How does Bennett Create Sympathy for Dorisin 'A Cream Cracker Under the Settee'?

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Joss Hawkins 11P

Twentieth Century Drama Coursework: How does Bennett Create

Sympathy for Doris in ‘A Cream Cracker Under the Settee’?

        A monologue is a method of telling a story using only one person. This person may be talking to themselves or to another group of people, telling them an event or story, a discussion, or what is going to happen. They may also comment on their thoughts and feelings during that moment.

Bennett chose to use a monologue with Doris in ‘A Cream Cracker Under the Settee’ where Doris speaks to herself. She is talking in an empty silent house to and she has no one else to speak to. Bennett has particular parts of the monologue that make us feel more sympathetic for Doris than others. Near the beginning, Doris is portrayed as an out of touch, slightly mad old woman. The perspective of Doris is changed from being a laughable character to feeling sorry for Doris when she says, ‘I sat for a bit looking up at me and Wilfred on the wedding photo. And I thought, ‘Well, Zulema, I bet you haven’t dusted the top of that. I used to be able to reach only I can’t now.’ We now realise that Doris is quite incapable and also that she feels sad that Wilfred has gone. This quote also shows that Doris has shrunk in size due to old age; this helps us to further develop our image of her.

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        Another part we feel sympathetic for Doris is ‘The policemen comes past now and again anyway. If can catch him. Maybe the door’s a better bet. If I can get there I can open it and wait while somebody comes past’. This shows us that Doris wants to be rescued but as we see a while later in the monologue she won’t ask for help because she does not want to be moved to an old peoples’ home. She believes that all her memories with Wilfred are linked with Stafford House and she still believes that she is very ...

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