Summary and Analysis of Osborn\' Look Back in Anger. PDF

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Summary

Look Back in Anger by John Osborn is considered one of the best expression of postmodern attitude in British drama. it is also considered Kitchen-Sink Drama. Published in 1955. This note consists of overall summery of the mentioned play....

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Summary and Analysis of Osborn’s Look Back in Anger #Act 1 Look Back in Anger's plot is largely dictated by Jimmy Porter's rants, rather than by external forces. Attic apartment in the Midlands of England is the setting for the play. Jimmy Porter, his wife Alison, and Cliff Lewis, who has a separate bedroom across the hall, all live in this large room. The play begins with Alison ironing and Jimmy and Cliff reading the Sunday papers in their comfortable chairs. A large portion of Jimmy's book review in his "posh" newspaper is written in French, which he finds to be an irritation. He asks Alison if that makes her feel ignorant, and she responds that she wasn't listening to the question because she was distracted. Jimmy's rant against Alison's inertia and the inertia of the English middle class is introduced right away. Jimmy mocks Cliff for his lack of education and knowledge, and Cliff agrees with him. As Jimmy claims, Alison hasn't had a single thought in years. There are times on Sundays when Jimmy is depressed and thinks that their youth is being taken from them. We can pretend we're human beings, and that we're actually alive, if we like." Jimmy's pipe smoke irritates Cliff. It doesn't take Jimmy long to tell Alison that she's adapted to the new situation. That's when he complains about the fact that "Nobody cares, nobody thinks about it. Nonsensical and void of any belief, conviction, or enthusiasm" He claims that England has lost its soul and that it is depressing to live there "in the United States of America An outdoor market candy stand owned and operated by brothers Jimmy and Cliff is the talk of the town. As a Member of Parliament, Nigel, Alison's brother, has earned the moniker "the chinless wonder from Sandhurst." Jimmy despises Nigel and everything he stands for, including the fact that he will succeed in the world despite his stupidity and insensitivity because of his social class and the schools he has attended. He then attacks Alison, calling her "the Lady Pusillanimous."

An ironing noise from Alison and Cliff's rustling of a newspaper keep Jimmy from enjoying the concert on the radio. Alison, their landlady, and even Mrs. Drury are subjected to a tirade from him. Alison and the ironing board are accidentally knocked over by Cliff and Jimmy as they playfully wrestle. Alison finally tells Jimmy to leave after she burns her arm. Alison's burn is soothed by Cliff's tender care. She lets him know she's expecting a baby. To avoid making Jimmy think she planned it, she is afraid to tell him. Alison is being held by Cliff while Jimmy enters. Jimmy is being teased and played with as he attempts to reestablish his identity. For a cigarette, Cliff leaves the house. It is revealed that Jimmy is infatuated with Alison and that they engage in a private and affectionate game of Monopoly "squirrels and bears" and Alison is about to tell him about her pregnancy when Cliff returns to say that Helena Charles, an actress friend of Alison, is on the phone downstairs. " Helena will be staying at Alison and Jimmy's house during Alison's engagement at the local theatre, and Jimmy launches into his most shocking diatribe yet. A child and the death of the child might be enough for Alison to become a human being. He tells her this. Finally, Jimmy tells Alison she will continue to sleep and eat her way through him until there is nothing left of him. #Act II, scene 1 Two weeks later, it's evening and it's dark out. Helena and Alison are preparing to attend church. In Cliff's room, Jimmy is rehearsing jazz music on his Trumpet. The candy business was started with the help of Jimmy's friend Hugh and his working-class mother. For the first time, Alison feels isolated from the people she's come to know and love for so long. Despite the fact that she's pregnant, she hasn't told Jimmy. On his second attack on the Establishment, Jimmy goes after Alison's mother after Cliff and Jimmy have entered the scene. He goes on to describe how he spent months keeping his

dying father company and how he "learned at an early age what it was to be angry—angry and helpless." When the phone rings, it's Jimmy on the other end who answers it. That her father has been contacted and will be coming to pick her up is what Helena tells Alison. If Hugh's mother has had a stroke, he will go to London to be with her, Jimmy tells him when he gets back. He explains to Alison that he cannot go without her. She makes her way out of the house with Helena.

#Act II, scene 2 Alison's father, Colonel Redfern, will be dropping by the following evening. From 1913 to 1947, Redfern served in the Indian colonial service; he is awestruck by modern England. His wife's brutal attempts to prevent Alison from marrying Jimmy horrified him, and he sees some on Jimmy's side. He compares himself to Alison because they both "sit on a fence a lot It's surprisingly cosy." As Alison explains to Jimmy, she married him because he "throws down a gauntlet at me" because she had "lived a happy, uncomplicated life." Soon after, Helena and Cliff arrive. It's likely that Helena will extend her stay by one more night in order to make it to a nearby audition in time. Cliff declines Alison's request to deliver a letter to Jimmy. Alison and her father are on their way out, and Cliff will arrive shortly after them. Helena cuddles with the stuffed bear as she lies in bed. Jimmy shows up at the door. He reads Alison's letter and chastises her for her lack of emotional honesty, calling her "wet" and polite. Jimmy says he doesn't care about Alison's pregnancy after Helena tells him. He has witnessed the death of Hugh's mother and feels no sympathy for Alison's plight. "Evilminded little virgin" is how he refers to Helena in this exchange. She slaps him on the face and then kisses him passionately as he cries in despair. #Act III, scene 1

Several months have passed, and it is now early Sunday night. Jimmy and Cliff are reading the Sunday papers in their armchairs, while Helena is busy ironing. Everything appears to be in a relaxed state of mind. He brings up a storey in the paper that got them talking, and Jimmy goes off on them about politics and religion. They then begin a vaudeville routine, which Helena joins in on, as well. There is some light-hearted wrestling at the end of the routine between Jimmy and Cliff. Helena leaves Cliff's room to wash his soiled shirt. Cliff has announced that he will be leaving and closing the candy stall. It's possible that he'll meet someone of his own. Cliff hangs his shirt over the gas fire in his room when Helena brings it back. Helena confesses to Jimmy her undying love and desire for him. Alison, who appears to be ill and noticeably thin, enters the room. Both women are left looking at each other as Jimmy exits. #Act III, scene 2 It's been a few minutes. Jimmy's trumpet can be heard from across the hall. When Alison went into labour, she went into labour prematurely. That she doesn't want to cause a rift between Helena and Jimmy, she says she doesn't know why she's here. In Helena's words, it's all over between her and Jimmy, and she can't live with the consequences of what she's done. She informs Jimmy that she is leaving, and she does so. It's Alison's decision whether or not to go. When she didn't send flowers to the funeral, Jimmy chastises her. Afterwards, he softens and reflects on the old bear's journey through the forest of life on his own. To which he responds, "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to give up on you. I'm not going to give up on you." Anguished Alison weeps and says that she has found strength in the humility of not being able to protect her unborn baby. She is kneeling in the mud, pleading. She is soothed by Jimmy's tender touch. In what appears to be a loving reconciliation, they play bear and squirrel....