In act four when Rita talks about how she finds “Tiger fascinating.” The stage directions show Frank turning his back on her as he doesn’t want to show Rita his true emotions and the pain he is feeling, for the fear of being rejected and mocked. The intimate personal nature of their row in these scenes would indicate a deep emotional relationship. They are very personal with their comments, and seem to know each others weak points. Frank’s problem with drink and Rita refers to him as “Mr Self-Pitying Piss Artist.” In addition she accuses him of letting opportunities pass him by and not taking advantage of his position and talents “It’s little to you who squanders ever opportunity and mocks and takes it for granted.”
Frank’s response to these personal criticisms is to satirise Rita’s new found place in the middle class society. “Found a culture have you, Rita? Found a better song to sing have you? No – you’ve found a different song, that’s all and on your lips it’s shrill and hollow and tuneless.” This can be seen as him mocking her new found status. His accusation is that she is not being true to her working class roots. The shrill accent of the working class is still apparent for everybody to hear. She is a fake hence his use of the word hollow.
After scene five this relationship as potential lovers comes to a dead end. There are no further overlays of intense emotion and sexual innuendos. The relationship at this level is probably bought to an end with the realisation that they are incompatible and are unable to change
In addition, in the earlier part of the play the relationship has grown a further dimension that of father and daughter. As we know Frank is much older and more experienced in the ways of the world than Rita. She has led a sheltered life and in academic terms is still a young girl. Rita herself acknowledges this in scene five, she refers to Frank as being afraid of losing his little girl “don’t y’ like me now that the little girl’s grown up, now that y’ can no longer bounce me on daddy’s knee an’ watch me stare back in wide-eyed wonder at everything he has to say?”
In the beginning of scene four, Frank has given Rita some indication of his fatherly concern. He tells her that he is worried about her whereabouts as she wasn’t at last week’s lesson. Like a parent he had started to ring up the possible places in which she might be such as the hairdresser’s shop in which he thought she worked. The stage directions show Frank looking at his watch when Rita is late for his lesson again, like a nervous father.
This aspect of the relationship is destined to end gradually as Rita starts to find her independence and like a child grows up and goes her own way. Frank however is not ready for this and feels unable to let Rita go. He takes it very personally when Rita forgets to tell him about her new job. He feels that he is being forgotten just like her old working class life style.
At the end of the scene Frank’s comment on “Found a culture have you, Rita? Found a better song to sing have you? No – you’ve found a different song, that’s all and on your lips it’s shrill and hollow and tuneless.” This can be seen at a different level than just an emotional personal insult. He is telling her that although she has all the tools of academic criticism they are worth nothing ”hollow” as she hasn’t acquired the personal judgement to make them worthwhile. She is easily swayed by the influences around her such as her flatmate and the other students. She has lost her independence and genuineness.
The interesting change for Frank is that as the ‘father’ he has now taken over the serious role of moral tutor. His great worry is that although Rita has all the skills to analyse literature and life, she has little or no understanding how to implement them. He “tests” this by giving her his own work to comment on. He sacrifices her respect for him to enable her to see through these pretences and learn the “truth.” This is Franks sacrifice. He puts his reputation at risk as a poet, teacher, role model and father figure for Rita.
The under lying relationship between the two of them in the play is that of pupil and teacher. In scenes four and five, the pupil, teacher relationship changes and flourishes for the better.
Though Frank still remains trapped in his career. The stage directions act as a metaphor as his doors and windows in his study do not open. He is trapped.
Following her uncertainty Rita has become successful and confident in her studies. She is able to study independently without Frank’s input; we know this as she went to summer school on her own. Frank has reluctantly realised this as he says “What is it now then Virginia? Or Charlotte? Or Jane? Or Emily?” In referring to the first names of world famous female writers he is being sarcastic as well as realistic. The sarcastic element is pin pointing Rita’s constant changes as reaction to new trends or influences. Susan had become Rita when she joined the Open University. This changing of names could be endless. However it also shows that Frank believes that she understands and reads serious literature opposed to her previous devouring of “pulp fiction.”
The test for the relationship is that Frank gives to Rita his poems for literary criticism. The success is that she has learnt enough from Frank to be able to under take this test. The stage directions emphasises the importance of this action going to a draw taking out the poems and then the demonstration of tearing them up in front of her. Franks high point is that as a teacher he is able to get her to understand that she requires using her own judgement as an individual for the exercise to mean anything.
Following scene 5 the only real relationship that the two of them have is that of pupil and teacher, which is what they started with. Frank ensures that she turns up for the exams. She reciprocates this by acknowledging that Frank is a good teacher His reward is that it gives him the confidence to rebel “bugger the bursar” and the energy to break out of his rut, the prison of familiarity created in the play and highlighted by the stage directions, the windows that won’t open, the door that sticks the bottle of whiskey and the desk. Rita’s reward is that Frank enables her to pass the exam and find herself. The metaphor used for her self discovery is that she now feels able to cut Frank’s hair and not be ashamed of the fact that she is a good hairdresser.
