"Sorry, Wrong Number" Study Guide

Plot and Plot structure:

'Sorry, Wrong Number' is a play written by Lucille Fletcher. The main character is Mrs. Stevenson, an invalid, who has been attempting to get in touch with her husband, who is working late. However, the line is busy, and she ends up overhearing a phone conversation between a killer named George and his boss. They are discussing the specifics of a pending murder of a woman at 11:15 p.m. that same night. 

Plot:

Mrs. Stevenson attempts to get the call traced. The operator urges her to contact the police, which she does. The police can only say they will check into things. Mrs. Stevenson then learns that her husband will not be home that evening. She realizes that she is the intended murder victim.

She desperately tries to get back in touch with the police, but she is too late. The murderer is already in the house and listening in on the call. Just before she is connected to the police, Mrs. Stevenson is murdered.

MRS. STEVENSON

-Upset

-panicked

-Imperious or demanding

-bad-tempered

-querulous

-annoying

SGT. DUFFY

-disinterested

-apathetic

-unconcerned

-bland

Characters and Characterization:

1.Sergeant Duffy-The disinterested and apathetic Sergeant Duffy heads up the night shift at Precinct 43. He speaks by phone to Mrs. Stevenson.

2.George-A contract killer who harbors no remorse for his victims.

3.Hospital Receptionist Seeking medical assistance and company for the night, Mrs.Stevenson gets in touch with the hospital receptionist at Henchley Hospital.

4.Elbridge Stevenson-Mentioned but never seen, Elbridge Stevenson is the husband of Mrs. Stevenson and the suspected mastermind behind the murder.

5.Mrs. Stevenson-is an "invalid" who is bed-ridden due to an unspecified illness or condition. She referred to as a querulous, self-centered neurotic.Throughout the course of the radio play, Mrs.Stevenson grows more and more agitated, demanding, and panicked.

Setting:

New York New York is the city in which the play is set. It is the location of the Queensboro Bridge, Mrs. Stevenson's bedroom, Murray Hill, and Second Avenue.

Theme:

1. Mystery-is a dominant theme in the play.

2. Terror-a underlying theme in the story. Terror in the story revolves around the character of Mrs. Stevenson.

Suspense and atmosphere:

The tension begins to build right from the start as we find an invalid lady home alone late in the evening trying to reach her husband on the phone but getting only busy signals. It cranks up

another notch when she overhears the murder plot and from there it just never stops. As Mrs. Stevenson gradually pieces together what’s happening, and her mood becomes more and more frantic, the suspense builds and builds to a shattering conclusion.

Conflict:

Conflict is portrayed when the character, Mrs. Stevenson, is struggling with herself. When Mrs Stevenson heard the sound of the phone receiver being lifted on the same extension line as her, “(Click of receiver being put down on Mrs.Stevenson’s line)” She was attempting to get help from the Operator yet the Operator was not bothering about her at all. She is scared, thinking that if she does not pick it up, if she does not let

them hear her and she is quiet, they would not realize that she is there and eventually they’ll leave her house.