6. The three sisters are sitting and talking in the backyard gazebo, and Ivy reveals to Barbara and Karen that she is in a relationship with Little Charles. Why do Barbara and Karen object to this union?
From Quiz August: Osage County
Answer:
Because Little Charles and Ivy are first cousins
Little Charles had a 'truth' to tell during the funeral dinner, but he backed down at Ivy's insistence, arousing Barbara's suspicions. "Is there something going on between you and Little Charles?" she asks Ivy. "Because he is our first cousin, you know." Ivy is dismissive, and when Karen remarks that she shouldn't consider having children with him, Ivy reveals that she can't have children because she had a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with cervical cancer the previous year. Ivy only confided in Little Charles about her condition (she didn't want to give her mother yet another reason to treat her like "some damaged thing"), and that was when they started seeing each other.
Karen and Barbara were unaware of Ivy's illness, and they criticize her for keeping them in the dark. "We're your sisters," Barbara points out. "I don't feel that connection very keenly," Ivy replies. "I can't perpetuate these myths of family or sisterhood anymore. We're just people, some of us accidentally connected by genetics, a random selection of cells." When Barbara asks Ivy what happened to make her so cynical, Ivy replies, "Maybe my cynicism came with the realization that the responsibility of caring for our parents was mine alone." Barbara starts to protest the unfairness of that comment, but Ivy makes it clear that she isn't criticizing Barbara or Karen, and intends to follow their example. "When I leave here I won't feel any more guilty than you two did," she says, revealing that she and Little Charles are moving to New York. When Karen confirms that she is going back to Florida, Ivy turns to Barbara. "You want to know what we're doing about Mom? Karen and I are leaving. You want to stay, that's your decision. But nobody gets to point a finger at me," she says, as she starts back for the house.