Educating Rita Symbolism

So I asked myself how does will Russell keep our intrest with only two characters one study set in the heart of Liverpool in the mid 70’s. Just when women where starting to say we should be at work not at home it must have been hard for Willy Russell. In the play Educating Rita Willy Russell has included a few details, which represent him as a person that he has included in the book. Example Rita was a hairdresser, Willy Russell came from a poor background and poor education and so did Rita.

Willy Russell had many cunning tricks to keep our attention throughout out the whole of the book. Willy Russell uses several types of humour, he uses dry, witty, corse and flirt I have obtained examples of each type of humour. Flirt: Rita and Frank are having a conversation about Forster and Rita says.

” Honest to god he doesn’t half get on my tits”.

Frank has a reply, which if he had three more seconds to think what he was saying he wouldn’t of said it; the reply was an automatic reaction, and that quote was

“Good. You must show me the evidence”.

I have an example of dry humour, they are both engaged in conversation about students, and Frank starts off by saying.

“Reading and Studying? What do you think they are, human proper students don’t read and study”. Frank carries on to say it was a joke.

From this I have studied this and now Rita is getting in to the swing of things, first she started off by just coming to Frank a few times a week now she is asking questions about students who come here and this is there life.

The relationships Frank and Rita have had or having are being broken up by the things they love I.E.: Frank’s relationship has broken up for poetry his wife left him and when he says this to Rita she is confused about a marriage that broke up over poetry, and with Rita’s relationship that is breaking up with Danny with him burning all her books, I think all he wants is a simple wife where she stays at home cooking cleaning etc… But that is not right nower days but in the 70’s when this was set that was when it was all changing and the independent women was born.

Rita is so straight out with her answers and thoughts she expands on the small detail unlike everybody drops the subject in question Rita carries it on. Example when she first entered Frank’s study she had a go at him over the door handle saying.

“Well that’s no good meaning to, is it? Y’ should get on with it; one of these days you’ll be shouting’ ‘come in and’ it’ll go on forever because the poor sod on the other side wont be able to get in. an’ you wont be able to get in. an’ you wont be able to get out”. So as you can see Rita takes detail to far.

Willy Russell keeps our interest be adding new and exciting characters to the play he adds three other charters Trish: Rita’s flat mate. Trish tries to kill her self because of depression. Denny is Rita’s husband. Denny’s role in the play is a cruel role with wanting Rita to have a baby very early on in life he tries to stop her going to see frank by pushing her to stay off the pill and burning all her books. When frank finds out he is more worried about Rita then the books so now we know he has feelings for Rita. The last character Willy Russell adds is Franks ex wife Julia. Julia has only a small part in the play of only a few lines and she is in a phone call frank makes. So that is how Willy Russell keeps our interest with only two main charters and only adding 3 more characters with small roles to play.

Something else I noticed about how Willy Russell keeps our interest is by developing the characters in the play. From how Rita was a simple woman but with a bursting flame inside just waiting to get out, and that is how she lets it escape by studying with frank to get a better career. So Rita turns from basic education with a one-track mind of doing this than that, now she has learned the joy of reading and higher education.

The way Willy Russell develops Frank is by instead of an old teacher who sits in his study all day drinking and smoking and venturing out every couple of hours to go the toilet and maybe turn up to tech a lecture on a rare occasion, he takes Rita under his wing and takes care of her and educates her. So now every day he comes and sits in his study he has something to look forward to a pretty young girl walks through his door almost every day, and eventually he becomes very proud of Rita.

I think Willy Russell has done a good job keeping our interest in “Educating Rita” with new characters with divorce attempted suicide, happiness when Rita comes back from the theatre all giddy and happy, sadness when Denny burns Rita’s books, humour throughout the play. But at the end of it all we have one happy gradate one happy tutor with short hair and only one and a bit ears, but with Rita and Danny’s relationship still not sorted out.