Look Back in Anger-FátimaPais2002
Look Back in Anger-FátimaPais2002
Look Back in Anger-FátimaPais2002
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(…) The social origin of the main characters portrayed in
Look back in Anger is quite different: Jimmy and Cliff
originated from the working classes, Alison, Jimmy´s wife
came from the upper-middle class.
Government policies had a great influence on the behaviour
of some characters, specially on Jimmy, once the policy of
free education for everyone that was implemented in his
youth, allowed working class youths to climb up the
British social class system.
On the one hand, this was positive but on the other hand,
young men like Jimmy, who came from the working class,
didn´t know where to fit. Jimmy ,for example, was trapped
in a limbo of no social class. Despite having studied to
belong to the upper-middle class, he can´t do it once he
considers that a betrayal to his origins.
In this period (the 50´s) government policies were
responsible for a state of apathy and conformism that had
settled in the British society, and the same policies were
also responsible for the substitution of moral values for
materialism and consumerism, which in a certain way
affected and contaminates some characters like Jimmy, who
despite criticising and abusing his society was
contaminated by its lethargy. Margaret Thatcher´s policies
had also made the youth suffer, since unemployment rose
when she came to Westminster and her reluctance towards
Europe prevented Britain from a greater economic
development.
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