Plot Account of Look Back In Anger

 Plot Account Of Look Back In Anger 

Look Back in Anger is a 1956 play by English playwright John Osborne. The narrative is focused on a love friangle between an angry working-class and university-educated young man, Jimmy Porter, his wealthier wife, Alison Porter, and his wife's best friend, Helena. It is heavily based on Oshorne's Own unhappy marriage and represented a shift in British theatre from fantastical plays meant as simpie entertainment to emotionally complex, more realistic stories. The l setting is mid-1950s small town England, the Midlands. Jimmy and Alison share their apartment with Cliff Lewis, a young workng class man who is best friends with Jimmy, Cliff and Jimmy both come from a working class background, though Jimmy has had more education than Cliff. They are in business together running a sweet-stall. Alison comes from a more prominent family and it is clear from the beginning that Jimmy resents this fact. Look Back in Anger begins in the attic flat apartment of Jimmy Porter and Alison Porter. The first act opens on a Sunday in April. Jimmy and Cliff are reading the Sunday papers while Alison is ironing in a corner of the room. Jimmy is a hot tempered young man and he begins to try and provoke both Cliff and Alison. He is antagonistic towards Cliff's working class background and makes fun of him for his low intelligence. Cliff is good-natured and takes in the antagonism. Jimmy attempts to provoke his wife, Alison, by making fun of her family and her well-heeled life before she married him. He complains about Alison's brother, a member of parliament, women in general, and the sounds Alison and Cliff make ironing and rustling pages. Jimmy also seems to display nostalgia for England's powerful past. He notes that the world has entered a "dreary" American age, a fact he begrudgingly accepts. Alison is tired of Jimmy's rants and begs for peace. This makes Jimmy more fevered in his insults. Cliff attempts to keep peace between the two and this leads to a playful scuffle between the two. Their wrestling ends up running into Alison, causing her to fall down. Jimmy is sorry for the incident, but Alison makes him leave the room.

After Jimmy leaves, Cliff stays to help Alison treat the burn, and she reveals to him that she is pregnant with Jimmy's child. She hasn't told Jimmy yet, because she is afraid that he'll feel trapped and angry. Cliff comforts Alison, and tells her that Jimmy loves her. He kisses her. Jimmy enters while they are kissing, but doesn't acknowledge or objcct (the three live in a non-traditional set-up that would have been shocking to audiences at the time). Soon after, Cliff leaves to get some cigarettes, and Alison and Jimmy share a tender moment. They play their "bcar and squirrel" game, which allows them to escape into affection while pretending to be animals. Then Cliff relurns and says that Helena Charlcs, one of Alison's upper class friends, is on the phone. Iimmy's mood immediately darkens. When Alison says that Helena wants to stay with them, Jimmy explodes. He says he wishes that Alison would have a baby that would die so that she could experience true suffering. The second act begins two weeks later. Helena and Alison share womanly duties of the home while Jimmy plays his trumpet offstage. Alison tells Helena about her first months with Jimmy. They lived with his working class friend Hugh Tanner, and spent time going on "raids" to parties of Alison's upper class friends. She says that she felt like "a hostage from those sections of society they had declared war on." Jimmy maintains affection for Hugh's mother, though his relationship with Hugh was strained

when Hugh left to travel the world and Jimmy stayed to be with Alison, Jimmy seems to regret that he could not leave, but he is also angry at Hugh for abandoning his mother. Helena inquires about Alison's affectionate relationship with Cliff and Alison tells her that they are strictly friends. Helena asks why they got marricd, and Alison says that it seemed to be largely because Alison's mother and her father Colonel Redfern disapproved. That made Jimmy want to marry her, no matter what. Cliff and Jimmy return to the flat and Helena tells them that she and Alison are leaving for church. Jimmy goes into an anti-religious rant and ends up insulting Alison's family once again. Helena becomes angry and Jimmy dares her to slap him on the face, warning her that he will slap her back. He tells her of how he watched his father die as a young man. His father had been injured fighting in the Spanish Civil War and had returned to England only to dic shortly after. Alison and Helena begin to leave for church and Jimmy feels betrayed by his wife. A phone call comes in for Jimmy and he leaves the room. Helena tells Alison that she has called Alison's father to come get her and take her away from this abusive home. Alison relents and says that she will go when her father picks her up the next day. When Jimmy returns, he tells Alison that Mrs Tanner, Hugh's mother, has become sick and is going to die. Jimmy decides to visit her and he demands that Alison make a choice of whether to go with Helena or with him. Alison picks up her things  leaves for church and Jimmy collapses on the bed, heartbroken by his wife's decision.

The next evening Alison is packing and talking with her father, Colonel Redfern. The Colonel is a soft-spoken man who realizes that he does not quite understand the love that exists between Jimmy and Alison. He admits that the actions of him and his wife are partly to blame for their split. The Colonel was an officer in the British military and served in India and he is nostalgic for his time there. He considers his service to be some of the best years of his life. Alison observes that her father is hurt because the present is not the past and that Jimmy is hurt because he feels the present is only the past.

Alison begins to pack her toy squirrel, but then she decides not to do so. Helena and Cliff soon enter the scene. Alison leaves a letter for Jimmy explaining why she has left and she gives it to Cliff. After Alison leaves, Cliff becomes angry and gives the letler to Helane blaming her for the situation. Jimmy returns, bewildered that he was almost hit by Colonel Redfern's car and that Cliff pretended not to see him when he was walking by on the street. He reads Alison's letter and becomes very angry. Helena tells him that Alison is pregnant, but Jimmy tells her that he does not care. He insults Helena and she slaps him, then passionately kisses him. Several months pass and the third act opens with Jimmy and Cliff once again reading the Sunday papers while Helena stands in the corner ironing. Jimmy and Cliff still engage in their angry banter and Helena's religious tendencies have taken the brunt of Jimmy's punishment. Jimmy and Cliff perform scenes from musicals and comedy shows but when Helena leaves, Cliff notes that things do not feel the same with her here. Cliff then tells Jimmy that he wants to move out of the apartment. Jimmy takes the news calmly and tells him that he has been a loyal friend and is worth more than any woman. WhenbHelena returns, the three plan to go out. Alison suddenly enters. Alison and Helena talk while Jimmy leaves the room. He begins to loudly play his trumpet. Alison has lost her baby and looks sick. Helena tells Alison that she should be angry with her for what she has done, but Alison is only grieved by the loss of her baby. Helena is driven to distraction by Jimmy's trumpet playing and demands that he come into the room. When he comes back in, he laments the fact that Alison has lost the baby but shrugs it off. Helena then tells Jimmy and Alison that her sense of morality – right and wrong - has not diminished and that she knows she must leave. Alison attempts to persuade her to stay, telling her that Jimmy will be alone if she leaves. When Helena leaves, Jimmy attempts to once again become angry but Alison tells him that she has now gone through the emotionaland physical suffering that he has always wanted her to feel. He realizes that she has suffered grealy has become like him, and becomes softer and tenderer towards her. The play ends with Jimmy and Alison embracing, once again playing their imaginary game of bear and squirrel - "Poor squirrels, he says to Alison, and she responds, "poor, poor, bears."