starring Cary Grant a couple of times in the past 2 or 3 years, and I think they were pretty careful to get the book and movie the same. I don't remember anything about a "connundrum of that which is living death". Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) has just discovered that his two darling, elderly aunts are protecting their brother, whom they call Teddy Roosevelt, from being caught by the police for murdering the elderly man who lived in their Boarding House. As the plot thickens and another homicidal Brewster (Jonathan, the jailbird criminal of the family) with a dead body of his own to dispose of shows up, Mortimer learns the truth of the situation at home. His lovely aunts mercifully and lovingly help elderly old men die peacefully and quietly at their house (with arsenic in the elderberry wine). Then, Teddy has to take the man down into the cellar to bury them. (Teddy would never have helped them if he didn't believe the men were victims of yellow fever while working on the Panama Canal, located in the basement), and they had to be buried in one of the canal locks to prevent the disease from spreading. Wicked Jonathan has brought his friend and doctor with him, and they planned to bury the detective they had murdered in the basement, then take over the Boarding House. The Aunts would be killed or kept quiet upstairs. Clearly, Mortimer had to go! Mercifully, Mortimer is able to overpower Jonathan and get control of the situation. The police are brought in and all is well. Except..... Here is what I think is the central issue of this story--Genetics! And whether there is a specific gene that determines whether a person will grow up to be a criminal, a killer, a homicidal maniac! Mortimer is engaged to be married at the start of the movie, and his fiance pops in and out of the house throughout the story. Mortimer has been trying to keep her from finding out what is going on while he has been trying to get his Uncle Teddy committed to an asylum, adding the sweet old sisters to the list of being committed, then trying to keep all of them alive as evil Jonathan has to be dealt with. He is terrified of marrying anyone at the end of the movie, because he fears he carries a horrible, homicidal genetic code that he would never want to spread to anyone else! Getting married and having children is out of the question! And then he learns the truth. As the dear old things are being led out of the house to an asylum, they stop to tell Mortimer that he was adopted when he was a very young child. Cary Grant carries off this movie beautifully! His facial expressions and comical movements throughout kept me laughing all the way to the end. It should be rated G, if not already, and everyone should watch it. It is an American treasure, and should be viewed by all!

Answer 2

Some themes of "Arsenic and Old Lace" include insanity, family secrets, morality, and the blurring of truth and fiction. The play explores how far people will go to protect their loved ones and the consequences of hiding dark deeds.

Answer 3

" the men explain how charitable aunt Abby and Aunt Martha are"