blood brothers essay social class

Blood Brothers

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Throughout the musical Blood Brothers , the theme of class and money plays a dominant role, controlling characters’ actions and determining their lives. This pattern begins when Mrs. Johnstone makes the fateful decision to give away one of her twin boys to her employer Mrs. Lyons . She does so not because she doesn’t want two babies, but because she simply can’t afford two extra mouths to feed. Thus the action that sets the entire narrative in motion in fact stems from the forces of class and money. The all-powerful nature of these ideas is then evident throughout the rest of the narrative as well, as Mickey and Edward ’s lives diverge drastically due to their differing financial circumstances. Although linked by genetics and similar in temperament, the unknowing twin brothers have vastly contrasting lives. While Mickey spirals further and further into drugs, depression, and crime because of his poverty, Edward finds doors opened for him at every turn due to his wealth.

Although playwright Willy Russell takes care to emphasize that class and money are nearly unstoppable forces, he also makes sure to show all of the ways that they can be overcome. For example, the poor Mrs. Johnstone is a loving, caring, and grounded individual, while in contrast, the wealthy Mrs. Lyons is neurotic, unstable, and (eventually) evil. Mrs. Lyons may be upper-class and cultured, but it’s Mrs. Johnstone who becomes the moral center of the play. Similarly the kinship among Edward, Mickey, and Linda shows how people can overcome the barriers of class. Although Mickey and Linda are poor and ignorant compared to the refined Edward, the three share a tight bond. In the end, however, their relationships are eventually torn apart by money and class—the same forces that they seemed to overcome. Ultimately Russell shows the cost of the economic realities of his society, and the terrible toll they take on individuals’ lives.

Class and Money ThemeTracker

Class and Money Quotes in Blood Brothers

MRS. JOHNSTONE: Oh God, Mrs. Lyons, never put new shoes on a table…You never know what’ll happen. MRS. LYONS: Oh…you mean you’re superstitious? MRS. JOHNSTONE: No, but you never put new shoes on a table.

Only mine until The time comes round To pay the bill. Then, I’m afraid, What can’t be paid Must be returned. You never, ever learn, That nothing’s yours, On easy terms.

You’re always gonna know what was done Even when you shut your eyes you still see That you sold a son And you can’t tell anyone. But y’know the devil’s got your number, Y’know he’s gonna find y’, Y’know he’s right behind y’, … Yes, y’know the devil’s got your number … And he’s knocking at your door.

You see, you see why I don’t want you mixing with boys like that! You learn filth from them and behave like this like a, like a horrible little boy, like them. But you are not like them. You are my son, mine, and you won’t..you won’t ever…Oh my son…my beautiful, beautiful son.

MRS. LYONS:…If we stay here I feel that something terrible will happen, something bad. MR. LYONS: Look, Jen. What is this thing you keep talking about getting away from? Mm? MRS. LYONS: It’s just…it’s these people…these people that Edward has started mixing with. Can’t you see how he’s drawn to them? They’re…they’re drawing him away from me.

Happy, are y’. Content at last? Wiped out what happened, forgotten the past? But you’ve got to have an endin’, if a start’s been made. No one gets off without the price bein’ paid.

EDWARD: I wish I was a bit like Wish that I could score a hit like And be just a little bit like That guy MICKEY: I wish that I could be like Just a little less like me Like the sort of guy I see, like That guy That guy.

MRS. LYONS: Afraid he might eventually have forgotten you? Oh no. There’s no chance of that. He’ll always remember you. After we’d moved he talked less and less of you and your family. I started…just for a while I came to believe that he was actually mine. MRS. JOHNSTONE: He is yours. MRS. LYONS: No. I took him. But I never made him mine. Does he know? Have you told… MRS. JOHNSTONE: Of course not! MRS. LYONS: Even when—when he was a tiny baby I’d see him looking straight at me and I’d think, he knows…he knows. You have ruined me. But you won’t ruin Edward!

Take a letter, Miss Jones, Due to the world situation The shrinking pound, the global slump And the price of oil I’m afraid we must fire you, We no longer require you, It’s just another Sign of the times, Miss Jones, A most miserable sign of the times.

EDWARD: I thought, I thought we always stuck together. I thought we were…blood brothers. MICKEY: That was kids’ stuff, Eddie. Didn’t anyone tell y’? But I suppose you still are a kid, aren’t y’? EDWARD: I’m exactly the same age as you, Mickey. MICKEY: Yeh. But you’re still a kid. An’ I wish I could be as well Eddie, I wish I could still believe in all that blood brother stuff. But I can’t, because while no one was looking I grew up. An’ you didn’t, because you didn’t need to; an’ I don’t blame y’ for it Eddie. In your shoes I’d be the same, I’d still be able to be a kid. But I’m not in your shoes, I’m in these, lookin’ at you. An’ you make me sick, right? That was all just kids’ stuff, Eddie, an’ I don’t want to be reminded of it. Right? So just, just take yourself away. Go an’ see your friends an’ celebrate with them.

I didn’t sort anythin’ out Linda. Not a job, not a house, nothin’. It used to be just sweets an’ ciggies he gave me, because I had none of me own. Now it’s a job and a house. I’m not stupid, Linda. You sorted it out. You an’ Councilor Eddie Lyons.

MRS. JOHNSTONE: Mickey. Don’t shoot Eddie. He’s your brother. You had a twin brother. I couldn’t afford to keep both of you. His mother couldn’t have kids. I agreed to give one of you away! MICKEY: You. You! Why didn’t you give me away? I could have been…I could have been him!

And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?

Social Class

Different experiences of class in blood brothers.

Purpose of the characters

• The four main characters, Mrs. Johnstone, Mrs. Lyons, Mickey and Edward, can be seen to represent different social stereotypes, and Russell uses these characters to present his own views on social class.

How Edward and Mickey talk

• Even when Mickey and Edward first meet, there are some very noticeable differences in their class.
• "Mickey... if our Sammy gives y’ a sweet he’s usually weed on it first."
• "Edward: (exploding in giggles) Oh, that sounds like super fun." (Act One).

Experiences of education

• "Edward: Fantastic. When I get home I’ll look it up in the dictionary."
• "Mickey: In the what?" (Act One).
• As the boys grow up, the different educational opportunities available to them because of their social class become even clearer. Edward is sent to a private boarding school, while Mickey goes to the local secondary modern.

• Money is, of course, a large part of class, and there is a stark contrast between the Johnstones, who can’t afford to pay the milkman, and the Lyons’, who live in “that big house on the hill” (Act Two) and can afford to employ a cleaner.

Opportunities due to Social Class in Blood Brothers

What Russell is really drawing our attention to is the lack of opportunities available to Mickey as he reaches adulthood, compared to the abundance of opportunities available to Edward.

Mickey's vulnerability

• “I hate that soddin’ place.” (Act Two)
• Mickey’s time at the factory is short-lived, however, as he is soon made redundant during an economic downturn.
• With Linda pregnant, he soon resorts to crime and ultimately ends up in prison where he suffers from mental health problems and is never able to get his life back on track.

The function of Mickey

• Russell uses the character of Mickey to show us just how vulnerable the working class are, and that the poorest in society are often mistreated by the mostly uncaring and ignorant middle classes.

Edward's opportunities

• Edward, meanwhile, graduates from university and becomes “Councillor Eddie Lyons” (Act Two), a prominent and upstanding member of the community.
• Although he does try to help Mickey and Linda by securing them a place to live and a job for Mickey when he leaves prison, Mickey’s pride means he struggles to accept this charity.

Society favours the rich

• A good example of society’s bias towards the middle classes is seen in Act One, where the children have gotten into trouble for throwing stones through windows.
• The Policeman first visits Mrs. Johnstone and tells her that “there’ll be no more bloody warnings from now on” (Act One), before visiting Mr. Lyons and respectfully advising him that Edward shouldn’t “mix with the likes of them in the future” (Act One).

Mrs. Lyon's snobbery

• Mrs. Lyons’ character is a good example of the disdain shown towards the working classes by those who are more privileged.
• When Edward calls his mother a “fuckoff” , having learnt the word from Mickey, she is shocked at the “filth” he has learnt from “horrible” (Act One) children like Mickey.

1 Context & Author

1.1 Context

1.1.1 Setting

1.1.2 Political Background

1.1.3 Education & Work

1.1.4 Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture

1.1.5 Family

1.2.1 Willy Russell

1.2.2 End of Topic Test - Context & Author

2.1 Act One

2.1.1 Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons

2.1.2 Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons

2.1.3 Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.4 Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.5 Overview: Mickey Playing at Home

2.1.6 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.7 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.8 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.9 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.10 End of Topic Test - Act One

2.1.11 End of Topic Test - Act One 2

2.2 Act Two

2.2.1 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.2 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.3 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.4 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.5 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.6 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.7 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.8 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.9 End of Topic Test - Act Two

2.2.10 End of Topic Test - Act Two 2

3 Characters

3.1.1 Mickey

3.1.2 Mickey as a Damaged Adult

3.2.1 Edward

3.2.2 Edward 2

3.2.3 End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward

3.3.1 Linda

3.3.2 Linda 2

3.4 Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1 Mrs Johnstone

3.4.2 Mrs Johnstone 2

3.5 Mrs Lyons

3.5.1 Mrs Lyons

3.5.2 Mrs Lyons 2

3.5.3 End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers

3.6 Mr Lyons

3.6.1 Mr Lyons

3.7.1 Sammy

3.8 The Narrator

3.8.1 The Narrator

3.9.1 Minor Characters

3.9.2 End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3.10 End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1 Grade 9 - Key Characters

4.1 Parents & Children

4.1.1 Parents & Children

4.2 Growing Up

4.2.1 Growing Up

4.3 Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1 Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.2 End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends

4.4 Fate & Superstition

4.4.1 Fate & Superstition

4.5 Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1 Nature vs. Nurture

4.6 Social Class

4.6.1 Social Class

4.6.2 End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

5 Literary Techniques

5.1 Structure

5.1.1 Structure

5.2 Tragedy

5.2.1 Tragedy

5.3 Dramatic Irony

5.3.1 Dramatic Irony

5.4 Imagery

5.4.1 Imagery

5.5 Character & Voice

5.5.1 Character

5.6 Music & Lyrics

5.6.1 Music & Lyrics

5.7 Accent & Dialect

5.7.1 Accent & Dialect

5.7.2 End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

5.7.3 End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

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Nature vs. Nurture

End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

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How Does the Willy Russell Use the Characters in the Play Blood Brothers to Show the Differences in Social Class?

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Document Details

• Word Count 1247
• Page Count 5
• Subject Sociology

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Blood Brothers Critical Essay Plan: Theme - Social Class

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

10 March 2023

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A paragraph plan with guidance and an example paragraph created to support pupils writing a “Theme” Critical Essay in response to “Blood Brothers” by Willy Russell. I created this for an S3, but can easily adapted and then used at National 5/6 level.

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