" LookBack in Anger"
John Osborne
Introduction : Title of any literary creation is of paramount importance as the title creates some sort of curiosity in the mind of the readers and motivates them for having the taste of the literary nectar arrested in it.The title of a poem or story or other may be called the 'golden key' to unlock the treasure-trove of the dream land of literature. A good and meaningful christening proves the competence and literary skill of a writer of prose or poetry.
Elements of title : Title is made or chosen relying on different elements which are very commonplace ones.It is frequently seen that title of many writings are based on the name of the main character or the name of the protagonist. Sometimes the title is based on the activity or the consequences of action performed by the main character or the protagonist. Sometimes it is the name of a place round which the action and the characters revolve. A grave problem prevalent in the society, a deep-rooted one, that causes multi-faceted impact on the human world is sometimes taken as the best element of the title of a writing. A deeper philosophical interpretation may also be the basis of a title. The questions in the mind of the characters or the readers are also welcomed as the title. It is not very uncommon that the writer's christening is metaphoric or symbolic.
Significance : " Look Back in Anger" , Osborne's play, contains three basic words : 'Look' ,'Back' and "Anger'. These words provoke to raise some questions - Who looks back ? Why he/she is looking back instead of looking ahead ? Why is there anger ?
The play progresses and it becomes clear like day light that the man who looks back is Jimmy Porter,the protagonist of the play, an angry young man who is a jobless husband - not a common chap but a brilliant graduate. Yes, Jimmy looks back .
Jimmy is jobless now, jobless because he has resigned his earlier jobs one by one . He could not compromise with the malpractices found in abundance in the society.Now he runs a sweet stall and somehow manages his livings. Jimmy's wife Alison eventually belongs to the affluent section of the society. Here we find a combination between haves and have-not and a strong class consciousness in the mind of Jimmy. It disturbs the mental peace of the angry hero who is frequently involved in a clash with his wife Alison who can not realize the fault on her part. Being failure to earn a smooth and sufficient source of living Jimmy is frustrated now and he is quite sure that this unjust social system , the pathetic socio-economic condition, the unequal distribution of the resources and wealth are the main causes of the misery of the majority of people. Obviously the ancestors established such social system which now exploits the poor millions and enables a few privileged people to roll in gold. The cause of suffering , Jimmy thinks, is the ancestors of the present generation. So Jimmy looks back and curses his ancestors. Jimmy is so helpless, so frustrated and so downhearted that he has not the least wish, the least courage and the least morale to look ahead.
If we have the phrase in Hamlet "out of joint" that is quite appropriate to the situation of Jimmy who may easily be identified as the 'angry young man'. Frustration and disappointment lead Jimmy to anger. His is an imperfect age where reigns the vulgar materialism and heartless technological growth. Jimmy is in such a mental situation that he always longs for a little enthusiasm and love. Jimmy does not have the least amount of peace in his mind, naturally 'anger' disturbs Jimmy. How is it possible that The Bishop of Bromley , the follower and the protector of religion,publicly encourages the making of Hydrogen bomb. It is the cause of Jimmy's resentment. The prevalent social classification which discriminates the upper class and the working class ails Jimmy much and this unquiet mental state ultimately resulted in the outburst of profuse anger. One can easily identify that Jimmy's anger is directed towards woman folk, their apathetic mind towards their husband. Jimmy's mother never felt sympathy for idealistic husband. Similarly, Jimmy's wife Alison does never show sympathy towards Jimmy's helpless situation, never tries to understand the cause of her husband's frustration. Alison somehow keeps tune with Jimmy.of course superficially.All these are the causes of Jimmy's anger.
