4.1.1

Parents & Children

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The Johnstones as a Family

Many view Mrs. Johnstone as an irresponsible mother who can't control her children.

Mrs. Johnstone giving freedom to her children

Mrs. Johnstone giving freedom to her children

  • A good example of Mrs' Johnstone's liberated attitudes towards parenthood is when she allows her children to go to the cinema to see “Nymphomaniac Nights” and “Swedish Au Pairs” (Act Two), both of which are pornographic films which would not normally be considered appropriate for children.
  • She is also somewhat irresponsible when she makes excuses for Sammy when he burns down the school, blaming the teacher for letting the children “play with magnesium” (Act Two).
Perceptions of Mrs. Johnstone

Perceptions of Mrs. Johnstone

  • In the eyes of many people, Mrs. Johnstone gives her children too much freedom and this contributes to their unruly behaviour.
  • However, there are times when she imposes some boundaries on Mickey, the youngest child in the family.
  • The then-seven-year-old Mickey is “not allowed to go to the baths”, nor is he “allowed to play with matches” (Act One).
Mrs. Johnstone's neighbours

Mrs. Johnstone's neighbours

  • Mrs. Johnstone’s neighbours celebrate when they find out that the family will be moving away, with one neighbour observing that finally “it’ll be calm an’ peaceful round here” (Act One) when the Johnstones are gone.
  • This shows that people in the community generally have a low opinion of Mrs. Johnstone’s parenting capabilities.
Mrs. Johnstone not controlling her children

Mrs. Johnstone not controlling her children

  • Mrs. Johnstone acknowledges that she might appear “incapable of controllin’ the kids I’ve already got” (Act One), but she also makes it clear that she loves her family very much:
    • “I love the bones of every one of them” (Act One).
  • This creates the impression that Mrs. Johnstone is a good-natured and loving mother who is simply doing her best in the face of adversity.

The Lyons family

Mrs. Lyon has a much stricter attitude to parenting than Mrs. Johnstone. However, the Lyons do not necessarily have a happier family life.

Cracks in domestic bliss?

Cracks in domestic bliss?

  • Mrs. Lyons works hard to present an idyllic picture of middle class decency. We soon find out, however, that her family is far from perfect.
  • There are several scenes of middle class domestic bliss in the Lyons household:
    • For example, when Mr. Lyons gives Edward a toy gun, and when Mrs. Lyons reads the family a story.
Mr. Lyons' absence

Mr. Lyons' absence

  • But, looking beneath the surface, we see that Mr. Lyons is often absent from family life, seemingly prioritising his career over his family.
  • This concerns Mrs. Lyons, who worries that Edward is “growing away” (Act One) from his father.
Mrs. Lyons' paranoia

Mrs. Lyons' paranoia

  • Of course, unknown to Mr. Lyons, this paranoia about their son not being close to them comes from the fact that he is biologically not their son.
  • Mrs. Lyons’ mental stability also begins to affect the Lyons’ family life as her feelings of paranoia eat away at her.
  • When Edward swears at her, she responds by hitting Edward “hard and instinctively” (Act One), showing her to have a violent side.
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 Parents & Children

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

  1. 1
    In the eyes of many people, what does Mrs. Johnstone give her children?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Mrs. Johnstone imposing boundaries on Mickey:Fill in the list
  3. 3
    The response of Neighbours to the Johnstones moving to the countryside:True / false
  4. 4
    What type of picture does Mrs. Lyons want to present?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    Examples of domestic bliss in the Lyons household:Fill in the list
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Grade 9 - Key Characters

Growing Up