Blood Brothers
How effective is Russell in creating a sense of tension and conflict for the audience between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnson in Act One and who does our sympathy lie with most and why?
Blood Brothers, written by Willy Russell is a play set in Liverpool spanning the late 1950s to early 1980s. It tells the story of a working class mother and her unborn twins later to become Eddie and Mickey. There are several key themes in the play: friendship, superstition, class and religion. These key themes are evident throughout Act 1 and are used by Russell to explore the relationship between his main characters and to challenge the audience to consider the morality of their behaviour. He does this with cleverly crafted characters such as Mrs Lyons and her housekeeper Mrs Johnston, referred to throughout the play as The Mother this in itself is just one indicator of class division.
This essay will focus on Act One of the play and will explore how tension is created and who the audiences sympathy lies with. The play was originally written for school pupils as Russell wanted to allow students to understand the problems of society .This echoes the principles of the playwright Brecht who believed that the theatre is a place to judge society and explore social and cultural issues. In Liverpool, class differences were very marked at that time and there were commonly had expectations. Women stayed at home and men went to work.
The narrator first introduces The Mother of the twins by singing a ballad. Introducing the story of the brothers, he reveals How one was kept, one given away? This immediately creates suspense by foreshadowing events to come. He also, in Brechtian, style draws the audience in immediately by asking them to judge for ourselves this terrible sin. Bring on The Mother, let the story begin. The word sin introduces the key motif of religion and creates tension by warning the audience that something terrible will occur. The narrator gives the impression that it may be The Mothers fault that the play ends in tragedy. The Narrators language is dramatic and has religious overtones signifying that the sins will be almost biblical.
Russell's first stage directions are about the twins mother: [The Mother enters. She's thirty but looks sixty] giving the audience the impression that The Mother is stressed and worn out this changes our initial impression from shock to sympathyg. In addition he builds a sense of character too: [The Mother approaches the table, wary. She half absently rubs the spot on which the shoes were standing.] This tells us that she is perhaps superstitious, unsure of herself and cautious. Russell highlights superstition as one of the key themes in the play, it consequently sets the audiences expectations that something sinister might happen.
When The Milkman is introduced we learn more about The Mother. As she lays The Milkman's hat on his head, he says Ive had enough of your hard luck story, love which tells us that although he has been sympathetic to The Mother, he is running out of patience with her. In response The Mother replies Look, honest, I will pay you next week. The commas indicate pausing as she struggles to find the right words. I know Ive said making it very clear that she has not paid The Milkman his money for quite a long time; it is clear she is lacking money. The Milkman then replies Well don't look at me, love. I might be The Milkman but its nothing to do with me. No money no milk! The audience is amused by the milkman, but realises he is unwilling to let The Mother off. Their sympathy is with her.
The Milkman becomes annoyed and demanding as he keeps repeating himself calling The Mother love which comes across to the audience as if he is being patronising. Russells use of punctuation using exclamation marks shows the milkman is very serious and demanding. Later in Scene 4, the actor who plays The Milkman enters. Immediately, The Mother confused asks what he was doing here? The Milkman then tells The Mother that he has given up the milk round and that he is her gynaecologist now! This creates humour and makes the play comical for the audience. It also adds a Brechtian element by adding surrealism.
Mrs Lyons is The Mothers employer. Russell introduces her as [Bright, breezy, early thirties.] This tells us that she's happy and cheerful and more interestingly, she is the same age as Mrs Johnston. However she looks younger suggesting that Mrs Lyons is more sophisticated and leads a much healthy lifestyle due to her wealth and upper class. Her first interactions with The Mother are kind greetings; consequently the audience automatically warms to her and feels empathy. Mrs Johnston then compliments her home by saying Its such a lovely house, it's a pleasure to clean it telling us that Mrs Lyons is obviously very rich and that The Mother is trying to please her. Mrs Lyons replies Yes, it is a pretty house isn't it? Is a pity its so big. I'm finding it rather hard at present. Mrs Lyons is doing her best to be polite and kind at this stage but their conversation is trivial and its clear that Mrs Lyons is much more educated than The Mother. Russell has highlighted the difference in class between the two.
When Mrs Lyons brings up the subject of children, Mrs Johnston is stunned that she could not have any. I wanted to adopt but Mr Lyons is, well.. He says he always wanted his own son. This comes across to the audience that Mr Lyons is a bit selfish. Perhaps he believes that an adopted child would not be of the same class and background as himself: he is probably prejudiced against children with different backgrounds.
The Mother then launches into a long emotional speech about her worries of having twins. The audience is then extremely sympathetic as she explains the welfare is already been on to me; they say Im incapable of controlling the kids Ive already got. Full of emotion she declares her love for her children but already resigned to her fate. I love them. I love the bones of every one of them. But like they say at the welfare, kids cannot live on love alone. It is probably at this stage that the audience has suspicion about what Mrs Lyons might be thinking.
This builds even more sympathy for The Mother as the audience realises how difficult and hard life must be. Mrs Lyons is then very forceful that The Mother should give her one of the twins. While The Mother is totally confused and unsure, Mrs Lyons is eager and persuasive. Mrs Lyons starts becoming excited when The Mother tells her the date when the babies are due. She lets out a gasp of joy and relief and says One week before my husband gets back. She realises at this point she can pretend to her husband that the baby is his and he may never realise she has taking the child from Mrs Johnstone. She continues to try to convince Mrs Johnston that it will all work out. Mrs Johnston makes it clear that she is still unsure, and that is when Mrs Lyons starts manipulating her.
Mrs Lyons shouts Already youre being threatened by the welfare. With two more how will you avoid some of them being put into care? The use of the question and using personal pronouns shifts the blame onto Ms Johnstone insinuating it is all her fault. This makes The Mother feel guilty and building up more sympathy with the audience. The stage directions provide insight into how Mrs Johnston is feeling as confused as ever as she [thought anxiously, chewing her bottom lip, turning and looking around her]. She tries to reassure herself that it would be better for her son. Mrs Lyons constantly adds to the pressure, If he grew up hereas our son he could have everything. Russell has used ellipses to show the audience that Mrs Lyons is thinking on her feet and using all her advantages of wealth and status to persuade The Mother.
Finally The Mother agrees to give one of her sons up. Suddenly Mrs Lyons changes her tone telling The Mother that nobody must know. She grabs a Bible, linking to the religious theme once again, and demands Mrs Johnson to place her hand on top of it and repeat the words she says. Russell is suggesting that the power of religion is even greater than the right of a mother to keep her baby. Unconfidently The Mother started stuttering, meaning that she was still unsure and uneasy about the decision. Eventually The Mother under pressure gives in and agrees to repeat what Mrs Lyons is saying.
Later in the Act, Russell describes the scene after the twins are born. [The Mother, bright and cheerfully fussing over the cots, when suddenly there is an extremely loud and insistent knocking at the door. The Mother startled, apprehensive]. Russell describes Mrs Lyons as fully pregnant. She is obviously trying to deceive everyone that she is expecting a baby and it is clear that The Mother has not told her of the birth. In the early 1960s it was very important to keep up appearances and Mrs Lyons was desperate to insure that the world would see that the child was frightfully hers.
The Mother is happy and enjoying looking after her babies without thinking of giving one of them up to Mrs Lyons. As soon as she hears the knock at the door she feels uneasy and fearful as she knew it was Mrs Lyons and what she wants. When she lets her in, Mrs Lyons then insists that she needed the baby that Mrs Johnson promised she could have. Russell then referred to The Mother by saying [Knowing its futile, turned away looking at the cots.] Youd better see what one you want The audience has great sympathy for The Mother but it is clear at this point that the child is to be handed over. Mrs Lyons then tells The Mother she will see her next week. The Mother corrects Mrs Lyons that she is due back tomorrow. It is obvious to the audience at this point that Mrs Lyons does not want The Mother to change her mind.
After several days, The Mother returns to work and assumes she will carry on as previously, however Mrs Lyons says that they have decided to let her go. Baffled, The Mother asks What will I do? How are we going to live without me job? This shows The Mothers desperation and lack of education. Mrs Lyons then bribes her by pushing money into her hands emphasizing her wealth. Suddenly The Mother switches and stands up to Mrs Lyons by telling her if shes going shes taking her son with her! Mrs Lyons, using her power and class, then uses The Mothers superstition against her by saying that if either twin learns he was one of a pair they shall both die immediately accusing the shocked and astonished Mother that if she takes her son she shall kill them! Russells suggesting that the lower classes are less educated and more superstitious.
In conclusion my sympathy lies with Mrs Johnston as she has had a tough job, raising eight children on her own, not including the one adopted by Mrs Lyons, with hardly any money and the welfare chasing her all the time. I also think Russell wanted to convey the message; do not judge a book by its cover as two boys are wrenched apart at birth and Mrs Johnston being the poor, working class mother, is actually the more considerate of the two women. Mrs Lyons on the other hand, is wealthy and upper class but seeks to dominate her housekeeper and forces her to hand over one of her children. She is selfish and deceitful as she has been lying to everyone, including her husband, claiming that she was pregnant. She used The Mothers superstition by threatening Mrs Johnston saying if the boys ever met they will die.
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