The fact that Shirley expected Marjorie to have a good job demonstrates how we all, even if only subconsciously, make judgements on what we see. This makes Willy Russell's views on stereotyping clear, that people's true personality's cannot be judged on a first impression, which is usually when the person is being stereotyped. Two women may possess the same stereotype of being a housewife, yet their lives would probably be totally different. Their qualities, morals and backgrounds would never be exactly the same.
During the play, Shirley realises that she wants to break out of her confining stereotype and discover herself, so she can blossom as a person. However, Shirley's controlling husband Joe is terrified of change. 'I always have me tea at six o'clock.' Willy Russell demonstrates how stereotypes that people are put in causes them to get 'stuck in a rut.' Joe, the chauvinistic male is a typical example of this. Everyday he goes to work, he comes home, watches television and always has his tea at a certain times. He hates the thought of going abroad as it is unfamiliar, 'I am not goin' to no Greece!'
Shirley on the other hand begins to want to break out of her housewife stereotype during the book and during the play we see the transition from a frumpy housewife to a single older woman. In Spain she starts to wear more flattering clothes, advice used to show her increasing confidence.
There is also a contrast between England and Spain. Where Shirley felt miserable the weather was rainy and dull but where Shirley feels happier the weather is sunny and pleasant.
Despite these dramatic changes, Willy Russell reminds us that breaking free of a stereotype isn't that easy. In Spain there is still an element of lonliness for Shirley. After Jane's feminsim has vanished when being asked out to dinner by a male admirer, Shirley is left alone and without her 'wall' she befriends a 'rock'. This reminds us that wherever you are in the world you can feel lonely, even in a crowd.
The audience gets a deeper understanding of Shirley from monologues, which reveal her inner-most thoughts and views, completely honest and untarnished. In some of her monologues she talks about her relationship with Joe, 'He used to love me because I was a nutcase. Now he just thinks I am a nutcase.' The fact that Shirley often talks to a wall is extremely sad because it shows how lonely this character is.
I get the strong impression that Willy Russell doesn't like how some marriages work. Shirley and Joe's boring routine is emphasised by the little dialogue that the two characters have between them.
There is a flashback of when the couple were happy and in love, decorating the kitchen to show the contrast of the present situation with the fresh marriage at the start. Another brilliant use of flashbacks is to show Shirley's school life. There is a scene where Shirley is treated with utter disrespect. When she gets an answer right, Shirley is accused of cheating. This seemingly insignificant event, however obviously has a huge impact on Shirley's life. The audience learns that this poor treatment caused the young Shirley to rebel. Thus any chances of a career disappeared for her and she grew up to be an unhappy housewife. This flashback is effective in showing how Russell feels about the unfair education system that was in place. Marjorie was favoured because she came from a 'better', wealthier background and Shirley was deprived of any opportunity becauses she was poorer.
This wrongful class system that Russell is trying to highlight is echoed when Shirley meets Marjorie at the Adelphi Hotel. Shirley looking bedraggled and soaked with rain is given a look of disapproval from a businesses man, as if she doesn't belong there. Whereas, Marjorie looking glamourous is given a smile of interest. This demonstrates how money and status go hand in hand in society, Marjorie doesn't dress like an average stereotypical prostitute so she isn't treated with the general disrespect that prositutes endure. The businessman is polite to Marjorie, although from the way he looked at Shirley snobbily I suspect he would not give the same respect to her if he knew that she was a prostitute.
Humour is another device used by Willy Russell. Shirley is quite a witty character. When talking about the residence of her son Brian in Kirkby, she describes it as 'Beirut on a bad day.' In one scene Shirley's comical side is used to ridicule the tourists and show the audience yet another stereotype, this time of a group of typical English tourists. They complain about Greece not being English enough, 'Because Greece, well it's all too Greek.' Shirley is angered by this, she says that the Greeks, 'were responsible for hte most important invention of all- the wheel' as opposed to the English who at the same time were, 'ploughin' up the earth with the arse bone of a giraffe!' This use of satire is an effect device because it shows the ignorance of an English stereotypical tourist in an amusing way, making this scene memorable to the audience.
Another kind of comedy, used throughout 'Shirley Valentine' is situation comedy. When Shirley unsuspectedly bumps into Gillian in a department store, holding a pair of lace pants, it is seemingly an embarrasing circumstance, but again Shirley's quick wit prevails. Casually telling Gillian about her lover, 'I shall be wearing them for...for my lover,' causes Gillian for once to be speechless in admiration for Shirley. When Gillian later gives Shirley an expensive robe, it is clear that Gillian's 'perfect' and superior lifestyle is simply a facade and that Gillian secretly desires a freer lifestyle, similar to how Shirley had been feeling. Although these two women are 'labelled' with two different stereotypes, they both want to break free and are experiencing a similar emotion in feeling restrained by their stereotypes. Willy Russell proves that stereotypes really can't define a personality or any emotion a person may feel.
The audience benefits from the many different dramatic devices used in 'Shirley Valentine' to emphasise his views and the themes in the play, including lonliness and change. The humourous way that Willy Russell portrays the issues and his opinions of society is effective because it makes the audience reflect on society, yet it is still entertaining. From the play's issues, I re-considered how I myself, among others stereotype people I don't know. I personally found 'Shirley Valentine' entertaining and also thought-provoking.
