Tin Man

In 1950, Dora Judd and her husband Leonard attend an event three weeks before Christmas at the Community Center. Dora does not want to socialize with her husband, and she is relieved when Mrs. Powys approaches her with raffle tickets and tells Dora about the prizes. Suddenly, Dora’s attention is caught by a reproduction of Van Gogh’s famous painting of sunflowers; she once saw the painting itself when she was a teenager. She remembers loving the painting, which evoked a sense of freedom and beauty within her. She spontaneously buys a raffle ticket.

Dora’s ticket is picked first, and although Leonard calls for her to choose the prized bottle of whisky, she chooses the painting instead. Leonard is angry with Dora, and, on the bus ride to their house, they sit apart, in silence. When they return home, Leonard disappears while Dora hangs the painting and admires it. Suddenly, Leonard storms into the room, moving to take the painting from the wall. Dora wields the hammer that she used to hang the painting and moves to protect it. She tells Leonard she will kill him if he takes the painting down. Demanding that he leave it be, she declares that she will move into the spare bedroom.