Aunt Catherine's Lament

In 1955, Marty won four Oscars. In one particularly moving scene, Marty's Aunt Catherine, while visiting with her sister (Marty's mother), reflects on her life after her husband is gone and her children have grown:
"So I'm an old garbage bag put in the street, huh?... These are the worst years, I tell you. It's going to happen to you. I'm afraid to look in a mirror. I'm afraid I'm gonna see an old lady with white hair, just like the old ladies in the park with little bundles and black shawls waiting for the coffin. I'm fifty-six years old. And what am I gonna do with myself? I've got strength in my hands. I want to clean. I want to cook. I want to make dinner for my children. Am I an old dog to lay near the fire till my eyes close? These are terrible years, Theresa, terrible years... It's gonna happen to you. It's gonna happen to you! What are you gonna do if Marty gets married? Huh? What are you gonna cook? Where's all the children playing in all the rooms? Where's the noise? It's a curse to be a widow, a curse! What are you gonna do if Marty gets married? What are you gonna do?"

Marty. Dir. Delbert Mann. Perf. Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, and Augusta Ciolli. Hecht-Lancaster Productions, 1955. Film.