Frank and Ritas Changing Relationship.

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FRANK AND RITAS CHANGING RELATIONSHIP

The relationship between Frank and Rita changes throughout the play. The fallowing structure is a time line of changes.

Russell establishes the relationship between Frank and Rita as one of misunderstanding and confusion. The first time we see Rita she shocks Frank, Frank is trying to test her and Rita is trying to joke around and also test Frank. Frank says things like “do you know about Yeats?” Rita replies “what the wine lodge?”  This is why they have difficulty communicating; they come from completely different cultures the middle class stereotype goes to the theatre and the opera when the working class stereotype is at home witching TV on the coach or out ‘down the pub’ having a pint. The thing is I examiners don’t ask questions on the dating show at 8.00 on ITV they ask questions about Mac Beth and other plays, that’s why it is nearly impossible for someone from the middle class to become ‘well educated’. I think that Rita dos not wants to part of that stereotype any more.

Despite there difficulties in communicating, both Frank and Rita admire and resect qualities about each other they make friends and share experiences with each other. They express admiration of each other e.g. “I think you’re marvellous” p24 “You’re my tutor. And I don’t want another tutor.” p26. I think that Frank sees him self in Rita he sees the days when wrote his poems and is envois of her passion for learning, she sees a well educated man and wants to be someday like him. They share experiences about their relationship she tell Frank about Denny and Frank tells Rita a little about his wife. At the end of 1:5 they go to the theatre together. They were going to go to a professional play but they then decided to do it in Rita style and they went to a church play I think that this shows that Rita is not ready yet for a middle class outing and so they go were she is most comfortable, this also shows that Rita is in control. In the end of 1: 6 Frank invites Rita to go with him to a dinner party, Frank thinking that it will be easy for Rita to fit in to a middle class event, at first you see Rita getting change for the event thinking full well that she is going to go and fit in. Then she can not find a appropriate dress for the outing. She keeps changing her style, and how she would act, by the different dress she will wear. In the begging of the book this is exactly what Rita is trying to get away from. She does not want to just buy anther dress and putt on a happier face she wants to change inside. When she gets to the get-together she looks inside at al the middle class people and can see all the conversations that they are having, and she could not join them if she wanted to she would just make a fool out of her self. I think that this shows just how hard it was to move from class to class.

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Increasingly Frank becomes crucial to Rita’s struggle to change herself and escape her work and class stereotype. In 1: 6 Rita runs to Frank to tell him about the theatre this is a significant as she is starting to understand and to enjoy middle class delights such as theatre. Also it is significant as Rita runs to Frank as he is the only one she can go to, I think that this is one of the high points of there relationship. Frank is very happy about this fact “I am honoured that you choose to tell me”. In 1: ...

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