biography of the author of look back in anger

"Look Back in Anger" offers a stark portrayal of the disillusionment and unrest that characterized post-war England. The play provides insights into the human condition, exploring the complexities of love, resentment, and societal upheaval. The characters' struggles and conflicts serve as a microcosm of the larger societal tensions and the unfulfilled aspirations of the era.

Readers of "Look Back in Anger" are invited to immerse themselves in a searing exploration of human emotions and societal discontent. The play offers a thought-provoking reflection on the enduring themes of love, class struggle, and disillusionment, leaving a lasting impression on those who engage with its raw and unvarnished portrayal of the human experience.

"Look Back in Anger" stands as a timeless work that continues to captivate audiences with its unflinching portrayal of post-war England and the human condition. Through its vivid characters, intense emotions, and searing dialogue, the play remains a poignant and relevant exploration of love, resentment, and the enduring struggles of the human spirit.

Look Back in Anger FAQ

What is the genre of 'look back in anger'.

The genre of 'Look Back in Anger' is a dramatic play.

When was 'Look Back in Anger' first published?

The play 'Look Back in Anger' was first published in 1956.

Who is the author of 'Look Back in Anger'?

The author of 'Look Back in Anger' is John Osborne.

What is the setting of 'Look Back in Anger'?

The play is set in a one-room attic apartment in the Midlands of England.

What is the main theme of 'Look Back in Anger'?

The main themes of the play include class struggle, love, and the anger of the working class.

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Look Back in Anger

John osborne.

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Look Back in Anger follows a young husband and wife, Alison and Jimmy Porter , as they attempt to navigate class conflict and deal with a deteriorating marriage in 1950s England. Alison comes from a traditional upper class background. Jimmy comes from a working class background, though he is highly educated. The couple lives with Cliff Lewis , an affable working class man and Jimmy’s longtime friend. The scene opens on a Sunday morning in the apartment. Alison irons clothes while Cliff and Jimmy read the newspaper .

The play’s first act largely consists of Jimmy’s angry tirades against upper class complacency and his wife’s lack of “enthusiasm.” Jimmy thinks that suffering is the only way to experience true human emotion, and that Alison and other upper class people are therefore less “alive” than he is. He also seems to have some nostalgia for a past age in Britain when the country had more power. Jimmy’s attempts to shock his wife into some display of emotion escalate as the act progresses—he insults her family and complains that all women are out to destroy men. Cliff, attempting to cheer Jimmy up, begins to banter and roughhouse with his friend. The two fall against Alison’s ironing board, and she burns her arm. Jimmy apologizes, but she yells at him to leave, and he exits.

Cliff helps Alison treat the burn, and she reveals to him that she is pregnant with Jimmy’s child. She hasn’t told Jimmy yet, because she is afraid that he’ll feel trapped and angry. Cliff comforts Alison, and tells her that Jimmy loves her. He kisses her. Jimmy enters while they are kissing, but doesn’t acknowledge or object (the three live in a non-traditional set-up that would have been shocking to audiences at the time). Soon after, Cliff leaves to get some cigarettes, and Alison and Jimmy share a tender moment. They play their “ bear and squirrel ” game, which allows them to escape into affection while pretending to be animals. Then Cliff returns and says that Helena Charles , one of Alison’s upper class friends, is on the phone. Jimmy’s mood immediately darkens. When Alison says that Helena wants to stay with them, Jimmy explodes. He says he wishes that Alison would have a baby that would die so that she could experience true suffering.

The second act begins with Helena and Alison sharing the womanly duties of the home while Jimmy plays his trumpet off stage. Alison tells Helena about her first months with Jimmy. They lived with his working class friend Hugh Tanner , and spent time going on “raids” to parties of Alison’s upper class friends. She says that she felt like “a hostage from those sections of society they had declared war on.” Helena asks why they got married, and Alison says that it seemed to be largely because Alison’s mother and her father Colonel Redfern disapproved. That made Jimmy want to marry her no matter what.

Jimmy and Cliff come in to eat. When he hears that Helena and Alison are going to church together later that day, Jimmy also becomes convinced that Helena is out to take Alison away from him. He lets fly a series of outrageous insults against Alison’s mother. Helena tries, and fails, to reason with him, and Jimmy asks whether she has ever watched someone die. He tells the story of watching his father die from wounds received fighting in the Spanish Civil war when he was ten years old, and claims that this taught him more about life than Helena and Alison know even now. Near the end of the scene, Jimmy leaves to go get the telephone. While he’s gone, Helena tells Alison that she has sent a message to Colonel Redfern asking him to come pick Alison up. Alison doesn’t protest. When Jimmy returns, he says that Hugh’s mum , the working class woman who set him up in his candy stall and for whom he harbors deep affection, is dying of a stroke. He asks Alison to come to the hospital with him. Instead, she goes to church. Jimmy is left alone on stage.

In the next scene, Colonel Redfern helps Alison pack to leave. He reveals that he thinks he and Alison’s mother reacted too strongly to her marriage with Jimmy, and that Jimmy might have been right to be angry with them. He says he thinks that Jimmy could be right that he, Redfern, is a relic of an old version of England that has ceased to exist. He also says that he and Alison have a tendency to stay neutral and not take a strong stand on things. She is surprised to hear this from him, and as she finishes packing she briefly re-considers her move. Then Helena enters, and Alison decides to go. She says goodbye to Cliff. Helena stays behind because she has a work meeting the following day. Alison and Colonel Redfern exit, and Cliff, angry that Helena has disrupted their life, leaves before Jimmy comes back. Jimmy returns a few moments later, furious, having seen Alison leaving with her father on his way home. Helena gives him a letter that Alison wrote explaining her decision. Jimmy is angry at her polite, restrained language. Helena tells him that Alison is going to have a baby. He says that he is not overcome with emotion at this news, and insults Helena, who slaps him. This causes Jimmy to collapse in despair. Then Helena “kisses him passionately,” and the act ends.

The scene opens several months later, looking very similar to the beginning of Act 1, except that it is now Helena who is ironing. Jimmy and Cliff joke and discuss newspaper articles. They roughhouse, and Cliff dirties his shirt. Helena leaves to clean it, and while she is off stage, Cliff tells Jimmy that he is moving out. Jimmy wonders why he always chooses women over male friendship, even though he value’s Cliff’s company more highly than he values Helena’s. Helena comes back with the shirt, and Cliff leaves to dry it in his room. Helena tells Jimmy that she loves him, and he asks her desperately to never leave him. Then Alison appears at the door, looking sick and disheveled.

The next scene opens a few minutes later, with Jimmy playing his trumpet off stage. Alison tells Helena that she is not angry with her, and is not trying to break up the new couple. Helena, however, says that Alison’s presence has reminded her that what she is doing is wrong. Alison has also had a miscarriage, and Helena considers this a “judgment” on her relationship. She calls Jimmy back, and tells him that she is leaving. Jimmy says that he always knew Helena wasn’t strong enough for true love, which requires “muscle and guts.” Helena leaves.

Alison apologizes, and Jimmy says that she should have sent flowers to Hugh’s mum, and remembers his first meeting with her, when he thought that she had a “wonderful relaxation of spirit.” This turned out to be just complacency, he says. Alison lets out a cry, and tells him that the loss of their child has made her understand the depth of emotion that he wanted her to have all this time. She tells him that she wants to be “corrupt and futile,” and collapses at his feet. Jimmy can’t bear to see her this way, and kneels to help her. Then, “with a kind of mocking, tender irony,” he launches into their bear and squirrel imaginary game. “Poor squirrels,” he says to Alison, and she responds, “poor, poor, bears.”

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Bi-Monthly, Peer-reviewed and Indexed Open Access eJournal ISSN: 0976-8165

A Society that Looks Back in Anger: Studying John Osborne

Devi Archana Mohanty

Research Scholar (IIT Kharagpur) Lecturer, UCER, Greater Noida

The dissatisfaction, disaffection and disapproval of the human condition is always expressed in different ages in different forms. Man as a social being never submits to tyranny or social despotism. If the existing social order is stifling, man does not sit silently and helplessly. He tries to highlight the injustice and disorder. In this context, the present paper looks at John Osborne’s groundbreaking play Look Back in Anger as a perfect critique of the twentieth-century British society. Osborne depicts the picture of the contemporary society with a tinge of satire through the contemptuous voice of the protagonist of the play. The Osborne hero, Jimmy does not merely participate as an odd spectator in the post-war destruction and confusion. He rages, protests, criticizes the existing order of twentieth-century British society in a very blunt and straightforward manner. Osborne also highlights Jimmy’s bellowing hunger for a bigger, better life and a loyal love to share it with.

The paper seeks to examine John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger as a perfect critique of the twentieth-century British society. It investigates the reasons for the protagonists’ rage and the ways the characters reflect their anger onto other people. John Osborne, the British dramatist made his debut in the Royal Court Theatre in 1956 with Look Back in Anger , which sent around stunning sensations through the audience and aroused them out of a stupor as it were, by its angry vitriolic and the rhetoric of the invective. Recognizing the popularity of the play, Cecil Wilson wrote in the Daily Mail :

They have not discovered a masterpiece, but they have discovered a dramatist of outstanding promise: a man who can write with a searing passion (…). Its essential wrongness lies in its leading character, a young neurotic full of intellectual frustration who lives like a pig and furiously find the whole world is out of step except himself (Taylor 36).

Osborne depicts the picture of the contemporary society with a tinge of satire chiefly through the contemptuous voice of the protagonist of the play. The chaos of all civilized institutions and the resultant confusion came back to the audience through the bantering sarcasm of Jimmy Porter, the protagonist. Jimmy represents a chaotic order of the post-atomic civilized British society, the psycho-social situation of the post-war young generation, who is always found in a frustrated, disappointed mood, finding fault with the existing order of the contemporary society. In this context J.R. Taylor observed:

Look Back in Anger seems to me not a crudely protagonist play (…) but a valid study of a highly complex personality at odds with his world. Certain enigmas pertaining to both the hero himself and the validity of his anger are central to the effect. Jimmy Porter is not only a warm-hearted idealist raging against the evils of man and the universe; he is also a cruel and even morbid misfit in a group of reasonably normal and well-disposed people (Taylor 23).

The twentieth century British drama rose in reaction to the chaos that had engulfed the post-war England in all respects: political, social, psychological, economical. Look Back in Anger refers to the disorder that came up as a natural consequence of the traumatic experience of the Second World War and of a decade and a half long political and economic management in England in the name of reconstruction. The sufferings of the English people reached the zenith during this decade: with no employment, increasing taxes, inflation, exchange crisis, public interest constantly sacrificed to pander the ego of the politicians. Naturally this caused dissatisfaction in the intelligentsia and especially the sensitive and serious thinking youth were most vehement in their protest against such messy situation. Like all sensitive young men of his time, Osborne too registers his protest through Jimmy Porter. George E Wellwarth in his essay ‘John Osborne: Angry Youngman?’ noted:

Look Back in Anger was a rallying point. It came to represent the dissatisfaction with society reflected in the novels of such young writers as John Wain, Kingsley Amis and Juhn Braine. Jimmy Porter, its rancorous protagonist, was thought to symbolize the fury of the young post war generation that felt itself betrayed, sold out, and irrevocably ruined by the elders (Taylor 192).

The three-act play Look Back in Anger takes place in a one-bedroom flat in the Midlands. Jimmy Porter, lower middle-class, university-educated, lives with his wife Alison, the daughter of a retired Colonel in the British Army in India. His friend Cliff Lewis, who helps Jimmy run a sweet stall, lives with them. The play is about this small group of people, living in a sorry state of emotional and physical disturbances having an element of cynicism and bitterness for  the existing order of the society. Theirs is a world of the aggressively young people where it is good to be outrageous; where ideas are louder that deep. Throughout the play the hero shouts, yells, rants. He is an angry young man keenly dissatisfied, disappointed with life in general. His being and sensibility have been hurt to such an extent that he finds fault with almost everything. However, there is no motivation behind the hero’s hostility and bitterness. But, while he lambastes widely in every direction, he never realizes and identifies the shadows he is attacking. Out of frustration and humiliation he rebuffs religion, science, morality or politics as having any acceptable solution. While expressing her views on the denunciations of Jimmy Porter, Katherine J Worth reveals, “they are at the same time violent and controlled, sardonically humorous and in deadly earnest, evoking occasional echoes of both Shaw and Strindberg” (Taylor 103).

The economic insufficiency of the contemporary society finds a true picture when Osborne describes the hero as wearing ‘a very worn tweed jacket and flannels’ ( Look Back in Anger 13). Alison reveals that they had no money and shelter when they were married. The atmosphere depicted in the play is a kind of gloom that rings of wants, poverty, and despair. Though Jimmy is an ‘intellectual’ university chap, he is unable to find a job of his choice. He reveals his dissatisfaction about the kind of occupation he is forced to do. Hugh, Jimmy’s friend leaves England to start a new life in China, because he is convinced that the prevailing conditions in England are not conducive to his aspiration. Another reason for Jimmy’s dissatisfaction is that he is leading a routine, monotonous life which offers no thrills in life, no excitement, no variety. He condemns the so-called ‘posh’ newspaper, whether ‘Conservative’ or ‘Liberal’, for the kind of gossip and conjectures they publish such as the opinion that ‘Shakespeare has changed his sex when he was writing The Tempest ’. He grumbles about the monotony of Sunday: ‘Always the same ritual reading the papers, drinking tea, ironing. A few more hours and another week gone.

Our youth is slipping away’ (15). He is feeling frustrated and disappointed because society has not treated him properly and because the contemporary society is callous. He feels irritated by the general apathy and mental inertness of Alison and Cliff, his friend. The callousness of the existing society is obvious through Jimmy’s long vicious speeches, such as: ‘Oh heavens, how I long for a little ordinary human enthusiasm. Just enthusiasm- that’s all. I want to hear a warm, thrilling voice, cry out, Halleujah! Halleujah! I’m alive’ (15). In this context, Tom Milne expresses, “Jimmy Porter is devoid of any neurosis or self-pity, and the play is summoned up in his cry against a negative world.” (Taylor 192-93). The absence of human feelings of love, fellow-feeling, tolerance of that time through Jimmy’s angry vitriolic are expressed when he complains: ‘Nobody thinks, nobody cares. No beliefs, no conviction and no enthusiasm’ (17).

There are other social problems that the twentieth-century British society confronted is also depicted by Osborne. Twentieth Century British society faced a lack of responsibility and social commitment. There was a marked decline from a work-oriented, duty-bound life to leisure- oriented, fun-loving life.

Jimmy, ‘risen’ from the working class is now provided with an intellect which only shows him that everything that might have justified pride in the old England – its opportunity, adventure, material well- being has disappeared without being replaced by anything but a lackluster security. He has been promoted into a moral and social vacuum. He fumes, nags at a world which promised much but which has led to a dreary plan where there is no fiber or substance – only fear of scientific destruction and the minor comforts of American mechanic (Taylor 170).

This concern reflects itself in the play when Jimmy tells Cliff: ‘But I must say it is pretty dreary living in an American age unless you are an American of course. Perhaps all our children will be Americans’ ( Look Back in Anger 29 ).

In the play, Osborne depicts the problem of marriage between young people of different classes: ‘A worker’s son embittered and magnetic; a colonel’s daughter, pure and conventional’ (Taylor 173). Osborne projects the existing system of class distinction very frankly through Jimmy’s cynicism. Throughout the play he harangues his wife Alison continuously in horribly long, vicious, taunting speeches, for her affluent middle class origin. He ridicules Alison’s father for living in the ‘past’. He describes the protest of Alison’s mother against his marriage with Alison as the ‘bellowing of a rhinoceros in labour’. He ridicules the mother for having thought of him to be a criminal just because he was keeping long hair. He refers to the lady as an ‘old bitch’ and wishes her death. When that old woman dies, Jimmy says ‘the worms in her grave will suffer from indigestion and belly-ache after eating her flesh’. ‘After four years of marriage he has not yet wearied of fuming class-consciously against his mother-in-law’, that is what Stephen Williams says in the Evening News . He spits venom against everything and everybody and is apparently convinced that for the youth of today the world is an utterly putrid place.

Helena, Alison’s friend who came as a sojourner to Jimmy’s house, is also criticized in a bitter tone. Jimmy calls Helena an ‘expert in the new economics – the Economics of the enemy’. As for Alison, Helena is target of Jimmy’s verbal assaults from the very beginning. Jimmy finds fault with her for ironing clothes endlessly, for being too noisy. Jimmy makes so many mocking and disparaging comments on Alison that sometimes Alison closes her eyes in sheer dismay and helplessness. He refers to Alison as ‘lady pusillanimous’. He finds fault with her for being ‘a monument of non-attachment’. Katherine J Worth in her article ‘The Angry Youngman’ describes Jimmy’s attitude towards Alison: “Like so many of Strindberg’s characters Jimmy

seeks from women far more than he could ever hope to get from them and when he is disappointed turns on them with savage resentment” (Taylor 105).

More distressing fact in the twentieth century British society was the change in attitude towards sex and sexuality that has been depicted by Osborne. Sexual passion, which offers Jimmy an intermittent escape, cannot solve his problems. Sex has become an area of challenge and revenge in the deliberate class war between Jimmy and Alison. Jimmy tells about his wife: ‘she has the passion of python. She just devours me every time, as if I were some large rabbit’ (43). Jimmy is even opposed to middle-class morality. According to Alison’s own statement to Cliff, Jimmy was quite angry with her virginity, as if she had deceived him in some strange way. Jimmy seemed to think than an untouched woman would defile him. Loss of sexual morality, is however linked up with another important post-war phenomenon, i.e. the decline of religion. One can find an explicit expression of his attitude in Jimmy’s exclamation Oh those bells!” His strong objection to Alison’s going to the church with Helena, underlines his sarcastic attitude to both religion and existing order of the church at that time. When he finds that Alison has fallen under the influence of Helena, he addresses her as: ‘you judas! You phlegm!’ (59). He keeps talking not only in a sarcastic and condemnatory manner about Alison’s parents and but treats Alison herself in a most offensive and insulting manner. In attempting to hurt his wife, he violates every decency of love and of life, and he employs every savagery of tone, and mood which he can command. At the same time he himself is extremely sensitive to all kinds of shocks.

Another ticklish psychological problem which touched the post-war British society was the disastrous consequence of nuclear bomb. This type of scientific destruction brought about an end to men’s sense of personal heroism and valour. This is precisely the tenor of the anguish expressed by Jimmy when he says: “I suppose young people of our generation are not able to die for good causes any longer (…). There are not any good, brave causes left” (84-85). This statement expresses political skepticism and personal frustration. It is both a comment on the world and a way Jimmy finds to express his dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, which originates in his inability to communicate with others as clearly and meaningfully as he fells.

Salgado notes that “the younger generation’s frustrated political radicalism found a theatrical focus in the embittered and explosive eloquence of Jimmy Porter” (192).The general image of the politicians in post-war British society and a sad commentary on their lack of conscience and concern for a lot of ordinary people is made clear through the sarcastic attitude of Jimmy to Nigel, his brother-in-law: ‘They are … they sound like psychophantic, phlegmatic, pusillanimous’ (21). He describes Nigel as that straight-backed, chinless wonder form sandhurst (20). Nigel’s knowledge of life and ordinary human beings is so vague and hazy that according to Jimmy he should be awarded a medal for it. Jimmy Porter thus was ideally constituted to be the all purpose hero of the dissatisfied youth of post war generation. It is the clear expression of his frustration which turns into anger, the drives the depicting the true picture of contemporary society. John Rusell Taylor, while summing up the role of Jimmy Porter in the play and the depiction of the contemporary era, comments:

Jimmy was taken to be speaking for a whole generation, of which he and his creator were among the most precious representative (…). Jimmy Porter was linked in a rather improbable twosome with Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim as the cult-figure of the younger generation (…). The main usefulness of Jimmy Porter in this guise is that he is the stuff of which perennial rebels are made (…) there is no denying in the truth of the picture as a

permanent human type – the self-flagellating solitary in self-inflicted exile from the world drawing strength from his own weakness and joy from his own misery (Taylor 76- 77).

While drawing A.E Dyson’s point of view on the depiction of contemporary society in Look Back in Anger, it can be noted that:

In a world which sometimes deals with its most challenging misfits by mocking or martyring them, and later venerating them for the wrong reasons, it is no bad thing to have a reminder like this (…) my own impression is that LBA offers permanent moral insights, and at least one splendid flesh-and-blood character (…). (Taylor 30-31)

Many critics have regarded Look Back in Anger as a turning point in the history of twentieth- century British theatre owing to its choice of topics from social and political circumstances of its time, its lower-middle and working class characters, its realistic setting and its everyday language. The dissatisfaction, disaffection, disapproval of the human condition and the society is always expressed in different ages in different forms. Man as a social being never submits to tyranny or social despotism. If the existing social order is stifling, man does not sit silently and helplessly. He tries to highlight the injustice and disorder. In Look Back in Anger , the Osborne hero does not merely participate as an odd spectator in the post-war destruction, confusion. He rages, protests, criticizes the existing order of twentieth-century British society in a very straightforward manner, that renders him singularly, though oddly, unique.

Works Cited:

Milne, Tom. Hale, Owen. The Encore Reader . Ed. Charles Marowitz. London: Methue, 1965. Osborne John. Look Back in Anger. London: Faber, 1957.

Taylor, Russell John. John Osborne:Look Back in Anger: A Case Book . London: Macmillan, 1964.

– – – . Anger and After . Penguine Books,  1963.

Wilson, Cecil. ‘The Daily Mail’ Look back in Anger: A Case Book . Ed. John Russell Taylor.

London: Macmillan, 1964.

Worth, Katherine. J. ‘The Angry Young Man’ Look Back in Anger: A Case Book. Ed. John Russell Taylor. London: Macmillan.

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Look Back in Anger

By john osborne, look back in anger study guide.

Look Back in Anger is considered one of the most important plays in the modern British theater. It was the first well-known example of "Kitchen Sink drama," a style of theater that explored the emotion and drama beneath the surface of ordinary domestic life. Jimmy Porter , the play's main character, became the model for the "Angry Young Man," a nickname given to an entire generation of artists and working class young men in post-World War II British society.

Osborne wrote the play in only a few weeks in May of 1955. The play was first rejected by many of the agents and theater companies that Osborne approached about producing it. George Divine, the creative producer for the struggling Royal Court Theater, decided to gamble on the play and staged its first production. The play opened on May 8, 1956. It received mixed reviews from English theater critics, yet it won a rave review from the Times. This established the play's notoriety and helped it eventually build an audience.

The two iconic motifs of the play are the aforementioned concepts of the Angry Young Man and the Kitchen Sink drama. The Angry Young Man motif came to be associated with a group of young writers and artists -- John Osborne and Kingsley Amis being foremost amongst them -- that the cultural public believed to personify an anger, boredom, and frustration with British cultural life that many working class families felt during this time.

The idea of the Kitchen Sink drama was also a revelation for British theater. The stylings of most British theater before Look Back in Anger favored Victorian dramas and comedies or stagings of classical plays. In a general sense, the Victorian plays dealt mostly with polite themes from the late 19th and early 20th century upper ruling class. In contrast, Osborne's play depicted the raw emotions and living conditions of the working class. This style of theater was given the name "Kitchen Sink" because of its focus on the interior domestic and emotional lives of ordinary people. In the case of Look Back in Anger , the kitchen is literally a part of the set.

The cultural backdrop to the play is the rise and fall of the British empire. The beginning of the twentieth century saw the peak of power and influence of British colonialism. By the 1950's, two World Wars, which devastated the British economy, and the rise of the United States as the new world military and political power meant that the British empire had entered a steep decline. Jimmy Porter is representative of an entire culture that remained nostalgic for this past glory. He idealizes the worthy causes of the past even while he mocks those who cannot understand why the times have changed as much as they have.

Look Back in Anger is a play that appeared in a time of crucial transition from Britain's Victorian past into the modern twentieth century. Jimmy's rage and anger is his expression of pent-up emotion and his need for life in a world that has become listless and uninteresting. That anger became a symbol of the rebellion against the political and social malaise of British culture. His anger is destructive to those around him and the psychological violence of the play received a great deal of criticism. Critics today agree, however, that the play is central to an understanding of British life in the twentieth century and, thus, a crucial piece of literature in the British canon.

Look Back in Anger Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Look Back in Anger is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Discuss the role and significance of Jimmy porter in look back in anger

Jimmy Porter is the play's main character. He is the "Angry Young Man" who expresses his frustration for the lack of feelings in his placid domestic life. Jimmy can be understood as both a hero for his unfiltered expressions of emotion and...

Why is Jimmy a angry young man

Comment on the marital conflict between Jimmy and Alison in the play Look Back In Anger ?

Jimmy and Allison definitely have a marriage based upon love. Jimmy's anger, however, eventually forces Allison to leave him while carrying their unborn child. Allison loses the baby when she miscarries.

Study Guide for Look Back in Anger

Look Back in Anger study guide contains a biography of John Osborne, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Look Back in Anger
• Look Back in Anger Summary
• Character List

Essays for Look Back in Anger

Look Back in Anger literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Look Back in Anger by John Osborne.

• Social Criticism in A Doll's House and Look Back in Anger
• The Symbolism in Look Back in Anger
• The Hidden Fire: The True Character of Allison Porter
• Jimmy Porter as the Figure of Post-War Alienated Youth

Wikipedia Entries for Look Back in Anger

• Introduction

• English Literature
• Short Stories
• Literary Terms
• Web Stories

Comment on the historical significance of Look Back in Anger

Table of Contents

Post-War Britain: A Time of Change and Discontent

“Look Back in Anger” emerged in the aftermath of World War II, a period marked by profound social, political, and economic changes in Britain. The war had left the country deeply scarred, both physically and emotionally, and the austerity and rationing of the post-war years added to the collective sense of hardship and discontent.

The play’s portrayal of this post-war unrest makes it significant historically. The play’s protagonists, especially Jimmy Porter, the main character, stand in for the disgruntled working class—the generation that grew up during the war and now finds itself struggling in a society that has not lived up to its promises of a brighter tomorrow. Jimmy’s resentment and disappointment are a reflection of the frustrations of a generation that had experienced the horrors of war and was looking for a way to communicate their unhappiness.

The Angry Young Men Movement: A Cultural Revolution

“Look Back in Anger” is often seen as the catalyst for the Angry Young Men movement, which emerged in the mid-1950s. This movement, characterized by a sense of rebellion and dissatisfaction with the status quo, was embodied by a group of writers, playwrights, and artists who challenged traditional norms and values in British society.

The historical significance of the play within the context of the Angry Young Men movement is profound. It was one of the first works to give voice to the frustrations and anger of a generation that felt marginalized and ignored by the ruling class. The movement as a whole aimed to break free from the constraints of the establishment and to confront issues of class, identity, and social injustice.

Class Conflict and Identity Crisis

“Look Back in Anger” addresses class conflict and the identity crisis that many Britons faced in the post-war period. Jimmy Porter, the play’s central character, is a working-class intellectual who expresses his anger at the entrenched class system and the sense of inferiority it imposes on him. He represents a new kind of protagonist on the British stage – one who is unapologetically outspoken, disillusioned, and defiant.

The historical significance of the play lies in its portrayal of the class struggle and the disintegration of traditional class boundaries. Jimmy’s character challenges the established norms, and his anger is directed not only at society but also at his own sense of inadequacy. This resonated with a generation grappling with a changing world and the erosion of traditional identities.

Women’s Roles and Gender Dynamics

In addition to class issues, “Look Back in Anger” addresses changing gender dynamics and women’s roles in post-war Britain. The character of Alison, Jimmy’s wife, is a significant element in this regard. The play portrays a strained and dysfunctional marriage, in which Alison grapples with her own identity and desires, caught between societal expectations and her husband’s demands.

The historical significance of the play in relation to gender dynamics is that it highlights the complexities and challenges faced by women in a changing world. Alison’s character represents the struggle for independence and self-assertion, reflecting the broader feminist movements of the time. Her inability to conform to the traditional wife role and her eventual departure from Jimmy marked a departure from the domestic stereotypes of the era.

Impact on British Theater and Beyond

“Look Back in Anger” had a profound impact on British theater. It marked a shift from the genteel drawing-room dramas of the past to a more realistic and confrontational style. The play’s use of colloquial language and its focus on the struggles of everyday life represented a departure from the stylized dialogue and themes of the previous generation of playwrights.

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The historical significance of the play in the realm of theater is that it ushered in a new era of social realism. It paved the way for other playwrights and works that explored contemporary social issues and reflected the voices of the working class and marginalized groups. Playwrights like Arnold Wesker and Shelagh Delaney, who followed in Osborne’s footsteps, continued to address social and political themes in their works.

Challenging Authority and Tradition

The character of Jimmy Porter can be seen as a symbol of challenging authority and tradition. His anger and rebelliousness are directed not only at societal norms but also at established institutions and ideologies. Jimmy’s confrontational attitude toward religion, politics, and the media mirrors the broader cultural shifts occurring in post-war Britain.

The historical significance of the play lies in its portrayal of a generation that was no longer willing to accept the authority of traditional institutions. Jimmy’s critiques of the Church, the government, and the media were reflective of a growing skepticism and a desire for change. This sentiment was echoed in various social and political movements of the time, including the anti-nuclear and anti-establishment protests.

A Reflection of Cultural and Political Change

“Look Back in Anger” serves as a reflection of the cultural and political changes taking place in post-war Britain. The play captures the spirit of a nation in transition, struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of the war and the challenges of the post-war era.

The historical significance of the play lies in its ability to mirror the anxieties and uncertainties of the time. It gave voice to a generation that was questioning traditional values and seeking to redefine its identity in a changing world. The play’s characters and themes embodied the challenges and contradictions of the period, making it a powerful cultural artifact of the mid-20th century.

“Look Back in Anger” by John Osborne holds immense historical significance as a cultural and theatrical milestone in post-war Britain. The play and its characters reflect the discontent and rebellious spirit of a generation that came of age in the aftermath of World War II. It gave rise to the Angry Young Men movement, challenging traditional norms and values and laying the groundwork for a new era of social realism in British theater.Audiences found resonance in the play’s examination of gender dynamics, class strife, and the difficulties of a changing society, which helped to spark a wider cultural and political movement. “Look Back in Anger” is an important piece of British drama and cultural history because it continues to demonstrate the ability of theater to both reflect and impact the outside world.

Audiences found resonance in the play’s examination of gender dynamics, class strife, and the difficulties of a changing society, which helped to spark a wider cultural and political movement. “Look Back in Anger” is an important piece of British drama and cultural history because it continues to demonstrate the ability of theater to both reflect and impact the outside world.

What is the “Angry Young Men” movement, and how did “Look Back in Anger” contribute to it?

The “Angry Young Men” movement was a cultural and literary movement in post-war Britain characterized by rebellion against the establishment and a critique of societal norms. “Look Back in Anger” is often considered the catalyst for this movement, as it gave voice to the frustrations and discontent of a generation that felt marginalized and ignored by the ruling class.

How does “Look Back in Anger” reflect the post-war period in Britain?

The play reflects the post-war period by portraying the discontent and disillusionment of a generation that had endured the hardships of the war and was seeking to express its frustrations. The characters, particularly Jimmy Porter, embody the disaffection and anger prevalent in post-war Britain.

What are some of the key themes explored in “Look Back in Anger”?

“Look Back in Anger” explores themes such as class conflict, gender dynamics, the challenges of a changing society, and the characters’ confrontations with authority and tradition. The play delves into the complexities of identity and rebellion.

How did “Look Back in Anger” influence British theater and culture?  

The play influenced British theater by ushering in a new era of social realism. It marked a departure from stylized dialogue and themes, setting the stage for other playwrights to explore contemporary social issues and reflect the voices of the working class and marginalized groups.

What is the significance of Jimmy Porter’s character in “Look Back in Anger”?

Jimmy Porter’s character is central to the play’s themes and historical significance. He represents the disaffected working class, challenging societal norms and expressing the discontent of a generation. His rebellious and confrontational attitude mirrors the broader cultural shifts occurring in post-war Britain.

How does “Look Back in Anger” address gender dynamics and women’s roles?  

The play addresses changing gender dynamics and women’s roles by portraying the character of Alison, who grapples with her own identity and desires within the confines of societal expectations and her marriage to Jimmy. Alison’s character represents the struggle for independence and self-assertion, reflecting broader feminist movements of the time.

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6 Ways to Take Control Back From Anger

Take time-outs, maintain perspective, and use proper self-care..

Updated August 5, 2024 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

• How Can I Manage My Anger?
• Take our Anger Management Test
• Find a therapist to heal from anger
• Anger is a response to something; it does not happen without a reason.
• Doing something physical to get your frustration out can help you cope with anger.
• Being angry doesn’t give license to have a tantrum, be cruel to others, or communicate poorly.
• There are upsides to anger, when handled properly.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 85 percent of all diseases have a link to your emotional state. That means how you feel has an impact on your physical health. Sustained, chronic anger wrecks your health. Angry people live shorter, unhealthier, and unhappier lives. Prolonged and unmanaged anger can result in headaches, digestion problems, insomnia , increased anxiety , depression , high blood pressure, skin problems, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Anger and the Brain

When anger gets to the point of rage, you are no longer in control. Neurologically speaking, the resources available to your brain are limited. Rage has a way of dominating everything else. Anger siphons all the resources away from the parts of your brain responsible for impulse control, critical thinking, and analysis. When operating from a resource deficit like that, you merely react to whatever is said or done around you. You aren’t functioning at your best because you aren’t in control. You aren’t making choices.

Anger has been thought of as a substitute emotion . Suppose you are feeling vulnerable, but you are not in a position of safety to process those feelings. You can choose to substitute that feeling with anger as a way to protect yourself. Anger as self-protection is a tendency very common among men.

Men and Anger

Men are frequently socialized to view emotional vulnerability as a weakness, leading them to express feelings like sadness or fear as anger instead. Anger for men masks underlying vulnerabilities. In some cases, anger can serve as a protective mechanism, allowing men to distance themselves from uncomfortable emotions. However, when unchecked, this can lead to destructive behaviors and strained relationships. It's crucial for men to understand and manage their anger constructively , recognizing it as a signal rather than a defining feature of their identity .

The Upside of Anger

Self-protection is a basic instinct and can be healthy, when done in the right context and time, but it can be destructive when over-used in the wrong context and time. If you have an excess of emotional pain, anger can be an effective distraction. People do all sorts of harmful things when they are ill-equipped to deal with intense, overwhelming emotional pain. Some turn to addictive substances like cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine. Others will self-harm by cutting, cigarette burning, or self-choking. And even others engage in risk-taking behavior like driving recklessly, getting into physical altercations, acting out sexually, or overspending via shopping or gambling. Therefore, you could argue, if getting really angry distracts you from engaging in any one of the listed vices, then go for it.

Additionally, anger can motivate you to address a problem or grievance. Anger has a way of animating people to action. Feeling sad, anxious, overwhelmed, and fearful can paralyze you, but anger will do the opposite: It gives you the momentum to say the things you are afraid to say. It allows you to voice an uncomfortable opinion and stand up for yourself and others. In this sense, productive anger could be the cure for anesthetized masses.

You could say we don’t feel anger enough. We see a problem, and instead of getting angry and doing something about it, we accept it as it is. We become inoculated to action.

When angry, though, how can you put yourself back in control? Many people try ineffective methods of controlling anger which work at cross purposes to their goal. Ineffective strategies like blowing up or bottling up tend to intensify anger.

Here are a few suggestions on how to control anger:

• Use proper self-care. Regular exercise, having sex , doing something you enjoy like a hobby, strong connection with friends and family, and a healthy diet all aid in sustaining emotional health. These things act as a buffer to rage.
• Take time-outs. Giving yourself time to cool off can decrease intense feelings of anger and allow your brain to allocate resources to areas responsible for impulse control and critical thinking. This will give you time to think and evaluate instead of simply reacting.
• Maintain perspective. See the whole picture. Anger has positives and negatives; it isn’t always bad. This perspective will enable you to make wise choices. Sometimes it is appropriate to express your anger, or to allow it to propel you to action. Other times, cooler heads prevail. The trick is distinguishing between those appropriate and inappropriate times.
• Have appropriate outlets. Sometimes, you just need to vent: Call a friend, go out to drinks with a co-worker, or do a project with a family member and let it out. Let loose that pent-up frustration in a healthy avenue. Doing something physical to get your frustration out can be helpful as well. Go for a hike, play basketball, get a run in.
• Self-understand. Anger is a response to something; it doesn’t happen without reason. If you can do the hard work of understanding what triggers your anger, you will be better prepared. Having an understanding and strategy for your triggers will put you in control.
• Express anger without attacking. Being angry is a normal aspect of life. So is expressing anger. But some do it better than others. Some allow their anger to be a justification to viciously attack another. This is not okay. Being angry doesn’t give license to have a tantrum, be cruel to others, or communicate poorly. Share your feelings, but don’t attack others.

Anger, like all emotions, has a place in our lives. It can be a powerful motivator for change and an indicator of deeper issues that need attention . However, chronic and unmanaged anger can lead to serious physical and mental health problems, negatively impacting one's quality of life. It's essential to develop healthy coping strategies, such as regular self-care, taking time-outs, maintaining perspective, finding appropriate outlets, and understanding the root causes of anger. By doing so, we can use anger as a constructive force rather than letting it control us. Remember, the goal is not to eliminate anger but to manage it in a way that is beneficial to our overall well-being.

Dan Bates, Ph.D., is a clinical mental health counselor licensed in the state of Washington and certified nationally.

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Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.

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