Mrs Johnstone 2

Test yourself

Mrs. Johnstone: Generous and Caring

Despite the hardships Mrs. Johnstone faces, she can still be generous and caring.

Refusing charity

Mrs. Johnstone’s unfortunate personal circumstances make it hard for her to be a completely ‘good’ character, but she does care for people over money, as seen when she refuses to take money from Mrs. Lyons on two separate occasions:
- “I don’t want your money. I’ve made a life out here” (Act Two).

Not wanting to give Edward away

Even though handing over one of her twins to Mrs. Lyons was undoubtedly her biggest mistake, it could be said that she only does this because she is under such extreme pressure from Mrs. Lyons:
- “Please, Mrs. Johnstone. Please.” (Act One).

Caring for Edward

The fact that Mrs. Johnstone struggles to live with the consequences of her actions is evidence that the act of giving Edward away goes against her nature:
- “Each day I pray he’ll be ok” (Act Two).

A caring mother

Mrs. Johnstone is a loving and kind mother to her children: “I love the bones of every one of them” (Act One).
However, she does not seem to be able to discipline them, possibly contributing to their unruly nature.
- For example, when Sammy burns the school down, she makes a joke that it was the school’s fault for “letting the silly gets play with magnesium” (Act Two).

Mrs. Johnstone: Superstitious

Several times in Blood Brothers we see Mrs. Johnstone's superstitiousness. This is predominantly seen in her obsession over concealing the truth from Edward and Mickey.

Fear of the truth

We see a superstitious side to Mrs. Johnstone on a number of occasions, most notably when she believes Mrs. Lyons’ fictional statement that "if either twin learns he was once a pair, they both shall immediately die” (Act One).
Mrs. Johnstone holds on to this belief, and allows Mrs. Lyons to use this as a tool for manipulation and control.

Warning Edward away

Other examples of Mrs. Johnstone holding superstitious beliefs include the way she warns Edward to stay away from their home by telling him to “go home before the bogey man gets y’” (Act One).

Education

These superstitious beliefs are a sign that Mrs. Johnstone is not well-educated in the traditional sense, and this is something that amuses Mrs. Lyons at first:
- “Oh God, Mrs. Lyons, never put new shoes on a table… You never know what’ll happen” (Act One).

Mrs. Lyons adopting superstitions

However, as things start to get complicated when Mickey and Edward become friends, Mrs. Lyons starts to adopt some of the very same superstitions that she once made fun of Mrs. Johnstone for.

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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