Absent Fathers

Introduction

Fathers are supposed to support the moral, social and emotional development of their children. Since their fathers are reduced to cameos in the play, the absence of positive role models for Mickey and Edward could be viewed as a significant aspect of their tragic downfall.

Mr Johnstone

In Mrs Johsntone’s opening song, the audience learns she “once had a husband” who was a typical “chap” and she fell for his charm. He told her that her “eyes were deep blue pools” and her “skin was soft as snow”. The blue eyes and pale skin are still considered to be glamorous and beautiful, but these two similes prove to be empty clichés. He even compares Mrs Johnstone to the 1950s sex symbol, saying she was “sexier than Marilyn Monroe”.

However, when Mrs Johnstone reveals she is pregnant, they “got married at the registry”. This suggests that they did not marry for love, but to save their reputations. They had to be married because it was considered shameful to have a child born out of wedlock in the 1950s, especially in Liverpool’s Catholic community.

Her husband then refuses to “take her dancing” because he says she looked “twice the size of Marilyn Monroe”. Once Mrs Johnstone becomes pregnant for the eighth time, he abandons his family for a girl who “looks like Marilyn Monroe”. This portrays Mr Johnstone as a cruel, selfish man who has no care for his children and how they are to be raised. Russell creates a lot of sympathy for Mrs Johnstone in the opening of the play and, by doing so, heavily criticises the absent father.

In many larger productions, the father is portrayed very briefly by an actor in a suit and slick hair, typical of a 1950s charmer. The same actor might portray the Milkman who sarcastically abuses Mrs Johnstone, and, later, the very aggressive Finance Man. The easiness of this change in roles suggests that all men in the play are callous.

Mr Lyons

Mr Lyons does not have a large role to play on stage but that absence is felt very keenly by Edward. In the first duologue between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, the audience learns he is away “out there” to work for the “Company”. Anytime he appears in the play, Mr Lyons seems to be more concerned about his business than his family.

For example, when Mrs Lyons panics about Edward’s whereabouts in the first act, he doesn’t seem to care and is furious at his wife for calling him home: “For Christ’s sake, you bring me home from work in the middle of the day, just to say you haven’t seen him for an hour”. The blasphemous language certainly conveys his anger.

When Mrs Lyons suggests moving house, the first thing he says is “How many times… the factory is here… my work is here”. He is oblivious to the stress his wife is suffering and is only focused on his work.

Russell also presents him as quite cold and uncompromising. He knows how desperately his wife wants a baby but he “wanted his own son, not someone else’s”. Leaving the dramatic irony of this statement aside, he is selfishly cruel because he will not let his wife adopt a baby.

He is also very “impatient”, honking the horn for Edward to get into the car in the opening of the second act.

All of this suggests that Mr Lyons is very cruel. However, he is only doing what society demanded of him. He is the breadwinner trying to support his wife, but there is more to being a father than just earning money.

Mickey

Another father in the play is Mickey. When he tells his mum Linda is pregnant, the first two things she asks are “do you love her” and “when’s the weddin”. The audience will remember the opening song and hope that Mickey will be different from his father. However, Mickey struggles to find work when the factory he worked in lays him off and he becomes a “dole-ite”. Mickey feels the pressure to look after his wife and child and agrees to rob a shop with Sammy. He is caught, imprisoned and becomes another absent parent.

He still feels the pressure to look after Linda and Sarah but he is unable to do anything. This leads to his addiction to prescription drugs. Sadly, no matter how hard Mickey tried to be a good father, the odds and fate were never in his favour.

Conclusion

Mr Johnstone and Mr Lyons should take a lot of the blame for their children’s tragic deaths. It is easy to argue that if Mr Johnstone had stayed to help raise his children, then Mrs Johnstone would not have been forced to give up Edward. Perhaps there was less that Mr Lyons could have done, but he still comes under criticism from Willy Russell.