most important thing in Mickeys life and so focuses on this, using it as another weapon of persuasion, ‘Where ya takin’ your tart for new years? Nowhere’ He fires questions, that he already knows the answers to, to try and break Mickey down, so he is vulnerable to saying yes. The music that could be included through this extract could be a steady beat, that represents Mickeys heartbeat, this could grow quicker as the he becomes more nervous, building up the tension. Sammy uses the same stance as he did when he was a kid with Mickey, standing over him, this represents the idea that Mickey still feels inferior to Sammy as he did when he was younger. Sammy speaks fluidly, which highlights his confidence. He emphasises the word ‘use’ as a way of convincing, to say there is no danger. The only time his pace is changed is when he closes the deal, he does it quickly in fear of the possibility of Mickey changing his mind.
There are two stories entwined in this scene, the other is of Edward confessing his love to Linda. Edward is dressed very smartly to emphasise the contrast with money between him and Mickey. Linda is dressed casually in jeans, but is scruffy, much like Mickey to create the image of being poor. Linda glance at Eddie at the start, before walking on by, she does this because she doesn’t wish to speak to Eddie because she senses something bad and feels guilty about not contacting him. Eddie however shouts after her, this emphasises his desperateness to see her. Then he runs after her whilst she ignores his calls, this is reflecting how he has been chasing her his whole life, whilst although she remains not oblivious, she chooses to ignore the signals of his feelings.
‘I heard you had friends’ This represents the idea that Linda has grown up considerably more and moved on from the past. Linda stands apart from Eddie after they hug hello, which portrays the distance between Eddie in comparison to Linda and Mickey in lifestyles.
Edward tries to hint dramatically that he cares about Linda more than she thinks by saying he prefers to be with her, this is where the tension is introduced, as Linda tuts ‘Eddie’ as a way of trying to stop what he is about to say. He holds her hand whilst doing this in an attempt to gain closeness. Linda however looks uneasy, this uneasiness is brought to a climax when Edward exclaims he is in love with her. His voice grows louder and more excited in relief from having to conceal his feelings from so long to reveal them and in anticipation to her reply, in hope that she feels the same.
It is extremely tense at this moment as the audience awaits Linda’s response. However as the play flickers from story to story, Linda withdraws her hand and turns away. This is because she is in shock, although Linda subconsciously knew what Edward’s emotions were, she hadn’t admitted it to herself. She also distances herself from Eddie and the situation, to think things through. The declaration causes confusion in Linda’s mind, it is obvious that she loves Mickey, but through the poverty and mundane life that she now leads, Edward is seen as a temptation. She sees Edward as having everything, money, parties, education, power, this in turn creates the illusion of perfection that Linda is immediately drawn to as a form of fantasy escapism from the bad aspects of her life. Ironically however, although Edward appears ‘to have everything’ the one thing he desperately wants more than anything is Linda, the one thing he can’t have. Edward portrays the image of a knight, coming to rescue her from her poor life, enhancing her fantasy.
As an attempt to convince herself of a false love she says ‘Iv always loved you…in a way’ This pause creates a feeling of doubt and proves that what she is saying is not entirely genuine. She does love Edward, but she is not in love with him. She has always been Mickeys ever since she can remember and this is why she is tempted as she feels she is stuck in a lost rut, but like it is said early in the book, Linda and Mickey are the same this is part of what bonds them. Linda feels inferior to Edward and does not feel good enough for him, due to her upbringing and money situation.
As Edward proposes, he grasps her waste, trying to gain intimacy, but the possibility of the high life soon vanishes as she realises it is not going to happen. ‘Didn’t mickey tell ya?’ With the statement of the marriage to Mickey and her pregnancy, this is confirmation of rejection. Edward’s heart is broken, signified by the look of shock in his eyes and his head hanging down.
Linda does not have any direct eye contact with Edward throughout the entire scene because of guilt and because she knows the situation is not right. On the other side of the stage Mickey agrees to do the deal and accepts the money, this is another height of tension as it is obvious to the audience it is a bad omen. This is also emphasised through the same words ‘happy New Year.’ in each section. This is in contrast as it is the opposite of what lies ahead. The narrator plays Edward’s friends, to ensure the narrators presence is still strong on stage. The friends are placed on the other side of the stage with Edward to represent the other side/the rich side of his life. Edward is then dragged off and Linda says ‘I’ll see ya Eddie’ This is said quietly, out of regret for ‘what might have been’. This goodbye signifies a goodbye to their old platonic friendship and of their childhood and happy memories. Eddie is then frozen with his back to Linda to show him leaving and his anger at the fact he hadn’t told her sooner.
This is the staging for the next section of the scene:
The next section is of Mickey telling Linda ‘hes takin her out’. He begins the scene in the same way as Edward did with Linda. This is mirroring the fact they are both twin brothers and the same, but by Edward shouting and Mickey talking normally is also shows that they are in fact different and Edward is far more desperate for her.
There is a lot of distance between Linda and Mickey. Linda wants to distance herself from the situation and reality of what she has chosen to be with and Mickey because by distancing himself from Linda he is subconsciously distancing himself from the guilt he feels. Linda symbolises what is good and what is right, by the use of levels with him sitting down this not only portrays his guilt, but also him moving towards what is bad. He is excited about the prospect of money and speaks in a louder rushed, higher pitched voice in an attempt to convince himself that what he is doing is okay.
When Linda starts saying ‘What?’ Mickey gets jumpy and panicky and starts shouting at her, this is for a variety of reasons. He is using it as a defence mechanism. The second being that he feels he isn’t good enough by not having any money and so is doing it for her but in return she isn’t grateful and thirdly because he is looking to Linda to say it is okay and reassure him that it is all right. Linda is also angry, signified by her raising her voice and gesturing her hands, because she is taking out the situation between her and Eddie out on him. She shows this doubt by anger as she soon becomes suspicious what he is doing. When she hears Sammy, it confirms her fears of what ‘work’ he is doing.
Sammy appears on stage, and calls Mickeys name, but is not affected by the scene as he is not in it. This shows that although Mickey is there, he cannot see him as he has changed, by calling out to the audience it emphasises this. Mickey walks out, whilst Linda cries after him in desperation, anguish and helplessness.
This is how it is staged at the end:
Mickey is then frozen whilst walking off, mirroring how Edward is positioned on the other side. As the scenes are frozen, it shows a significant contrast to the beginning of the scene. The pace in the scene is very quick, as shown by the rapid speed in which lines are spoken between the two scenes, this is vital because it portrays how quickly things can turn and alternate from happiness to disaster. Linda is placed in the middle to represent how she is stuck in the middle and torn between the two of them. Throughout, Edward has used one half of the stage while Mickey has used the other, this is symbolic of the half of the womb they each shared before they were born. There is a lot of distance between them during the scenes as someone or two people are always placed between them, this shows the anger and resentment that they both feel and the barrier that money and Linda has caused.
The narrator is dressed smartly to portray intelligence. He is dressed in black so that he appears subtle. By the white shirt and black jacket it represents a strong contrast. This is symbolic of the many contrasts in the play, right and wrong, rich and poor and the main contrast, Mickey and Edward, although they are both together. The narrator has been subtle yet dominant through the extract, now appears and speaks as the narrator. He tells the audience that ‘No-ones getting off without the price being paid’ He steps closer to the audience to gain more impact.
If lighting was used, it would be effective to have the narrator in the spotlight for added impact and the brothers in a dimmer spotlight as the audience can focus on what the narrator is saying and it can show who he is talking about. Whilst he talks, he talks in a toneless manner, which makes it more sinister, whilst he tells the prediction of what is ahead. The audience is cautious and apprehensible due to the for-telling. The narrator has said riddles like this throughout the play as a warning for the audience, and with both things for the brothers going wrong it becomes clearer that the climax is closer.
