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Lizzie learns to value herself beyond societal pressures realizing she doesn't need to change to be loved.
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The Rainmaker: Self Worth Through Belief
Lizzie Curry: “Plain”
In "The Rainmaker", Lizzie has internalized the belief that she is undesirable and therefore lacking. She’s not married. She’s not pursued. She’s “too old.” Her brothers treat her as a problem to solve.
Society has taught her:
- A woman’s value = youth + beauty + marriage.
- If you don’t have those, something is wrong with you.
Lizzie begins the play believing she is:
- Invisible
- Unwanted
- “Plain”
- Running out of time
But the tragedy isn’t that she isn’t beautiful.
It's that she believes she isn't worth loving.
Starbuck’s Role in Her Awakening
Bill Starbuck manipulates people constantly, but with Lizzie, something different happens. He tells her she is beautiful. He insists she is desirable. He describes her as vibrant and full of life.
At first, it’s performance.
But what matters thematically isn’t whether Starbuck “means it.”
What matters is that Lizzie starts to see herself differently.
The turning point isn’t that a man validates her.
It’s that she allows herself to imagine that she might already be enough.
The play suggests:
- Beauty is not a fixed category.
- Self-worth begins internally.
- Love cannot be begged for.
By the end, Lizzie doesn’t cling to Starbuck because she needs validation.
She chooses based on self-respect. That shift is the true transformation.
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110 in the Shade: Inner Beauty Through Song
“Love, Don’t Turn Away”
This song comes early, and it reveals something crucial:
Lizzie’s insecurity didn’t start with the town.
It started with longing.
She isn’t demanding love.
She’s afraid of losing it before she’s even had it.
This tells us:
- She believes love is scarce.
- She believes she’s easily passed over.
- She assumes rejection is the default outcome.
That’s deep-rooted insecurity.
"Raunchy
“Raunchy” is a high-energy, almost carnival-like number that embodies what Lizzy thinks people want her to be.
The song represents:
- Flash
- Sensation
- Performance
- Selling an experience
Lizzy makes a spectacle of herself, because she believes she lacks spectacle.
She isn’t:
- Glamorous
- Dazzling
- Flirtatious
- Exciting
So, in a world dazzled by “Raunchy” energy, she feels even more invisible.
"Old Maid"
Then comes the branding.
The town crystallizes what she already fears:
- She is unmarried.
- She is aging.
- She is becoming invisible.
The word “old maid” functions like a verdict.
It turns private insecurity into public identity.
What’s powerful is that Lizzie doesn’t protest it.
She absorbs it.
That’s the tragedy.
The song externalizes the pressure:
- Marriage equals value.
- Youth equals desirability.
- Time equals threat.
Now her fear has a label.
“Simple Little Things”
This song is Lizzie expressing what she genuinely longs for:
- A home
- A partner
- Shared meals
- Ordinary happiness
- A steady, quiet life
She doesn’t want spectacle.
She doesn’t want glamour.
She doesn’t want excitement for excitement’s sake.
She wants belonging.
This song is crucial for the theme of inner beauty because it reveals:
Her desires are humble, sincere, and deeply human.
This simplicity is her beauty:
- She values depth over drama.
- Stability over sensation.
- Commitment over charisma.
“Simple Little Things” shows her inner life in its purest form.
“Is It Really Me?”
This is the turning point.
For the first time, Lizzie allows herself to consider the possibility that she might actually be worthy of love.
“Is It Really Me?” isn’t vanity. It’s disbelief.
Why this matters:
- She has never seen herself as desirable.
- She has never imagined someone choosing her.
- She has defined herself by rejection.
Now, she is beginning to see herself through someone else’s eyes.
And what she sees isn’t an “old maid.”
It’s a woman with depth and beauty.
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True Self-Worth & Inner Beauty
Both "The Rainmaker" and "110 in the Shade" ultimately argue:
Self-worth is not earned through:
- Youth
- Beauty
- Marriage
- Male approval
It is discovered through:
- Authenticity
- Vulnerability
- Courage
- Dignity
Lizzie doesn’t become beautiful.
She realizes she already was.
And that realization, more than the rain, is the real miracle.
PERSONAL REVIEW
Conclusion
I hope you learned something new! Check out some of my other blogs and learn more about the world of musical theatre 🙂 See you later!
