Exam code:C720
Characters
It is vital that you understand that characters are often used symbolically to express ideas. Russell uses all of his characters to symbolise various ideas prevalent in his society, and the differences and similarities between characters reflect contemporary debates. Therefore it is very useful not only to learn about each character individually but how they compare and contrast to other characters in the play. Below you will find character profiles of:
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The narrator
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Mrs Johnstone
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Mrs Lyons
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Mickey
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Edward
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Linda
The narrator
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The narrator, much like a chorus in Greek tragedy, provides information and highlights key ideas to audiences
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In the prologue , the narrator acts as a gossiping voice of the public, to mirror prevalent attitudes: “So did ya hear the story of the Johnstone twins?”
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The narrator tells audiences that the twins die in the end, creating tension
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He asks the audience to judge Mrs Johnstone, suggesting she is cruel and heartless for giving away her child, highlighting the questions that will be raised as the music unfolds
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The narrator foreshadows events, acting as an omniscient narrator
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The narrator delivers warnings in rhymes and riddles, alluding to the supernatural quality of superstition and fate
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He foreshadows that the past will come back to haunt the mothers: “The devil’s got your number/he’s knocking at your door”
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His warnings parallel the consequences of the superstition with accountability for past actions
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The narrator delivers Russell’s ideas at the end of the play: “And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as a class?”
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As an omniscient narrator, he takes on certain minor parts which represent roles in society, acting as the voice of the public throughout the play
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He acts as a milkman asking Mrs Johnstone to pay her bills: “I’m up to here with hard luck stories”
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He acts as a gynaecologist delivering the news of her twins: “Congratulations. And the next one please, Nurse.”
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He acts as a bus conductor, warning Mrs Johnstone that Sammy’s behaviour will lead to trouble
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Mrs Johnstone
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Mrs Johnstone is introduced as a sympathetic character, cheerful despite her difficult circumstances
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She sings a song telling audiences her husband left her for a younger woman when she was 25 (a few months prior) because she looks 42
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She explains she has seven children and another on the way
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Unable to pay bills or feed the children, she is still hopeful about her new job
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She struggles to discipline her children, yet is loving and warm-hearted: “I love the bones of every one of them”
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Mrs Johnstone is shown as vulnerable
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She attempts to fight for her twins but is persuaded by Mrs Lyons’ threats that the child welfare agency will take her children if she cannot feed them all
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This could suggest Mrs Johnstone feels threatened by the social care system
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Mrs Johnstone’s situation is highlighted as a dilemma, with either choice presenting huge challenges
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Mrs Johnstone is shown as moral and honest
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She refuses the money Mrs Lyons attempts to bribe her with
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She admits her weaknesses and flaws easily
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Her character is fatalistic and impulsive, highlighting themes of superstition and fate
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She sings a song about living on the “never-never” (on borrowed time)
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She realises that everything she has can be lost very quickly, suggesting a sense of powerlessness in her unstable circumstances
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Her superstitious nature is the reason Mrs Lyons convinces her to separate the twins, and the narrator warns audiences this will not be forgiven
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Although she ignores the superstition, at the end of the play the brothers die and the superstition comes true; she is unable to escape her past
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Mrs Johnstone functions to show discrimination against working-class mothers
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The narrator, acting as a voice of the public, judges her as cruel and heartless for giving up her son
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The policeman tells her he will take her to court if her boys get into any more trouble
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The towns-people celebrate when her family leaves for Skelmersdale
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Mrs Lyons
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Mrs Lyons is introduced as Mrs Johnstone’s employer: a lonely, dissatisfied woman in a large house whose husband is away for long periods of time
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As she is unable to have children, she uses Mrs Johnstone’s difficulties and superstitious nature to persuade her to give her one of her twins
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Audiences see she is capable of lying to her husband to get her way
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She is presented as financially reliant on her husband, yet emotionally unsupported
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Mrs Lyons represents a middle-class mother with financial security, but dysfunctional relationships
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Once she has the baby, she fires Mrs Johnstone, breaking her promise to allow her to see her son and showing the audience her careless disregard for others
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She insists on good manners from Edward and tells him working-class children are bad influences in a bid to keep the brothers apart and maintain the lie
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During a confrontation over Mickey and Edward’s friendship, she slaps Edward and insists he stays isolated from friends, ignoring his emotional needs
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Russell tracks the way superstition and lack of accountability lead to guilt and paranoia through the character of Mrs Lyons
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After playing on Mrs Johnstone’s superstitious nature, she becomes superstitious about her deceit; she is unable to deal with her loss of control
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She becomes violent, attempting to stab Mrs Johnstone
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Children sing songs about her being the “mad woman”
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By the end, her bitterness makes her tell Mickey about Edward and Linda’s affair
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This is the event which leads to the violent deaths of both twins
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Mrs Lyons is presented as privileged, acting as a foil for Mrs Johnstone’s character
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When she tells her husband she is pregnant, he gives her a large sum of money to buy what she needs for the baby, in contrast to Mrs Johnstone’s character
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The policeman has a drink with Mr and Mrs Lyons, playing down Edward’s trouble with the law, contrasting the way Mickey and Mrs Johnstone are treated
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When she wishes to get Edward away from Mickey, she and her husband buy a new house in a new town:
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This implies she can escape challenging situations easily
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It depicts her inclination to try to outrun her past
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The narrator warns her repeatedly she cannot escape the consequences of her actions
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Mickey
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Mickey Johnstone is the twin that stays with Mrs Johnstone while his brother grows up with Mrs Lyons; he represents working-class men
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He is a likable, sympathetic character to challenge the audience’s perceptions of the working-class
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Mickey sings about his admiration for his troubled older brother, depicting the consequences of the absence of a good male role model in a boy’s life
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When Mickey meets Edward, he shows the influence of his upbringing (nurture) on his character:
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He teaches Edward to swear words
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He does not respect his material possessions
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He is surprised by Edward’s generosity
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His warm and honest nature attracts Edward’s friendship
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Mickey’s character development, from happy and shy to depressed and angry, depicts the impact of societal pressures on working-class males
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Initially, he is shown as shy; he needs Linda and Edward to encourage his confidence
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Mickey is portrayed as a typical carefree teenager but is threatened by the police and suspended from school for being rude, suggesting a lack of support as a child
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Mickey’s confidence decreases as he grows up, whereas Edward’s confidence grows
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In Act II, Edward leaves for university and Mickey loses his job in the factory; this can be seen as the turning point in Mickey’s development
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Their different upbringing creates a barrier in their relationship: Mickey tells Edward: “In your shoes, I’d be the same, I’d still be able to be a kid. But I’m not in your shoes”
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Mickey shows a clear desire to provide for Linda and his family, reflecting the nature of his mother and his desire to be a good man
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His inability to do so leads to his decline: his redundancy leads to crime, arrest and depression, connecting poverty with crime
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The support he is offered from authorities comes in the form of addictive pills; his low esteem leaves him unable to cope
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When he loses Linda to Edward, his jealousy turns to rage
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Before his death, he is angry with his mother for keeping him and denying him the opportunities Edward had: “I could have been him!”
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