3.5.1

Mrs Lyons

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Mrs. Lyons

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

A luxurious lifestyle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.
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 Mrs Lyons

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Who does Mrs. Lyons rely on for money?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    How long does Mrs. Lyons give Mrs. Johnstone for maternity leave?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Mrs. Lyons raising Edward:True / false
  4. 4
    What does Mrs. Lyons use to bully and threaten Mrs. Johnstone?Multiple choice
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Mrs Johnstone 2

Mrs Lyons 2