Book Review: Look Back in Anger
I feel like this book fell into my lap at a rather peculiar time. They say that books will come and find you at just the right time and I think this might be one of those times. There is a lot of talk around the world about misogyny, Donald Trump is being his usual atrocious self and is limiting the rights of women left, right and centre. The Taliban has now banned women from even speaking to one another and Netflix has just released ‘Adolescence’. A tale about a young boy who is influenced by online misogynistic vitriol thanks to the likes of Andrew Tate and others. So when I opened ‘Look Back in Anger’ by John Osborne I wasn’t expecting to read a play about ‘Angry Young Men’ (or rather man) in post-war Britain, set in the Midlands who terrorises his wife on a daily basis.
Initially, the play was set to look at the class disparages that existed in Britain (and arguably still do) Jimmy was born working class, is smart, and educated, but can never seem to measure up to the class of his wife, Alison. Alison was born into a family that flourished under Empire, her father served in India and has ostensibly Edwardian values. They believe Alison to be better than Jimmy - a chip that is forever on the front of Jimmy’s vitriolic shoulder.
Considered to be the first, ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’ deals with predominantly working-class themes. The play, for example, takes place in Jimmy and Alison’s bedroom bedsit with the kitchen, bedroom and sitting room all in one singular place. It is cramped, sagging and somewhat depressing. It is in this claustrophobic environment that tempers spill over. Such a tight space was never going to be the setting for marital bliss. Then there is Cliff, Cliff seems to try and be a barrier and a shield to Alison against Jimmy - how effective he is… I’ll leave it up to you. But he is about as useful as a broken mop against the River Thames.
The dialogue is quick, flashy and unwaveringly cruel to Alison - she doesn’t really say or do much. She just has to stand there and take the tirade coming from Jimmy. One interpretation is that he is projecting his fears and weaknesses onto someone he knows will never leave him and perhaps even love him. When she does speak, it is measured but unsure, until one day she vanishes altogether (good for her). It seems like one of the many insecurities of Jimmy’s is the ever-changing world. Post-war Britain was inundated with exhaustion, lack of well-paid work and a world that was quickly modernising and not everyone could keep up. Jimmy is one of them. That being said, it is no excuse to be an ‘Angry Young Man’ and blame the world's problems on your wife and then try and control her.
I didn’t enjoy reading this play - that doesn’t mean it wasn’t brilliant. It is. And painfully relevant today.