Why Is Jimmy Porter Angry in John Osborne's Look Back in Anger?
John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger shows us a turning point in the
life of Jimmy Porter, husband to Alison Porter, and friend to Cliff
Lewis. Throughout most of the play, Jimmy expresses his frustrations
and anger in ways both verbal and physical. Why is he angry, then?
There are many reasons for Jimmy's anger, and like most people, he is
probably not himself aware of all of the causes of his frustration.
Jimmy lives in post-war England. While all of Europe was obviously
relieved by the end of fighting, there was now a void in the lives of
many people. Like leaving India did to Alison's father, the end of the
World Wars changed a great deal of things in everybody's lives. In one
sense, a certain sense of direction and certainty was removed from
people's lives, but unlike those old enough to remember the times of
peace before the wars, Jimmy was born into a directed society that
fought in wars and won.
By the time the play takes place (mid-to-late fifties), the English
society started slowly reforming itself to adjust to the new
circumstances. The black-and-white divisions of morality and politics
turned into shades of grey. Actions that needed to be taken turned
into thoughts and political stands, and frustration inevitably
followed for those who felt they needed to actively participate in
shaping the world around them. The English society of the time
de-emphasised the importance of individual achievement in favour of
more widespread reorganization.
This was the society Jimmy lived in, and it seemed to him to be the
society he would grow old in, and the prospect disgusted him. He
expresses his frustration with the society in gener...
... middle of paper ...
...- provoking Alison and
Cliff until something, anything, happens and alters the situation, at
least refurnishing the cell, if not allowing a way out.
All these factors come together to form Jimmy Porter's angry and
frustrated outlook on life. Look Back in Anger portrays what happens
when eventually he manages to create a chink in the walls of his cell
and uses it to bring the whole cell down on the three of them. Alison
leaves, Helena moves in with Jimmy, Cliff leaves, and eventually
Alison and Jimmy get back together. But whether Jimmy's anger has
played itself out in his domestic revolution is left to the reader to
decide. There is only a hint of it in the closing scene of the play.
If nothing else, at least the whole experience may have shown Jimmy
what his anger can do when left completely unchecked, enabling him to
understand it a little bit better.
society in which he lives. He apartment is purposely set on the opposite side of town
the main theme of the play. With out this scene in the play I don’t
...rtain combatants continued to fight because the civilian experience left them with a sense of emptiness.
this scene and the end of Act 1 Scene 4. The last scene ended on a
which is found at the beginning of the play, in the prologue. It is a
opinions in Act 1, Scene 2. The aim of this is to build the suspense
but the only one she knows, and it serves the dual purpose of cloaking her
The 1920's was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel eThe Great Gatsbyf, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbour of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is gtoo poorh. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
comparing the quote to the rest of the themes of the play, we interpret a deeper meaning in the
about act 1 scene 5. I am going to consider the dramatic events of the
In my opinion Act 1 Scene 1 is the most important scene of the play
The main scene I have picked to discuss is Act five Scene one. At the