Theme Of Anger In A Look Back In Anger

As the title suggests, the primary emotion of A Look Back in Anger is anger. From their interpersonal relationships, to their life circumstances, anger is the default emotional response of the characters in this play. On a surface level, we can see these motivations as damaged and contrived, this anger is a natural progression of not only Jimmy’s psyche, but the natural response of a deep rooted oppression. Let’s analyze this anger. First, as a response to social circumstance, the productivity of his anger, before finally analyzing a multi-faceted view of anger. As far as Jimmy goes, there are many parts of his personality that are un-defendable. His abusiveness and lack of empathy can be seen as unforgivable, but justified. Jimmy has lived …show more content…
Is the relationship that Jimmy and Alison have real? Is this kind of anger destructive or productive? I’ll happily respond with a cliche ‘both’. The way Osborn represents anger shows its utility. It is the only thing keeping Jimmy together. Without his anger he has no purpose. Every personal relationship he has is tied to anger, he spends his free time reading the news and getting angry about it. Anger pushes Jimmy forward as a character, it’s who he is. On the other side of the coin, whereas it keeps him productive and entertained, it’s also everything he is. It consumes him. Deep down, there is a part of him that wants to love Alison. “I’m a lost cause, but if I had you I thought it needn’t matter…. Help me keep my caws in order”. Anger is Jimmy’s most powerful tool, but it is also his greatest weakness. He cannot control it. It consumes everything he does. He has no other responses left other than anger. When he is in the presence of love, something that he’s wanted his whole life, he has no idea what to do with it. A Look Back in Anger is a testament to the emotion. There is a certain power and necessity to anger, but it is also a testament to the angry young men to come after Osborn. In response to injustice, anger can become your most powerful weapon, but it will consume you. The young angry men will live on in theatre, much as anger will live on in all of our hearts. After looking back at anger as a response to circumstance, anger as a tool, and finally seeing the dimensions of the utility of anger, we can have some pity for Jimmy. A life lived in anger is a life lived with purpose, but that path is filled with