The exchange that follows shows how their backgrounds frequently lead Frank and Rita to confuse each other, which is one of the main sources of comedy in the play. An expression such as “And you are?” is one not usually used in ‘working class’ situations - so Rita mistakes it’s meaning, and answers “I’m a what?”. Frank then finds the form with Rita’s name on it, and we then discover that ‘Rita’ is a pseudonym. The reason for this could be Susan White’s desire to make a fresh start, and therefore choosing a new name to do it under. This resolution is somewhat marred by the source of the name she adopts – imitating Rita Mae Brown, the author of a ‘fantastic’ yet undeniably trashy novel. This illustrates Rita’s initial inability to differentiate between books and literature, a skill that she learns later on. However, most of the play deals with (not so surprisingly) educating ‘Rita’; that is, the person Susan White decided to become and indeed developed into - so for the purposes of this essay she will remain Rita.
Our idea of the stereotype is quickly unravelled as Rita begins to comment on different issues. She makes witty observations such as “degrees for dishwashers” - commenting on the fact that the Open University will take anyone on for a course - which, along with her inquisitive questions and obvious desire to learn, lead us to realise that she is an intelligent (albeit poorly educated) woman. More about this education is learned in Act One Scene Two, where Rita describes her schooling as “ripped up books, broken glass everywhere, knives an’ fights” and explains how peer pressure and what was expected of her by her family led her to fall into the view that “studyin’ was just for the whimps” and that she couldn’t be different from her friends. Rita then describes what she was expected to be ‘into’ – that is, music, clothes, and “lookin’ for a feller…the real qualities of life”, and when she realised that she could be living a more (intellectually as well as personally) fulfilling life; “y’ have to decide…a change of dress or a change in yourself”. This is one of the turning points in the play – perhaps the main one, as the others are stages in Rita’s education, where she attains the next level of understanding in her search to find ‘herself’. The motif of the ‘new dress’ is used repeatedly in the play, to illustrate the shallowness of the encouraged working class viewpoint. We get the impression that Rita, although opinionated and clever, lacks the tools and skills with which to express herself in a conventional way.
The main purpose of the first scene is to introduce the audience to the two main characters, and to show how their relationship begins – in fact gets off to a flying start. The saying that opposites attract is displayed to the full in this case. Rita and Frank, despite their class difference, are comfortable with each other almost immediately. This gives us an insight into how their friendship is based on mutual understanding that goes beyond education and backgrounds, and means that they are still friends at the end of the play. Frank is struck by Rita’s enthusiastic, honest attitude, and describes her as “the first breath of fresh air in this room for years”. Despite this understanding, Frank still treats Rita with perhaps less respect than she deserves. He learns to appreciate her more later on – but in the earlier scenes is still amazed by her lack of knowledge. He perhaps does not realise this – and his slightly patronising attitude may be due to a subconscious knowledge of the class divide between them. When Rita asks, quite suddenly, what assonance is (a basic technique), Frank laughs, perhaps before he has thought about it. We see that Rita, although aware of her deficiency in factual knowledge, is still proud – “Don’t laugh at me”. The difference in class – although not providing much of a barrier for Rita and Frank in most cases – is nevertheless evident as they talk about different issues. There are more of those misunderstandings that Russell uses to create comedy in the situation, and these lighten the tone of the play and make it more accessible.
“As soon as I walked in here I said…‘He’s a Flora man’”
“A what?”
“A Flora man.”
“Flora? Flowers?”
“No…the bleedin’ margarine…for people like you”
As they carry on talking, Frank realises how eager and enthusiastic Rita is, and how much this step means to her. His insecurities are shown when he refuses to tutor her further, on grounds of inadequacy, even though the audience perhaps can already sense how much they can learn from each other. For, despite being opposites, they are in fact similar in one fundamental way; indeed, a way that is one of the main themes of the play; both are struggling to be released from the constraints of their social class. Rita is fed up of the (almost expected) shallowness of the working class and lack of choice she has in her life. The future strength of their relationship is indicated by how well it has started – and Rita’s refusal to have a different tutor.
Rita’s education then begins in earnest. We see just how much she has to learn by the standard and style of her first essays, which are subjective and appreciative rather than critical. She also refuses to read Howard’s End further when she is insulted by his apparent disregard for the needs of the poor; she is seeing the issue from a Marxist viewpoint and has to learn to interpret the literature without sentimentality – “Literature can disregard the needs of the poor”, as Frank explains. The themes of Howard’s End are in fact similar to those of Educating Rita – class division and differences; and Rita must overcome these to achieve her goal. As the first act progresses, each scene starts with Frank feeding back to Rita about an essay she has written in the intervening period, an effective method of showing the passage of time. Although Rita is learning new things with each visit to Frank, she is taking them too literally. She then reproduces what she takes as his meaning faithfully in her next piece of work, perhaps without considering the meaning of his teachings. This is because she is still in awe of Frank, despite the rapport they have built up together, and tries to copy him in any way she can (although this does not diminish her sense of humour). We see why Rita is so frustrated with her life in the working class in Act One Scene Four – with she and Frank’s discussion of “working class culture”
“…Cos there’s no meanin’…There’s like this sort of disease…as though it’s normal…vandalism an’ violence an’ houses burnt out…y’know the people who are supposed to represent [us], y’know the Daily Mirror an’ the Sun, an’ ITV an’ the unions…they just tell [people] to go out an’ get more money…buyin’ new dresses all the time…so the disease is covered up”
She then goes on to say how “art an’ literature, it feeds me, inside”, and how this helps her escape the stereotypes that contemporary organisations claiming to support the working class impress on them. The unions of the time did indeed try to do this, and were very powerful under the Labour government of the seventies. The ‘winter of discontent’ meant there was a recession, economic crisis, and unemployment. The working class suffered greatly during this time, yet Rita is commenting on how the unions and other ‘representatives’ of them were telling the masses to ignore it and amuse themselves with shallow pursuits. Rita is fed up with this pettiness and believes education will help her escape it. Frank then takes this speech of Rita’s and uses it as an example to show her the meaning of one of Forster’s phrases that she did not understand initially; ‘only connect’. This helps her to begin trying to understand Frank’s teachings less literally and discover them for herself.
It is at this point in the play that we start to learn how Rita’s husband, Denny, is opposed to the idea of her being educated. He does not really understand or want to know what she is trying to do, and embodies the views of the working class. The first sign of trouble in his and Rita’s relationship is when he burns her books. Frank then tries to dissuade her from continuing with the course, as he sees it as the beginning of “art and literature [taking] the place of life”. However, Rita is determined to continue, as she sees it as her only method of escape from her class.
We see literature first coming to life for Rita when she sees her first professionally performed play, Macbeth. Her excitement at this significant experience is evident from her dramatic entrance and breathless account of what she had seen. From this point in the play, Rita also ‘discovers’ culture, and starts going to art galleries and theatres. Frank is moved to invite her to a dinner party he is having, and to Rita this represents her first taste of middle-class life – and therefore a very important opportunity. But in fact the dinner party does not affect her positively, for when she decides not to go to dinner at Frank’s – and then tries to go to the pub as she used to, she realises that she does not fit in at either. It impresses on her that she is now at a ‘half-caste’ stage, between one class and the other. She is faced with a crucial choice – should she abandon her education and perhaps her only chance of self-fulfilment; or press on and alienate herself further from the background that she knew. This is the major turning point in the entire play, and her decision is made when Frank describes her Macbeth essay as “both wonderful and worthless”, and that he will have to change her in order to pass examinations. Rita, despite Frank’s reluctance to force her to abandon her uniqueness (although this is mainly why he liked her in the first place), decides to continue towards her aim. The scene therefore ends significantly with a statement of Rita’s absolute determination: “an’ we start again”.
Rita’s renewed resolution is represented by a new act; and her enthusiasm seemed doubled by her visit to summer school. Her new clothes symbolise this new start; although they are still second-hand, as if she does not quite feel as if she is completely transformed. The most important tie to her 'old life’ has been cut; she has left Denny, and moved in with Trish, who is ‘dead classy’ and provides her with another example to aspire to. She also tries to get Frank to come out and sit with the students on the grass, but this time it is Frank holding her back. When he refuses, she tries to open the window, but cannot, meaning that she has not quite overcome all barriers yet. However, more importantly, Rita is preparing to move forward in her development (she is no longer wary of the students, symbolising the class she is trying to join) – but Frank seems to be moving backwards and declining as Julia, his partner, leaves him. Therefore Frank and Rita remain opposites, and still have a strong relationship. Frank’s affection for Rita could be in part behind this; he does not want to see the old Rita, who he found so refreshing, go.
Despite Frank’s efforts, in the next few scenes, this is what appears to be happening. Rita can now discuss literature in an increasingly conventional way, and has started talking to the students on the grass without apprehension; indeed, argues with them, as if she no longer thinks of them as above her. They accept her as one of their own, and even invite her on holiday with them. This shows that all barriers between Rita and the social class the students represent have disappeared – but this seems to be drawing Rita further from Frank. Frank finally realises this and asks her to analyse a piece of his own poetry. The audience feels that this is a test, to see how much Rita has changed. We feel that the Rita of the first act would have “dismissed it as a heap of shit”; yet this Rita ‘understands’ it and recognises the allusions. This brings home to Frank how much she has changed, and results in a heated exchange between the two. Rita is angry because she thinks that the only reason for this is that Frank can no longer look down on her – “y’can no longer…watch me stare back in wide-eyed wonder…I know what clothes to wear, what books to read”. It is at this point that the audience are made to wonder whether she has in fact developed at all, or just found a different “song to sing”; or indeed, merely another new dress, just in a middle-class style – a question echoed by Frank. The scene ends with the question unanswered; Frank calls out the names of ‘classical’ female writers when he discovers Rita has abandoned her ‘trashy’ pseudonym, mockingly.
The final scene encompasses just how Rita has developed; she has thought over the argument and Frank’s imminent departure helps her realise that she doesn’t want him to leave thinking of her as the last scene ended. For Rita has in fact changed again. The heated exchange with Frank; her examination pass; and, importantly, her flatmate’s attempted suicide have all contributed to her final attitude and personal growth; and she has achieved what she wanted. The fact that Trish, someone she looked up to and regarded as content with her life, tried to commit suicide showed her that those in the middle class do not have perfect lives (as she once thought), and that student (symbolic of the middle class) are flawed like anyone else. This leaves Rita (or Susan as she has by this time reverted to) with a sense of perspective, and, ultimately, choice – her main objective. She has also pleased Frank by becoming who she wanted be and more – a thing she wanted out of gratitude to him for helping her reach this point. Rita now can choose what she wants to do, and on this note the play ends; without a firm decision on the path she will take. This allows the audience to decide the ending for themselves, and the alternatives all seem happy ones – for Rita has, through her own self-discovery and Frank’s help, found ‘herself’.
