Playwright Willy Russell’s Emphasis on Class Differences in His 1982 Play

Willy Russell wrote the play in 1982 and was one of the best he wrote because of the fact that he emphasizes the differences between the rich and poor. Willy Russell was born in Whiston, near Liverpool, in 1947. He left school at the age of 15 where he worked as a hairdresser until he was 20 years old, where he then returned to school to complete his education. Their he began to write his first play called Blind Scouse, which was taken to the Edinburgh festival and noticed by a representative of the Everyman Theatre. They then went on to produce the world premieres of many of his plays, most of which transferred successfully to the west end.

Throughout this play dramatic irony is used, this is where the audience knows something one or more of the caracters on stage don't know. Willy Russell uses this to emphasize the differences between the classes more. Stage directions are very important for somebody who has not seen the play and is just reading the play, this is because they help you create mental picture of whats going on in the play. The play repeatedly shows cultural differences though the way the boys speak throughout the play. An example of this is when Edward says "your a fuck off" showing his misunderstanding in the use of swear words, this contrasts to hen Micky says "take a flying fuck at a dounut" which shows his understanding and exposure to swear words as he has grown up. Another contrast in the boys language is when Micky says "It's a thingy, init" referring to a dictionary which shows lack of education because he doesn't know what a dictionary is.

Where as when Edward says "Fantastic, I will look that up in the dictionary when i get home", Edwards understanding of what a dictionary is and how it is used shows his intelligence and class. The audience would think that Edward is very intellectual in contrast to Mickey. One thing that the audience would be taken a back by would e the part in the play when Linda first sees Edward and says he's "handsome" even though Mickey and Edward are identical twins! This is because Edward has a overall better appearance than Mickey because he comes from a big house, has smart clothes and is clean which contrasts with Mikeys trodden down clothes and dirty appearance. I think Willy Russell is trying to say that people who come from a richer culture have a better chance at most things in life as is shown in this example. Another theme which repeatedly crops up during the play is the superstition and is shown in the beginning of the play where Mrs.

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Johnstone says "You never put new shoes on the table" which prompts Mrs. Lyons to ask "So, your superstitious? " to which Mrs. Johnstone replies "No I'm not, you just don't put new shoes on the table. " This shows an lack of understanding in the lower class because Mrs. Johnstone didn't even understand what superstition was. The audience would see how Willy Russell shows the difference between upper and lower class citizens. Adults are used thoughout the play to represent the boys, make the play more humorous and also because of the fact that some people might be offended if they see young boys swearing on stage.

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