Jimmy Porter’s Anger: In John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger
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Course
English Literature 1650-2000
Institution
Universiteit Utrecht (UU)
Book
Look Back in Anger
Jimmy Porter, one of the main characters in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, is explicitly angry throughout the whole play. In the play, many causes of Jimmy’s anger become clear, due to the way he behaves, reacts, and feels. For example, “the snobbish materialism of a middle class whose or...
Jimmy Porter, one of the main characters in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, is explicitly
angry throughout the whole play. In the play, many causes of Jimmy’s anger become clear,
due to the way he behaves, reacts, and feels. For example, “the snobbish materialism of a
middle class whose organization of Society has left no niche for his intelligence, talent, and
imagination, and has forced him instead into the humiliating role of shopkeeper” (Huss 20),
“the ridiculous, hypocritical, anachronistic, cowardly, empty society in which he lives” (Faber
77), and “in the post-war, post-empire era of immigration and changing political economy, he
feels [ . . . ] that he simply does not have a chance” (Bhatia 395) could be reasons of his anger.
Although these are causes of his hatred, Jimmy’s rage has also to do with existentialism,
characteristics of kitchen sink drama, consequences of the Education Act of 1944, people who
have died in his youth, and rituals, including church. In order to support this statement, the
book, Look Back in Anger, will be close-read, alongside of Roy Huss’s text about Jimmy’s
anger, an article by M. D. Faber, about Jimmy’s character in general, a text about anger,
nostalgia, and the end of empire, written by Nandi Bhatia, and various other texts to explain
concepts such as the Education Act of 1944 and a kitchen sink drama.
First of all, existentialism plays a major role in the drama. This movement is about the
individual, personal freedom, and making your own choices. In other words, everyone is
responsible for their own fates and has to make their own decisions, which leads to enormous
independence. Consequently, people do not rely on others any longer; they have to take action
themselves. Jimmy conflicts with people and situations which do not conform the ideals of
existentialism: he is eager to take action, however, he feels stuck in the room he is in. In fact,
the whole play takes place in this single room, and only Alison and Helena enter and exit.
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