Mickey as a Damaged Adult

Mickey: Emotionally Damaged

By the second act, Mickey is presented as an emotionally damaged man. He turns to drugs to cope and is ridden with self-loathing.

Prison

When Mickey is sent to prison for his role in the failed robbery, he fails to cope.
He pushes away the people who love him, like Linda and Mrs. Johnstone, and instead relies on pills:
- “I can’t cope with this. I’m not well… I can’t do things… Leave me alone.” (Act Two).

Addiction

Mickey explains his dependency on the pills when he tells Linda that they make him feel “invisible” (Act Two).
This suggests that Mickey is so full of self-hatred that he would rather be ignored and abandoned than have to face up to grim reality.

A desire to change?

For a brief moment towards the end of Act Two, Mickey shows a desire to turn his life around, showing the necessary strength to stop taking the pills.
However, in another cruel twist of fate, Mrs. Lyons appears and reveals that Linda has betrayed him with Edward.
When he finds out about this betrayal, Mickey feels as if he has lost the “one thing left in my life.” (Act Two).

Child vs. Adult

There is a stark contrast between Mickey as the loveable child in Act One, and Mickey as the broken adult he becomes.
Russell could be using Mickey’s character to comment on how an unfair society can treat working-class people in a cruel and callous way.

Mickey: Betrayed by Society

Due to Mickey's social class, his prospects are limited. Russell suggests that Mickey has been betrayed by society.

Authority figures

Mickey seems to have been badly let down by society.
Authority figures have always treated him unfairly, and his experience of school was not positive: unsympathetic teachers punished him for relatively minor acts of rebellion.
- “Teacher: Just how the hell do you hope to get a job when you never listen to anythin’?” (Act Two).

Employment

Upon finishing school, Mickey is forced to work at a factory, doing a low paid job that he does not enjoy:
- “I hate that soddin’ place.” (Act Two).
But however much he hates the job, when he is made redundant he wishes he could still work there because it was his only source of income and stability:
- “You know somethin’, I bleedin’ hated that job… But after bein’ fucked off from everywhere, it seems like it was paradise.” (Act Two).

Crime

This lack of opportunity leads Mickey to commit criminal acts which are not really part of Mickey’s nature.
With his job taken away from him, the prospect of earning “fifty quid” by acting as a lookout for his brother seems very tempting.

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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