Mrs Lyons

Test yourself

Mrs. Lyons

Mrs. Lyons' wealth is the most striking difference between her and Mrs. Johnstone.

A luxurious lifestyle

There is a stark contrast between the dire living conditions of Mrs. Johnstone, and the luxurious home of Mrs. Lyons.
Mrs. Johnstone, who is employed as a cleaner by Mrs. Lyons, remarks that the house is like a “palace” (Act One) compared to her own.

Dependency

Mrs. Lyons is not at all self-sufficient.
She relies on her husband to provide money for her to buy nice things, such as the shoes she is unpacking during her first conversation with Mrs. Johnstone, while she relies on the services of Mrs. Johnstone as a cleaner.

Ignorance of the working class

A good example of Mrs. Lyons’ ignorance and lack of care for the working class comes from her meagre offer of “the week off, on full pay of course” (Act One) as maternity leave for Mrs. Johnstone.
Mrs. Lyons’ tone suggests that she considers this to be a generous offer, which goes to show har far removed Mrs. Lyons is from the realities of motherhood.

Controlling Edward

As Edward grows up, Mrs. Lyons’ snobbish attitude affects the way she raises him.
She makes it very clear that she is unhappy with “these people that Edward has started mixing with” (Act One), and she does not consider it appropriate for her son to mix with the lower classes.

Mrs. Lyons: Manipulative and Calculating

Mrs. Lyons manipulates Mrs. Johnstone, pressuring her to give Edward away.

Wanting Edward

From the moment she concocts the plan to raise one of the twins as her own, Mrs. Lyons puts pressure onto Mrs. Johnstone.
Since Mrs. Johnstone is an employee of Mrs. Lyons, she is in a very awkward position and might feel as if she has no choice but to go along with the plan:
- “Please, Mrs. Johnstone. Please.” (Act One).

Manipulating Mrs Johnstone's superstitions

Mrs. Lyons also uses the fact that Mrs. Johnstone is superstitious as a way of bullying and threatening her to keep quiet.
She plays on Mrs. Johnstone’s fears and makes her believe that she would be killing the children if she revealed the truth about their origins:
- “You won’t tell anyone about this, Mrs. Johnstone, because if you do, you will kill them.” (Act One).

Becoming increasingly manipulative

As her mental state declines, Mrs. Lyons becomes more and more vindictive.
Eventually, it is Mrs. Lyons who “points out” (Act Two) Linda’s affair, which is what ultimately causes Mickey to go and get Sammy’s gun.

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

Jump to other topics