Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

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Overview: Mickey and Edward as Teenagers

In this scene we see how Mickey and Edward lead different lives aged fourteen.

The Johnstones

As Act Two begins, seven years have gone by. Mrs. Johnstone seems happy, and is singing about how “the house we got was lovely, the neighbours are a treat”. She seems to be more financially stable as well because, unlike before, she is able to pay the milkman on time. In fact, the new milkman seems rather fond of Mrs. Johnstone, taking her out dancing and telling her that she has legs “like Marilyn Monroe”.

Sammy's troubles

However, not everything is going well in the Johnstone household:
- “Our Sammy burnt the school down”, although Mrs. Johnstone has managed to get him out of trouble by flirting with the judge.

Mickey aged fourteen

Mickey has turned fourteen and has begun to show an interest in girls, although he is awkward and embarrassed about this, and Mrs. Johnstone’s daughter, Donna Marie, has grown up and has several children of her own.
Mrs. Johnstone still thinks about Edward: “Each day I pray he’ll be ok”.

The Lyons'

The scene shifts to the Lyons’ household, and Mrs. Lyons is teaching her son how to dance the waltz.
Edward has been away at a boarding school and is getting ready to return for another term.
Mrs. Lyons asks Edward whether he has “had a very good time this holiday”, and asks him if he feels safe.
Edward leaves to go back to school.

Mrs. Johnstone teases Mickey

Back at the Johnstones’ house, Mrs. Johnstone teases Mickey because she has been hearing him talk about Linda in his sleep.

Sammy's unemployment

Sammy enters and tells his mother that he is going to queue up for his unemployment allowance, known as “the dole”.

Overview: Mickey and Edward Get Into Trouble

Mickey has to deal with Sammy's increasing violence. Mickey, Edward and Linda all get into trouble at school.

Warning from the bus conductor

The bus conductor - played by the Narrator - asks Mrs. Johnstone if she has “wiped out what happened, forgotten the past”, warning her that her previous actions are going to catch up with her.

Sammy threatens the bus conductor

Linda and Mickey get on the bus, paying a lower fare because they are children, and Sammy also boards the bus, also attempting to pay the child’s fare despite being too old.
The bus conductor tells Sammy that he must pay the full adult fare, and Sammy responds by pulling out a knife and trying to rob the conductor.
The conductor stops the bus and Sammy runs away, chased by two policemen.

Linda tells Mickey her feelings

Linda and Mickey are left alone on the stage and Linda tells Mickey that she thinks Sammy “will get put away for this” (put in prison).
She warns Mickey not to go in the same direction, or she will stop loving him. Mickey is embarrassed by Linda saying that she loves him, but she is insistent that she does, and she doesn’t care who knows about it.

Edward argues with his teacher

Edward is involved in an altercation with a teacher at his boarding school.
The teacher is trying to take away Edward’s locket (containing a picture of Mickey and Mrs. Johnstone, given to him in secret by Mrs. Johnstone) because he does not consider it to be a suitable item for a boy to possess.
Edward refuses, eventually becoming very angry and telling his teacher to “take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut”. The teacher threatens to suspend Edward for his rudeness.

Mickey and Linda are suspended

Back at Linda and Mickey’s school, Mickey and Linda are in a lesson when the teacher asks Mickey to answer a question.
Mickey clearly has not been listening and is unable to answer. The teacher becomes angry and Mickey, backed up by Linda telling him to “take no notice” of the teacher, becomes increasingly angry.
Eventually, both Mickey and Linda are suspended from school for their poor behaviour.

Mrs. Lyons opens the locket

Mrs. Lyons is furious with her son for getting into trouble at school.
Edward tries to explain himself by showing his mother the locket, and her first thought is that it must have been given to Edward by a girlfriend.
She opens it and is appalled to find a picture of Mickey and Mrs. Johnstone inside it. Edward refuses to tell his mother where he got the locket from: “I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret”.
Edward asks his mother whether she has any secrets of her own.
The narrator reminds Mrs. Lyons the "devil's got your number".

Overview: Mickey and Edward are Reunited

In this scene, Mickey and Edward finally meet again. They discuss girlfriends.

Linda makes fun of Mickey

Mickey and Linda are walking together, and Linda’s high heeled shoe gets stuck.
Mickey has to put his arm around her and try to pull her out, and soon she begins making fun of him.

Mickey offends Linda

They look into the distance and see the large, expensive houses, and Mickey mentions “that lad lookin’ out the window” who he sometimes sees.
Linda, still making fun of Mickey, says how she thinks the boy at the window is “lovely lookin’”. She asks if this makes Mickey jealous, and he says that it doesn’t. This causes Linda to storm off in anger.

Mickey confesses his feelings

After she has stormed off, Mickey talks to an imaginary Linda, saying how much he likes her and wants to kiss her, but can’t because he’s “got pimples an’ me feet are too big an’ me bum sticks out an’...”.

Mickey and Edward wishes they were each other

Then Mickey sees the boy from the window, whom he does not realise is Edward, coming towards him.
Mickey looks at Edward and imagines what it would be like to be refined and confident, as he perceives Edward to be.
At the same time, Edward sees Mickey and longs for his freedom. The boys then sing a duet where they wish to be like each other, referring to each other as “that guy”.

Edward and Mickey meet

Mickey asks Edward for a cigarette, but Edward doesn't have one.
During this interaction, the boys suddenly realise each other’s identities and they are overjoyed to be reunited.
Edward asks who the girl he saw Mickey with was, and Mickey informs Edward that it is Linda.
The boys discuss girlfriends, with Edward immediately confessing that he does not have a girlfriend.

Edward gives Mickey advice

Mickey tries to pretend that he has many girlfriends for a while, but soon gives in and tells the truth about how he wants to ask Linda out, but hasn’t got the courage.
Edward tries to give Mickey some advice before suggesting they go together to watch a pornographic film. The boys don’t realise that Mrs. Lyons has been watching the whole conversation.

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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