Represenatition_of_Women_in_Osborne's_Look_Back_in_Anger

John Osborne’s 1956 play ‘Look Back in Ager’ is considered a watershed in English Theatre. It is widely acknowledged and accepted that it sparked a movement – ‘Angry Young Men’. Yet as the movement sought to address the problems and issues of young men, there did not emerge a similar feminist movement under its influence. Somehow the issues of submissive and abused young women did not find place in contemporary discourse. This makes one wonder if the play’s portrayal of women has been responsible for it. The play’s delineation of its women characters, Alison and Helena would appear even to a common reader as placing them in a patriarchal society and surprisingly the status quo is not challenged at all. Thus a feminist reading of ‘Look Back in Anger’ becomes a rich source for feminists to explore the issues of post – imperial middle class woman. It seems to be in agreement with one of the major goals of Feminism being the exploration of women’s literary texts and exploration of depiction of women in literary texts. Much of discourse has focused on Jimmy and his post imperial, postmodern condition. Yet Jimmy’s wife, Alison is also a victim of the dilemma of their generation. While Jimmy’s resentment and frustration vents out in his frequent outbursts, which include his physical violence and mental abuse of Alison, her silent trauma goes unnoticed. Jimmy is the angry, discontented man, a graduate from a ‘white tile university’ who couldn’t get ‘suitable’ employment. He laments his lower middle class status, his running a sweet stall and his eventless life where every week he asks himself furiously ‘ Why do I do this every Sunday'’. Jimmy says that he learnt at an early age, what it was to be angry – ‘to be angry and helpless.’ But the question arises – isn’t Alison also equally helpless or may be even worse. She has enough reasons to be angry, Jimmy’s severe torture of her being one, but being the woman of her generation she is helpless and cant be angry. Alison is an offspring of Victorian women propriety. Her generation has been modeled up in the submissive woman mould. Osborne paints the picture of a woman character who can’t make a difference, who can’t work towards improving her situation and may be her family’s too. Alison tells her friend Helena how she couldn’t help falling in love with Jimmy. Osborne has depicted Alison as too passive for a woman. Alison is knocked off by Jimmy deliberately as she was ironing clothes in the first scene. Her response as well as discussions with actress friend Helena, project her indecisive uncertain character. She somehow even justifies Jimmy’s brutal behaviour towards her. Her understanding of Jimmy’s helpless and sad situation is truly to be appreciated. As an understanding wife she sympathizes with him. But when such behaviour becomes futile and her inaction and passivity doesn’t lead to the betterment of their lives, Osborne’s depiction of the meek “squirrel” of Alison would definitely catch the attention of any feminist critic.