The relationship between the mother and child in the play is also very interesting. There is a great comparison between the relationship of Mrs. Johnstone and Mickey, and Mrs. Lyons and Edward. Mrs. Johnstone and Mickeys relationship is very close and understanding even though Mrs. Johnstone hasn’t actually spent a lot of time with Mickey with her work, they have quite a close intimate relationship where they understand each other, when it comes to the real matter. This is demonstrated, when Linda gets pregnant and Mickey talks to her about it and asks Mrs. Johnstone if they can stay in Mrs. Johnstones house. She responses in an understanding and considerate way.
Mrs.Johnstone: ” At you, some hypocrite I’d be. No…I’m not mad son………you’ve not had much of a life with me, have y’? Mickey: “Don’t be stupid, course I have. You’re great, you are, Mam….” With the relationship between Mrs. Lyons and Edward, even though Mrs.Lyons really loved Edward and cared for him a lot, he had never actually loved her back in the same way. “If you loved me you’d let me go out with Mickey because he’s my best friend. I like him more than you.”
This is one of the parts to the play that might appeal to some people as it does still happen, and it is also a very interesting fact to see that Mickey and Mrs.Johnstone have a closer relationship with each other, even though they don’t spend a large amount of time with each other. Whereas, with Mrs. Lyons and Edward, there is a weaker relationship, even though Mrs.Lyons has spent a large amount of time with Edward.
The narrator plays a very important role in the play. He brings back the reality side of the story and gives us the questions that will make the audience think about the play. He always attends in the shadows and gives the audience the vital background pieces of information. He gives voice to the characters inner feeling and emotions. It is through him in which the audience can understand the good and evil in the characters. This is similar to the Greek tragedies. In those plays the chorus gave the vital piece of information that was needed for the audience to understand the characters feelings. An example of the use of the narrator is when, Linda is in the situation where she is not sure if she should phone Edward to talk to him or not.
“There’s a girl inside a women Who’s waiting to get free Shes’s washed a million dishes She’s always making tea.” The repetition of themes in the story carries on another theme. ‘All actions have consequences and fate never leaves you alone’ This is a theme that may interest peoples opinions, as people are often encountered with decision making and acting accordingly to their situations. A mixture of religion and culture also adds to the belief in fate and consequences that people may or may not wish to believe in. Some of the things in the play that follow this statement are the attachment of Mrs.Lyons to Edward that in the end becomes a cause to his death.
There are powerful relationships that are made with the audience to the characters that enables the audience to be able to relate to the matters that the characters are put under. The eternal love triangle that is build between Linda , Mickey and Eddi form an unusual pattern where there are lots of different types of explainable and unexplainable types of love. The love between Linda and Eddi, shows a clear eros type love. The love between Mickey and Eddi is phillia. The love between Eddi and Linda are quite different as Eddi had different feelings towards Linda, as to what she had back to him.
There is also a neurotic fear that is developed through Mrs.Lyons, as a result of her suspicion and lack of trust and self-confidence in herself. This leads to her being persuaded into killing Mrs.Johnstone. ” I curse the day I met you, you ruined me” There are still a lot of people that are destroyed because of their lack of trust in someone that they ruin it for themselves in our society. This relates to those who find these subjects matter. There is also the symbolization of guns leading to violence since the childhood of the children. The guns started with the pretend guns that were used by Mickey to kill the Indians.
“……desultory. Shoots down a few imaginary Indians…..” The gun symbolises the incense and fun of childhood at this stage. The gun then progresses on to become an “air-gun”, that Sammy has which they use to shoot the “thing of Peter pans statue in the park”. This then further advances into the gun that is used in the robbery and then to its last and final development, the gun is used as the weapon that inadvertedly kills Edward and Mickey. The gun is hidden in the floor boards by Sammy, along with the hidden desperation. When Mickey takes it out he finally takes out all his desperation, it outlines his feelings being freed along with it.
The sudden use of violence and guns builds up the tension in the play. The violence between Mrs.Lyons and Mrs.Johnstone, The violence between the robbery and the garage etc… It’s quite interesting that even with all the violence happening around in the play, there is no evidence of domestic violence. This is how Ruslle criticises his point that violence is all around us and in the community. The use of Sammy’s character is the way that Willy Russle has chosen to add in the violence in the play. As the audience we know all the way that he is going to be part of Mickey’s downfalls. Mickey is weak since he was a child. It was always Linda who provided Mickey with support.
Linda: Leave him alone! Sammy: Why?What’ll you do about it if we don’t? Linda: I’ll tell my mother why all her ciggies always disappear when you’re in our house. His character is very important as it is what leads Mickey to fall apart mentally as he provokes him to help him with the robbery. In conclusion the different elements in the play, the characters the setting the story line all have made the play a popular piece amongst the audience and will continue to do so. Each time convincing people that it is not oneself or their families that causes the downfalls in life’s but society itself, with its moral rights and wrongs. It will make the provoke the people to rethink about where their problems have risen from. This essence of the play will keep it going and will ensure that the play is successful throughout the ages.
