Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

Test yourself

Overview: Mickey, Linda and Edward are Caught

Mickey, Linda and Edward are caught by the police.

Playing with stones

Meanwhile, Mickey, Edward and Linda are playing with the toy gun in the park.
Only Linda is able to hit the target, and they soon get bored of the game.
Instead, Mickey decides that they will throw stones through windows.
However, neither Mickey nor Linda have the courage to actually throw the stones, so Edward, eager to show his new friends that he’s “not scared at all, actually”, says that he will do it.

Caught by a policeman

As soon as he throws a stone through a window, he is caught by a police officer.
Edward is rude to the police officer, telling him that his name is “Adolf Hitler”, still trying to impress his new friends, but it soon becomes clear that Mickey and Linda are in fact both terrified and the three children all exit the scene crying, with the policeman in pursuit.

The police and Mrs. Johnstone

The policeman arrives at Mrs. Johnstone’s house to confront her about the incident involving Mickey, Edward and Linda. He abruptly warns her that “there’ll be no more bloody warnings from now on” - if Mickey or Sammy cause any further trouble, Mrs. Johnstone will be taken to court.
Mrs. Johnstone then sings a song about how she longs to move away to “some new place where they don’t know my face”.

The police and the Lyons'

The next scene shows the policeman at the Lyons’ house, but he is having a very different conversation with Mr. Lyons to the one he had with Mrs. Johnstone.
The two men are sharing a glass of scotch and the policeman is explaining that Edward isn’t really in any serious trouble. The policeman does, however, warn Mr. Lyons that he should not let Edward “mix with the likes of them in the future”.

Overview: Edward Moves to the Countryside

Edward does not want to leave Liverpool. Mickey and Edward miss each other after Edward moves.

Asking Edward about the countryside

When the policeman has left, Mr. Lyons asks Edward how he would feel about moving to the countryside, explaining that Mrs. Lyons has “not been too well lately”.
Edward does not want to move away, but Mr. Lyons asks him to think about it.

Edward goes to the Johnstones

Edward goes to Mrs. Johnstone’s house, and Mrs. Johnstone answers the door.
She once again warns Edward not to come to her house again, and Edward explains that he was just looking for Mickey to tell him that he “won’t be coming here again. Ever. We’re moving away. To the country”.

Mrs. Johnstone comforts Edward

Mrs. Johnstone embraces Edward and explains that he will soon forget all about Mickey, but Edward responds that he will not.
Mrs. Johnstone laments the fact that she can’t afford to relocate her own family, even though she desperately wants to.
Mrs. Johnstone gives Edward a locket which has a picture of herself and Mickey inside it, but tells him that he must keep it a “secret, between you and me”. Edward is pleased by the gift, and tells Mrs. Johnstone that he thinks she is “smashing”.

Mickey and Edward say goodbye

Mickey and Edward say goodbye to each other without speaking, and Edward gives Mickey one of his toy guns before leaving with his parents.

Edward's new home

Edward does not like his new home in the countryside, despite his mother’s best efforts to encourage him to see the beauty of the nature that now surrounds them.
Edward reacts with horror when he sees a magpie, recalling that Mickey had told him to “never look at a magpie. It’s one for sorrow…”.
Mrs. Lyons tells her son to forget about Mickey, and Mr. Lyons tries to assure his wife that Edward will “be as right as rain in a few days”.

Edward and Mickey missing each other

Mickey goes to Edward’s old house, but the person who answers the door is a stranger who says she doesn't know where Edward is.
Mickey leaves the house and sings a song about how lonely and bored he is since his best friend has left him.
“Equally bored and alone”, Edward sings the same song in his new garden. They begin to sing about each other, with Edward showing admiration for how strong and streetwise Mickey is, and with Mickey appreciating Edward’s intelligence and generosity.

Overview: The Johnstone's Move

The Johnstones are able to move to the countryside.

Mrs. Johnstone announces the news

The scene then changes and the audience sees Mrs. Johnstone, who is holding a letter and seems to be overjoyed.
Donna Marie and Sammy arrive, and so do various other neighbours, and Mrs. Johnstone sings that she is so happy because “we’re movin’ house, we’re starting all over again, we’re leavin’ this mess”.

A new start

The Johnstone family will be relocating to a place where nobody will know about their past.
She asks the children to help her pack, while her neighbours and the milkman celebrate the fact that the troublesome Johnstone family will be leaving the area.

1Context & Author

1.1Context

1.1.1Setting

1.1.2Political Background

1.1.3Education & Work

1.1.4Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture

1.1.5Family

1.2Author

1.2.1Willy Russell

1.2.2End of Topic Test - Context & Author

2Plot

2.1Act One

2.1.1Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons

2.1.2Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons

2.1.3Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.4Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.5Overview: Mickey Playing at Home

2.1.6Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.7Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.8Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.9Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Act One

2.1.11End of Topic Test - Act One 2

2.2Act Two

2.2.1Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.2Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.3Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.4Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.5Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.6Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.7Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.8Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Act Two

2.2.10End of Topic Test - Act Two 2

3Characters

3.1Mickey

3.1.1Mickey

3.1.2Mickey as a Damaged Adult

3.2Edward

3.2.1Edward

3.2.2Edward 2

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward

3.3Linda

3.3.1Linda

3.3.2Linda 2

3.4Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1Mrs Johnstone

3.4.2Mrs Johnstone 2

3.5Mrs Lyons

3.5.1Mrs Lyons

3.5.2Mrs Lyons 2

3.5.3End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers

3.6Mr Lyons

3.6.1Mr Lyons

3.7Sammy

3.7.1Sammy

3.8The Narrator

3.8.1The Narrator

3.9Minor

3.9.1Minor Characters

3.9.2End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3.10End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

4Themes

4.1Parents & Children

4.1.1Parents & Children

4.2Growing Up

4.2.1Growing Up

4.3Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends

4.4Fate & Superstition

4.4.1Fate & Superstition

4.5Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1Nature vs. Nurture

4.6Social Class

4.6.1Social Class

4.6.2End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

5Literary Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure

5.2Tragedy

5.2.1Tragedy

5.3Dramatic Irony

5.3.1Dramatic Irony

5.4Imagery

5.4.1Imagery

5.5Character & Voice

5.5.1Character

5.6Music & Lyrics

5.6.1Music & Lyrics

5.7Accent & Dialect

5.7.1Accent & Dialect

5.7.2End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

5.7.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

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