spring and port wine-themes of parenting and genaration gap

This incident starts off when Hilda refuses to eat her herrings, “I don’t really fancy my herring” however Rafe takes control of the situation by “quietly beckoning Daisy to sit”, this stage direction is effectively used to emphasise the influence of Rafe as he is the head of the house. Rafe and Hilda have a realistic argument concerning the herrings. Hilda becomes extremely annoyed as she brings her “share of the money” into the home. None the less, Rafe argues he never thought any less of her when she never “brought in ha’penny” and would love her the same even if she brought in “twenty pounds”. At this point Rafe is arguing over a principle and we see a good example of the generation gap and how the younger generation have different attitudes to money opposed to Rafe as we know he is careful with his money, “he puts the housekeeping money in the book and locks the desk”.

Rafe’s reaction is in such a way that he feels Hilda has disrespected him and feels irritated that Daisy has put so much effort into the preparation of the herrings. At this place in the scene there are different reactions towards Hilda from the rest of the characters. For example, Wilfred gives a look of “sympathetic support” showing he empathises considerably. Florence gives a “reproving glance” which highlights the fact she is on Rafe’s side which shows she is trying to show her maturity and rise above all her other siblings, and Daisy remains the peacemaker by giving a “comforting, motherly look”. Daisy’s parenting skills contrasts with Rafe’s conduct as he explains his kids were never “spoilt when young” and sets his standards and the theme of parenting is portrayed through the responsibilities he has to undergo as a parent, “feed…tend…work…an’ love ‘em” emphasising his task as the head of his family. Hilda’s immaturity is highlighted when she says, “why should I eat” and doesn’t understand Rafe’s anecdote of the “hunger marchers”. This is where the generation gap is involved, when the younger generation conflicts with the older generation and in this case doesn’t understand over Rafe’s principle of when “families go hungry”. Naughton uses this dramatic device in effect to highlight the generation gap and the theme of parenting. The theme of parenting is shown through the way both parents act differently to the herring incident also the generation gap is shown as when a child grows up they begin to develop their own ideas and thoughts and show arrogance towards the younger generation.

As a character Rafe tends to be isolated. This is because he has a lack of communication between his children, and he doesn’t show his true love and affection towards them. Rafe could be seen as someone who has more consideration for his money than his family, as he keeps it under “lock and key”. He speaks of his past experiences to make his children understand his principle just as he understood. We learn at the end of the play all he wants in a home is order. Hilda and Rafe are very much alike as they are both stubborn and the herring incident results in a much bigger argument, Rafe over reacts and Hilda shows resentment and anger as she helped pay for the food and feels she should have a choice. She doesn’t understand Rafe’s point and this is where we see generations clashing. Wilf and Harold are almost same as Hilda as they provide support and sympathy towards Hilda but again don’t really understand Rafe’s point, again showing the differentiation in generations. Florence shows the most maturity of the four children as she understands Rafe’s point and shows her support towards her father however, it can be argued she trying to seek attention from her parents by acting mature. Daisy remains the favourite parent and wants everyone to be happy. She always seems to be trying to satisfy Rafe’s expectations, the fact that she is described as a “contented housewife” and the home is “comfortable” and “prosperous” shows she works hard to maintain such a living.

In my own response to the play I think that the play is all about responsibilities. There is no ‘right’ way of bringing up children and parents learn from their own past experiences. Parents use their experiences to set rules to live by. In this case Rafe sets all the rules and is the disciplinarian; Daisy is the softer parent and the favourite. They are successful parents as a whole but; things go wrong because of the generation gap. As children grow up they become more independent and tend to clash with their parents because, they have a different set of values. Equally the parents and children need to understand each other; a successful family needs to communicate. Underlying resentments and feuds are often about something else or absolutely nothing.