The character of Rita undergoes a metamorphosis in the play. What does she lose and what does she gain?
Educating Rita by Willy Russell tells the story of ‘Rita’ White a twenty six year old hairdresser, who is trying to gain an education at the Open University. Russell has written the whole story as a play with only two characters, Frank and Rita. All scenes are in Frank’s study and follow the dialogue between Frank and Rita. Russell wrote the play in the 1980s and it is somewhat autobiographical, it explores the structure of society and its link with education at a time when education was becoming available for all classes. In this essay, I will explore these issues by looking at the relationship of the two characters and the personal fulfilment each of the characters gets out of the relationship.
In the first scene, we are introduced to the play’s two main characters, Frank and Rita. Russell immediately creates these two characters as the antithesis of each other, Frank, the tutor, is a very intelligent, well-educated man. Rita is not as intelligent or intellectual as Frank; she comes across as very blunt and colloquial. She does not act as someone is expected to in the company of a stranger and she does not feel at all inferior to Frank. As soon as she enters the room, she takes a commanding role and is telling Frank what to do. Frank is shocked and surprised by this apparent role reversal with the student dominating the teacher. He immediately tries to regain his position of authority “You are?” This is a very upper class phrase and Rita, unused to such language takes this phrase literally, "What am I?” Frank gets confused and so it continues until Frank gives up and studies the admission papers. This confusion is comical, and importantly Russell has already shown us that it is useless for Frank to try to gain any authority over Rita, she is at the college because she wants to be and she is going to do things in her own way. Also, we are shown that Rita does not understand the principals of politeness and she does not yet see the clues to language. Rita does not recognise social etiquette at this stage of the play. Russell continues, through the scene emphasising the antithesis of these two characters. He uses differences in speech, literature, where they live, and even what television channels they watch to illustrate the opposites in ideas and status. As is typical of Rita in the beginning of the book she appears to have a lot of self-confidence, however I do not believe this brashness reflects her inner feelings but is merely a disguise for her true feelings and nervousness. In the next scenes, we learn more about the characters backgrounds, in particular the reasons behind Franks drinking and why Rita wants an education so much. We are also given more evidence showing us the differences between the two characters. Rita has named herself after an author. “Y’know, Rita Mae Brown who wrote Rubyfruit Jungle? It’s a fantastic book.” She has named herself after Rita Mae Brown whom is a pornographic author, and as Rita likes her books, she laughably adopts her name and believes she is making herself seem more sophisticated, once again showing her complete misunderstanding that sexually explicit novels are classified as good literature. Such an action again indicates her naïve outlook and lack of literary awareness at the beginning of the play. To further emphasise Rita’s social position within the novel Russell has given her character a non standard vocabulary. In the early scenes particularly, Rita uses many expletives such as “sod”, “piss”, and “crap”. She misses of vowels and consonants of words; “Y’” meaning you, “D’ Y’” meaning do you and “‘cos” meaning because. These elisions, as well as her colloquial language, “effing and blinding,” Stress her social position and are constantly directing the audience’s attention to her working class background. At the end of scene six Russell stages a very awkward conversation between Rita and Frank. Frank is asking Rita to a dinner party. The dialogue between them is very short and almost monosyllabic, “will you come?” “If y’ want.” This scene shows there is still an awkwardness between these two characters, Rita is seen as inadequate, they are not equal in their relationship. In the end Rita does not turn up for Frank’s dinner party. Rita argues that she wants to study and learn at the university, however Rita sees the middle class as totally different from herself, and although doesn't want to be working class, doesn't feel she will be accepted as middle class either. She has the idea that all middle class individuals are free, and stereotypes them, making sweeping generalisations. She assumes they all eat wholemeal bread, flora, and watch the BBC, as this is seen as more intellectually stimulating than ITV, the channel that many of the working class watch. This shows that she stereotypes certain groups of people from what she has heard, instead of her own views, she doesn't wait to get to know them before judging, she is still subjective.
