“…tryin’ to compare Chatterley and Sons and Lovers is like tryin to compare sparkling wine with champagne.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
The audience can now see her newfound enthusiasm and self-esteem. She is proud of her achievement to sit with students that she aspired to be. She has broken that barrier between her and the educated class, which was the window that she frequently looked out of, showing how hard she found it to change classes. She is welcomed into this new class by the other students on the lawn. The old Rita did not have the confidence to mix with the other students.
Rita: “I walked over an’ said, ‘Excuse me but I couldn’t help overhearin’ the rubbish you were spoutin’ about Lawrence.’ Next minute there’s this heated discussion with me right in the middle of it.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Also her view changes of them, as in the beginning she thinks of them, as being a goal for her to achieve and something she really desired and was also wary of them, as she was not able to open up and initiate conversation with them, “You used to be quite wary of them didn’t you? But after talking to them she sees that, “…they don’t half come out with some rubbish y’ know.” (Act 2, Scene 2) This shows us her changing attitude towards them and how she now thinks of them as being youthful and not as sophisticated as she thought. She now thinks of herself to be more sophisticated, ” …he was an idiot, his argument just crumbled.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Rita adopts a new middle class language, by talking in Standard English, which Frank is surprised to hear. Russell incorporates this to show the audience how her elevation in status is developing yet not quite complete, as this alteration is false. This again is showing to the audience her change in character and how she is desperately trying to improve her life by aspiring to enter middle class.
Rita: “ I thought reading was supposed to be good for one.” (Act 1, Scene 3)
Rita’s body language changes like her language, in that her confidence and self-esteem is growing. , It makes me stronger comin’ here.” (Act 1, Scene 4) In the beginning encounter that she had with Frank she was nervous, “She half-laughs”, showing she is uncomfortable in this environment. Also she was not confident with the course and was thinking about giving it up, “If I pack it the course in I’ll post it to y’.” (Act 1, Scene 1) This is visual to audience as well as hearing it showing her change. Russell included this crucial point so that the audience can see the change as well as hearing it. Her self-assured body language is seen in the last scene.
“She lights a cigarette and moves across to the filing cabinet and places a Christmas card with the others already there.” (Act 2, Scene 7)
Rita’s appearance changes when she comes back from summer school, as she comes back as a new character in the final act.
“Rita is dressed in new, second-hand clothes. She takes off her shawl and gives it to Frank.” (Act 2, Scene 1)
The clothes show that times and class has changed (lapsed) a break. The clothes, when described in the play, are told to be second hand and new. It is new showing the change in character, although the fact that it is second-hand shows that resistance is still there. This resistance is probably the fact she is finding it difficult to change and enter another class, but the resistance that she had from her husband has now gone. The fact she is wearing a shawl shows how her clothes are now modern with an individual look and it is something more classy people would wear, showing how she is changing.
The dress is a symbol mentioned a lot throughout the play and means various things. Firstly the dress is significant in the fact that she uses the it as a way of making her happy when she is discontented and it also fills a void in her life, that she is also trying to fill by elevating her status through education. That void is of being middle class and having a meaning for life instead of doing what her family and culture expect her to.
Rita: ”It’s really temptin’ to go out an’ get another dress y’ know, it is.”
(Act 1, Scene 2)
Rita was aware that she wanted more- there was “always somethin’ in me head… tellin’ me I might have got it all wrong,” but because of peer and family pressure to conform she would “…buy another dress an’ stop worryin’.” (Act 1, Scene 3)
The dress also symbolises her success and achievement in the end of the play, shown to the audience by Frank giving this dress to her, as she is now happy and understands what she really wants. The audience see that she finishes achieving her goals through the dress Frank gives her.
Frank: “I bought it some time ago-for erm- for an educated woman friend- of mine…” (Act 2, Scene 7)
The dress is a key symbol used in the play and is significant in all these ways.
The marital problems from before no longer slow down Rita’s studying, as she leaves her old life with Denny. She also knows she is developing, but she thinks it’s for the better.
Rita: ”I see him looking at me sometimes and I know what he’s thinking, he’s wondering where the girl he marries has gone to. (Act 1, Scene 5)
When Rita was with Denny she wouldn’t be initiating conversation and would find it hard to try and have an education. This is seen in him burning her books, as he is against her education, due to her age and her gender.
Frank: “What’s wrong. Couldn’t you just come in prepared to start work? Where’s your essay?
Rita: “It’s burnt.” (Act 1, Scene 5)
This is because she is meeting resistance from Denny and her culture, but she uses education to overcome her background and break away from the stereotypical image of women, to “…stay home and have babies.” She has a role to be a wife- staying home and doing the housework and a mother- having and looking after babies, whilst Denny is supposed to be the breadwinner, stereotyped by society. This is why Denny would be resisting her obtaining an education, therefore she would find it difficult to change, as society and her culture is an obstacle she has to overcome and she thinks of society to be very stereotypical to women. By contrast she stereotypes the working class culture, when she doesn’t want to be a stereotypical woman in working class culture, “Do you mean like that working- class culture thing?” (Act 1, Scene 4)
Her culture is forcing her to change herself, which she does through education. Class conflict is created, due to this cultural change she is acquiring. This class conflict is seen in the misunderstanding between the two classes. There is a lot of confusion created between both Frank and Rita and you can tell that they are both from two different classes, due to the fact they misunderstand each other frequently.
Frank: “You are?” Rita: “What am I?” Rita: “Pardon?” (Act 1, Scene 1)
Rita is being educated, so she can have more choices, as she doesn’t want Denny to make choices for her like Denny wanting her to have a baby. This is why she wants to break away from the stereotypical image envisioned by him.
Rita:” He thinks we have a choice already, choice between Everton an’ Liverpool, choosing which washing powder... I told him I’d only have a baby when I have choice, but he doesn’t understand.” (Act 1, Scene 5)
From this we can see that she has a logical way of thinking as she wants to “discover meself first,” before having a baby, so it could have a better life than her and also we can see that also Rita’s mother says that she could have a better life in the pub scene.
Rita: “She said, ‘we could sing better songs than those’, that’s why I came back. (Act 1, Scene 7)
Her mother knows that there is more to life than what they are doing, unlike Denny who is completely fulfilled with his life. We can also see that her mother once shared the same dream as her and wants a better life. This is why this scene is a turning point in her development and she goes back to education, to get a better life, therefore doesn’t want to give up the course and is more determined then ever to get an education. Rita is indicating that she doesn’t want to remain with the values and choices that those within her family are satisfied with. Education is the only way Rita can fulfil her desire to overcome the working class background she has been born into.
Russell uses Frank deliberately as a way of showing how Rita is changing. At the beginning of the play he was uninterested in teaching her as he prejudged her to be like his other dreary students, “…some silly woman’s attempt to get into the mind of Henry James” (Act 1, Scene 1), but this changes to when he sees her true self and describes her as, “a first breath of fresh air,” showing how he has grown fond of her and he thinks of her to be unique to what he’s used to. He likes the fact that Rita doesn’t have high expectations of him unlike the other students. She shows him how eager and determined she is to learn. It also shows her innocence and freshness at the beginning of the play. From Frank’s point of view at first he clearly thinks of her in a rather superior way, but comes to realise that for all her crudity she is a far more ‘authentic’, ‘alive’ person than he is, and someone to be admired.
Rita: “Would she be jealous?”
Frank: ”If she knew I was at the theatre with an irresistible thing like you.” (Act 1, Scene 5)
Although Rita feels that the change within her brought about by education is for the best, Frank feels responsible for Rita’s loss of individuality. Frank sees Rita’s change as the creation of a monster:
“You know, Rita, I think- I think that like you I shall change my name; from now on I shall insist upon being known as Mary, Mary Shelley- do you understand that allusion, Rita?” (Act 2, Scene 5)
The suggestion is that Frank has created the Rita who stands before him and whom he has now lost influence. It is a symbol of what Frank thinks of Rita’s change. Also the more that Rita is changing the less she needs Frank around her. Frank does not like this change in her and he thinks that she is pretending to be something she’s not.
Frank: “Found a new song to sing have you.” (Act 2, Scene 4)
Frank is also trying to look after her, as he does not want her to turn out like him, unhappy and his other students, as he likes her originality and doesn’t want her to change.
Frank: “... you will have to abandon your uniqueness in order to pass examinations. I’m going to have to change you.” (Act 1, Scene 8)
This changes later on to how there is a role reversal, where Frank tries to speak like the old Rita in Colloquial language, “Sod them- no, fuck them,” (Act 2, Scene 5) He adopts Rita’s old way of talking to remind her of her roots and get her individuality back by recapturing the past, because he wants to fell needed again. Also she seems to have completely forgotten this in acquiring to change.
Also Rita’s attitude towards Frank changes from thinking Frank a kind of god, “…you’re a crazy mad piss artist, an’ I like you,” (Act 1, Scene 1) to seeing that he is a very limited and helpless character, from seeing her life as a trap to embracing the challenge of the new world. She realises he needs her more than she needs him, as he begins to deteriorate in character.
Rita: If you could stop pouring that junk down your throat in the hope that it’ll make you feel like a poet you might be able to talk about things that matter.” (Act 1, Scene 4)
Russell also reveals change to the audience in her changing her name. At first Rita shows off about her name taken from the author of Ruby Fruit jungle, “I’ve called myself Rita after Rita Mae Brown” but then is ashamed off it and then rebuilds her identity before our very eyes in the course of the play, to the extent of actually changing her name to the original, ‘Susan’. This is because she is trying to get rid of her working class roots and fit in with the other students and middle class people, as they wouldn’t have a name such as Rita, ”Nobody calls me Rita but you”. She is trying to pull herself out of the life that is dreary pubs and babies by changing her name. Also she realises that Ruby Fruit jungle is not proper literature to all the educational books she’s read, “It’ hardly of excellence,” and as a result of this changes her name. Also she is turning over a new leaf and wants to leave her old world. She sets a goal, the new Rita, and works away at it, succeeds, and then moves into a new life away from her old contacts, full of confidence in this new self.
Frank mocks how she has changed her name and also continues to call her Rita to remind her of her roots that he thinks she has forgotten and the fact that he doesn’t want her to change. There is also some confusion about her name on the phone when talking to Trish, “Is Rita White there… No I mean Susan White,” showing how he still thinks of this change in name as unreal. He is still pretentious and is saying that Rita is trying to be something she isn’t, as he says educated authors’ names:
Frank: “What is it now then? Virginia? Or Charlotte? Or Jane? Or Emily?
Rita’s thoughts and attitudes are also revealed to be changing throughout the play through Russell showing to the audience the different perceptions she has of the working class and the students. Initially Rita hates the working class, but she doesn’t include herself. She is wavering between the two classes. Rita suggests that she belongs neither to the people she has always lived with, nor to the kind of people at Frank’s party and so couldn’t go to the party because she felt insecurity and was afraid of self-presentation. She goes to the pub due to lack of confidence and education.
Rita: “I can’t talk to the likes of them on Saturday, or them out there, (referring to students) because I can’t learn the language. I’m a half-caste. (Act 1, Scene 7)
Towards the end she becomes more confident and comfortable with herself and her self-esteem has grown. Russell shows this change to the audience in her language. The fact that Rita has a choice and achieved what she wanted has shown her development and change as a character. She doesn’t think of herself as half-caste at the end when she finally accepts she’s working class, “I dunno. I might go to France, I might go to me mothers, I might even have a baby. I’ll make a decision. I’ll choose.” (Act 2, Scene 7) She is showing she hasn’t forgotten her roots and is not ashamed to admit her working class culture. Russell is also showing us how she is accepting and has a changing attitude towards the working class culture and society through this as well, as at first she was very harsh in relation to them, “…we’ve got no culture.” She thought working class culture isn’t really a culture and thought there is “no meaning to life.” By the end she realises education and being middle class isn’t everything. It just surfaces other things in life, “I know what clothes to wear, what wine to buy, what books to read.” (Act 2, Scene 6)
Symbols are a way recurring way Russell represents indirectly to the audience Rita’s change in character. It is very important in showing audience her change in character. Many symbols have been mentioned already such as, the door, the window and the dress, however one that hasn’t been mentioned is the essay.
In the beginning of the play he says her essay was “… worthless but wonderful.” (Act 1, Scene 8) This shows how he thinks the essay is worthless in teaching and academic terms, but wonderful if he judges it as a person for her originality that she shows in her essay. Her essay’s change, showing her development:
Frank: “Oh-it-erm-wouldn’t look out of place with these.” “He places it on top of a pile of other essays on his desk.” (Act 2, Scene 3)
Russell used this to symbolise that she has developed in an academic way. Everything he aimed to teach she knows now. The essay fits in with the other students’ if not is better than theirs, and so is placed on the top of the pile. By contrast it is wonderful in academic terms now.
When Rita comes back from summer school she believes she is educated and tells Frank how she stood up and asked a question in front of the others. When she comes back her language sounds more educated in that she begins to use metaphors and similes, “A room is like a plant. It needs air.” (Act 2, Scene 1)
Rita neglects telling Frank that she has left the hairdresser’s and begun working in a bistro because she doesn’t think of it as being important,” It’s just boring, insignificant detail,” (Act 2, Scene 4) which she wouldn’t have said before, showing how much she has changed by the final act. She changed her job because she thought she could talk in the bistro about more important things, however as an audience know this alteration in job is no better that working in an hairdresser’s, as it is still working class. She was trying to get away from wage- labour in the hairdresser’s, but they can’t pay her much more in a bistro, therefore this alteration like her speech is false. She thinks that her old job was unfulfilling and not challenging.
Rita: “…these women, you see, they come to the hairdresser’s cos they wanna be changed. But if you want to change y’ have to do it from the inside, don’t y? Know like I’m doin’.” (Act 1, Scene 1)
She was discontent and that is why she decided to change jobs, but working in a bistro is no better to working in a hairdresser’s.
Rita moves in with a roommate Trish, who influences her in many ways to change her speech, behaviour, thoughts and so on:
Rita: “As Trish says there is not a lot of point in discussing beautiful literature in an ugly voice. (Act 2, Scene 2)
Rita believes her to be of high class and that she is happy in her life. When Trish tries to commit suicide Rita realises that she misjudged Trish because of her class, thinking that because she is middle class she is happy. Her changed attitude towards Trish is the source of her changing attitudes to middle class. All that she thought of Trish to be, as she looked up to her very highly, was false.
Rita: “I came home the other night an’ she’d tried to top herself. She spends half her life eating healthy foods to make her live longer and the other half tryin’ to kill herself.” (Act 2, Scene 7)
This is also true of Frank because at first she also thought of him to be very highly, but then this view that she had changed. When both characters begin to deteriorate, Frank being an alcoholic and Trish when she commits suicide, her view of them and middle class changes, ”…I thought she was so cool an’ together (Act 2, Scene 7) This is because Frank and Trish represent the middle class elite and she realises that this outside middle class view that she had envisioned of them is fictitious.
This is also reflecting how Rita is now thinking that she should stop wasting her time trying to change classes if she is just going to be unhappy in the end.
By the final act she has changed in appearance after summer school, job as she is working in a bistro, changed her language to Standard English, chats to students on warm summer lawns, begins to appreciate Blake at an intensely exciting summer school and now has roommate Trish who plays a key part in trying to change her, but in the end showing her middle class is not what she expected it to be, as the way she had stereotyped the middle class was not the way it really was. She thinks she is a new person, which is really the confident old Rita, with education and sophistication added (which she realises at the end).
She re-adopts her colloquial working class language in the final scene showing how she is not critical or ashamed of her working class roots, showing that she hasn’t forgotten them, “He’s a bit of a wanker really.”
By the final scene she realises that her high expectations can’t all be fulfilled. She realises that some of her changes in character are false and realises that being middle class isn’t everything and she can’t be completely fulfilled by being middle class, as seen by her changing attitude to Trish. Rita knows that the value of education goes far beyond simple intellectual enlightenment. She realises that she now has choices to do what she wants, “I had a choice. I chose to do the exam.” (Act 2, Scene 7)
She finishes achieving her goals and the audience see this, as mentioned before, by the dress she receives from Frank and also is seen in the extreme increase of her self-esteem. At the end of the play Rita has turned from an old fashioned girl to a modern, independent young woman, who thinks and acts for herself. She was determined to control her own life and make her own choices, using education to do this and achieved it by the final act.
In conclusion from the evidence it would seem apparent that Russell reveals to the audience her change in character, in her changes in entrance in the scenes, which settle down and become less abrupt. Also her speech and language change to being less direct and like her entrances settle down. Also indirectly symbols, which are repeated throughout the play, link in with all these key points revealing this change in character. Also Frank’s response to this change and her behaviour changes in that she changes her name, job, and attitudes reflecting this. The audience see how much she has changed by the end in all these ways. Education entirely changes Rita, which though she is prepared for a change, affects her life enormously.