Heavily influenced by the Spanish Civil War , the play portrays Dolores , a mother and a wife , and her feelings as she slowly loses her husband and sons to war . The entire play is set in the house living room , which is full of ornamental pieces of war such as sabers , pistols , rifles , and monuments of colonial expeditions such as spears and shields , more closely resembling a museum than a family living room . The mother , Dolores , can communicate with her dead husband Richard , who died in what she considered a pointless battle against the natives in distant Africa , along with her son Ondra . Dolores talks with Richard the moment he dies , and Richard attempts to justify his death and insists he died in honor and duty , and in turn Dolores complains about his leaving of her and her five children . Suddenly after the communication , Andrew the oldest son and physician appears in the room ( also dead ) and tells his mother that he had lost his life in Africa attempting to cure yellow fever , and apologizes for his death in the progress of medicine . Her son George then appears in the room ( dead ) and greets his father and brothers to tell his desperate mother that he had died attempting to break the altitude record . At this moment , the news on the radio announce that the civil war in the country is growing more intense . Her sons Peter and Kornel are actively participating in this war , and later on , the two of them suddenly appear in the room to announce that both of then had died . Peter had died when he was arrested and executed by the Whites ( White Terror ) , and Kornel was shot during a street battle
White Terror
White Terror (Spain)
The Mother (Čapek play)