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The Ghost and Mrs. Muir · 1947 — 第 7 / 18 章 · 4'16" · B2

In-Laws Come to Take Lucy Home, Explained：bats in the belfry

Lucy's in-laws arrive with bad news—her income is gone—and a solution: come home and live with them. On the surface it's family concern; underneath it's a power grab over a widow who has finally chosen a life of her own. "I'll manage somehow," she says, and sends them off.

あらすじ

Lucy's mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Eva, show up unannounced at Gull Cottage. They mock the room and the portrait, then break the news: the gold mine that paid Lucy's bills has petered out and the dividends have stopped. They expect her to move back with them. Instead, Lucy thanks them and refuses.

ArgumentsSaying noPersuadingB2fastamerican
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

keelhaulget rid ofpeter outcharitable

00:00 / 04:16
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  32. ❝ 独白The mother's bad-news build-up4 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

bats in the belfry

slightly crazy

The captain mimics the in-laws, teasing Lucy that they take her talking to herself for madness.

She thinks anyone who talks to plants has bats in the belfry.

このシーンの他の表現

  • keelhaul

    an old brutal punishment

  • get rid of

    to remove or dispose of

  • peter out

    faded away, ran out

  • charitable

    generous in judgment

  • shove off

    go away, push off

このシーンのメモ一覧

88 行のセリフに 26 件のメモ

スラング · B2blasted

damned — Mild cursing, dated and informal.

My blasted in-laws!
表現 · B1no fear

certainly not

No fear. They can't see me or hear me unless I choose that they should.
発音can't see me

The t in can't nearly disappears and see me links.

No fear. They can't see me or hear me unless I choose that they should.
表現 · B1get rid of something

to remove or dispose of

With unwelcome guests at the door, Lucy whispers that she will send them away herself.

Oh, then please don't choose. I'll get rid of them.
スラング · C1keelhaul

an old sea punishment — Old sea slang used as a joking threat.

Say the word, and I'll keelhaul them.
表現 · A2live with someone

share a home with

You never liked to look at the stars when you lived with us.
表現 · B2steer clear of something

avoid, keep away from

Anyone with a face like yours, madam, should steer clear of expressing such opinions.
表現 · B2merely to do something

only in order to

I'm sure you didn't come here merely to criticize the decorations.
表現 · B1be all for the best

the best outcome in the end

The in-laws spin their bad news as good, claiming it is best for Lucy.

I suppose it's all for the best, everything considered.
表現 · A2in my opinion

as I see it

And in my opinion, we're just in time.
表現 · B1pay dividends

pay out profits here dividends are the literal mine payouts, not the idiom

They've stopped paying dividends.
スラング · C1Avast

stop, hold fast — An old nautical command, now mostly for effect.

Avast now.
表現 · B1make a scene

cause a public fuss

Don't make a scene in front of these swabs.
スラング · B2swabs

fools, nobodies — A sailor's contemptuous word for nobodies.

Don't make a scene in front of these swabs.
スラング · C1caterwauling

a loud wailing noise — Derogatory for shrill wailing; avoid to someone's face.

Make her stop that eternal caterwauling or I will take a hand!
文法 · B1I could explain, I suppose, but

parenthetical: I suppose is dropped into the middle as a soft aside.

Well, I could explain, I suppose, but you wouldn't believe me.
表現 · B2prey on someone's mind

weigh on someone's mind

The only charitable explanation is that the solitude has preyed on your mind.
文法 · B2is that the solitude has preyed on your mind

predicative clause: The that-clause after is serves as the predicate, naming the explanation.

The only charitable explanation is that the solitude has preyed on your mind.
発音preyed on

Run preyed on together as one sound.

The only charitable explanation is that the solitude has preyed on your mind.
表現 · B1now that ...

since, given that

Naturally. It was idiotic to take it in the first place, and now that you're a pauper, how can you possibly stay?
文法 · B2now that you're a pauper

now-that clause: Now that introduces the new situation that drives the question.

Naturally. It was idiotic to take it in the first place, and now that you're a pauper, how can you possibly stay?
表現 · A2think of something

come up with a plan

We'll think of something.
文法 · B1very kind of you to want me back

of someone to do: Of you marks the person being praised, not the act alone.

I'm sorry. It's very kind of you to want me back, but I'm going to stay. I'll manage somehow.
表現 · B1shove off

go away, push off

Having been polite all along, Lucy finally tells the in-laws to leave.

So, please be good enough to shove off.
発音good enough to

Link good enough and weaken to into a schwa.

So, please be good enough to shove off.
表現 · B2have nothing more to do with someone

cut all ties with

Very well. You're obviously insane, and I for one want nothing more to do with you.

「In-Laws Come to Take Lucy Home」を読み解く

What's really going on

The money is only the pretext. The in-laws have never accepted Lucy living alone, and the lost dividend gives them the excuse they wanted: she cannot afford independence, so she must come home. Captain Gregg, invisible to them, keeps needling from the side—"Don't do it, Lucy"—and even threatens to throw them out. But the decision stays Lucy's. Her answer is polite and absolute: "It's very kind of you to want me back, but I'm going to stay." The scene measures how far she has come: she will risk losing her last safety net rather than be managed again.

Theme

Family conflictLucy's in-laws use money and 'concern' to pull her back under their control, and she refuses.
MoneyThe lost dividend is the lever: once Lucy is poor, the family assumes she has no choice but to obey.

このチャプターで学べること

  • A courteous exit line can cut harder than an insult.
  • Bad news is dressed as kindness to wear her down.
  • The in-laws speak in pairs, one softening, one pressing.
  • The ghost never appears, yet wins the whole scene.

発音のポイント

  • can't see me — The t in can't nearly disappears and see me links.
  • preyed on — Run preyed on together as one sound.
  • good enough to — Link good enough and weaken to into a schwa.
Say the word, and I'll keelhaul them.

Gregg's mock threat: the moment Lucy gives permission, he'll punish the in-laws. 'Keelhaul' is nautical torture, so the offer is both loyal and absurd.

Well, I could explain, I suppose, but you wouldn't believe me.

Lucy's answer to 'who were you talking to?' She can't name a ghost, so she deflects—and admits, honestly, that the truth would sound insane to them.

The only charitable explanation is that the solitude has preyed on your mind.

A verdict on Lucy: calling it the 'only charitable explanation' sounds generous, but it declares her unstable and unfit to decide for herself.

I'm sorry. It's very kind of you to want me back, but I'm going to stay. I'll manage somehow.

Lucy's refusal, wrapped in perfect manners. She thanks them, rejects their plan, and promises to cope alone—which is exactly what they don't want to hear.

So, please be good enough to shove off.

The polite goodbye that ends the visit. 'Be good enough' keeps the surface courteous while 'shove off' makes the order unmistakable.

このシーンについての質問

Why do the in-laws want Lucy to move back home?

Her income has collapsed—the mine 'petered out' and stopped paying dividends—so they insist she can't afford to live alone and must come back with them.

Is Lucy actually going broke?

Yes—her dividends have stopped, which is why the family treats her as a 'pauper.' She admits she'll have to manage somehow, but she still refuses to give up the house.

Who is the voice the in-laws hear?

Captain Gregg, the ghost of Gull Cottage. Only Lucy can see and hear him, and he keeps taunting the visitors—making them think Lucy is talking to herself.

Why does Captain Gregg threaten to 'keelhaul' them?

He can't stand the in-laws bullying Lucy. 'Keelhaul' is pirate talk for a brutal punishment, so it's a joke-threat—but it also shows how fiercely he takes her side.

Does Lucy keep the house after this?

At this point she stays, and the family leaves angry. The film later explains how she manages to keep the house—her refusal here is the first step.

幽霊と未亡人 · 全 18 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 8 章throw yourself atCaptain Gregg Dictates His Memoirs
第 1 章come crawling backLucy Leaves Her In-Laws' House第 2 章be the judge ofLucy Insists on Gull Cottage第 3 章obstinateLucy Rents the Haunted House第 4 章spunkLucy Meets Captain Gregg's Ghost第 5 章make a bargainGregg Strikes a Bargain with Lucy第 6 章as it isLucy Tells the Captain About Edwin再生中 · 第 7 章bats in the belfryIn-Laws Come to Take Lucy Home第 8 章throw yourself atCaptain Gregg Dictates His Memoirs第 9 章unvarnishedLucy Writes Captain Gregg's Memoir第 10 章wouldn't dream ofGregg Dictates His Last Chapter第 11 章cooped upCaptain Gregg Tells Lucy to Move On第 12 章unvarnishedLucy Barges In on a Publisher第 13 章a weakness forLucy Meets Miles in a Cab第 14 章today of all daysCaptain Gregg Gets Jealous第 15 章promise you the moonCaptain Gregg Says Goodbye to Lucy第 16 章what possessed meMrs. Muir's Book Becomes a Success第 17 章take my breath awayAnna Brings Home a Fiance第 18 章hopelessly in loveAnna and Lucy Talk About the Captain
第 7 / 18 章 · 残り約 33 分