3.1.2

Mickey as a Damaged Adult

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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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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.
Jump to other topics
1

Context & Author

1.1

Context

1.1.1Setting1.1.2Political Background1.1.3Education & Work1.1.4Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture1.1.5Family
1.2

Author

1.2.1Willy Russell1.2.2End of Topic Test - Context & Author
2

Plot

2.1

Act One

2.1.1Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons2.1.2Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons2.1.3Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward2.1.4Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward2.1.5Overview: Mickey Playing at Home2.1.6Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds2.1.7Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds2.1.8Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 22.1.9Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 22.1.10End of Topic Test - Act One2.1.11End of Topic Test - Act One 2
2.2

Act Two

2.2.1Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers2.2.2Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers2.2.3Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 22.2.4Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 22.2.5Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 32.2.6Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 32.2.7Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults2.2.8Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults2.2.9End of Topic Test - Act Two2.2.10End of Topic Test - Act Two 2
3

Characters

3.1

Mickey

3.1.1Mickey3.1.2Mickey as a Damaged Adult
3.2

Edward

3.2.1Edward3.2.2Edward 23.2.3End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward
3.3

Linda

3.3.1Linda3.3.2Linda 2
3.4

Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1Mrs Johnstone3.4.2Mrs Johnstone 2
3.5

Mrs Lyons

3.5.1Mrs Lyons3.5.2Mrs Lyons 23.5.3End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers
3.6

Mr Lyons

3.6.1Mr Lyons
3.7

Sammy

3.7.1Sammy
3.8

The Narrator

3.8.1The Narrator
3.9

Minor

3.9.1Minor Characters3.9.2End of Topic Test - Other Characters
3.10

End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1Grade 9 - Key Characters
4

Themes

4.1

Parents & Children

4.1.1Parents & Children
4.2

Growing Up

4.2.1Growing Up
4.3

Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1Friendship & Brotherhood4.3.2End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends
4.4

Fate & Superstition

4.4.1Fate & Superstition
4.5

Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1Nature vs. Nurture
4.6

Social Class

4.6.1Social Class4.6.2End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class
5

Literary Techniques

5.1

Structure

5.1.1Structure
5.2

Tragedy

5.2.1Tragedy
5.3

Dramatic Irony

5.3.1Dramatic Irony
5.4

Imagery

5.4.1Imagery
5.5

Character & Voice

5.5.1Character
5.6

Music & Lyrics

5.6.1Music & Lyrics
5.7

Accent & Dialect

5.7.1Accent & Dialect5.7.2End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques5.7.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

Practice questions on Mickey as a Damaged Adult

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  1. 1
    How do the pills make Mickey feel?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Does Mickey want to change?True / false
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Mickey

Edward