Another main character we could place the blame on is Mrs.Johnstone. She may not be deceitful or vindictive like Mrs.Lyons, but we can prove that she is an easy target for blame as she is often taken advantage of, and is a very insecure character. Firstly, she with some minor doubts, agreed to Mrs.Lyons’ plan so quickly, that it leaves us to ponder that she had not considered all of the possibilities of the consequences that both her sons could face; a life without knowing they were twins, “Give one to you?....Are y’…are y’ that desperate to have a baby?”. By accepting Mrs.Lyons’ plan, as the key ingredient to implement her plan, Mrs. Johnstone could be indeed the one to blame for the twins’ deaths, as she gave one of her own baby’s away. The next point we could discuss is the fact that Mrs. Johnstone lies to her other children, to cover-up what she did, which instantly shows that she cannot even tell her own children the truth about their brother,
“Where’s the other twinny, mam?...He’s gone…up to heaven, love.” By not telling her own children the truth about their brother, Mrs. Johnstone could have felt that no-one would ever find out the truth, and the matter will be left alone, because if she did tell her children the truth, they might have wanted their brother back, the twins would know that they were twins, and they both may have not died. Was Mrs. Johnstone’s lies a reason for her being a capable suspect to blame, or did she just want to avoid the grief her other children would face, if they found out that they had another brother who was taken away? She also shows us later on in the play, that she still isn’t willing to let go of Edward, the twin who was given away, when she gives the locket to Edward, but tells him to keep it a secret, therefore showing that she is insecure about the truth, “Yeh, but keep it a secret, eh Eddie?...” Could this have been the cause of the twins’ death…that Mrs. Johnstone could not let go of her son, that she gave him a reminder of her? Lastly, we shall consider the most important point on Mrs.Johnstone, the fact that in all the chaos and rage between Mickey and Eddie, she screamed to them “Mickey. Don’t shoot Eddie. He’s your brother. You had a twin brother.” Mrs. Johnstone revealed the truth to her twins, not knowing the consequences of her words, and this may have been a possible reason for the twins’ deaths, as this could have led Mickey to shoot his brother, as he was jealous; “Why didn’t you give me away!...I could have been him”, resulting in Mickey thinking that he could have had Edwards life! Did Mrs. Johnstone say this to protect Edward, her son, or did she just have to let out the truth, after so many years, which she could hide no longer, resulting inadvertently in both deaths?!
We can now discuss a background character, Sammy, older brother of Mickey, as a potential, capable character of blame. Sammy, vehemently forced Mickey into a ‘job’, and Mickey accepted because he was desperately in need for money. Thus leading to Mickey getting caught, and being put into prison. If Sammy hadn’t forced Mickey to take the ‘job’, Mickey would not have been in this situation that he faced, and may not have let all of anger out on Edward, when released from prison. Sammy also influenced Mickey, as a child, and Mickey looked up to him as a role-model. This may have been the cause of the twins deaths, establishing that if Sammy had not influenced Mickey into crime and shooting at an earlier age, then Mickey may have not wanted to or would have thought of shooting Edward, “Y’ don’t get up again if one of these hits y’…it’s not a toy y’know (referring to the gun)”. Could Sammy, the dreadful influence, be blamed for the twins deaths, as he played a big part in Mickey’s life, who thought to resolve his issues in an unkindly manner, just as Sammy would have done?!
Fate, also known as destiny can be a peculiar subject. It could prove to be one of the aspects that are to blame for the twin’s deaths. We can primarily consider the option that was predestined; that Mrs. Johnstone would give her son away, that Mickey would fall in love with Linda, as well as Eddie, that Mrs.Lyons would point out to Mickey that Linda and Eddie were together, that both twins would die on the same day. This could mean that specific times and places were not coincidental, but were meant to be. We could also question who the Narrator really is; is he fate, as he narrates facts that are going to happen, such as at the beginning of the play, he says, “An’ did you never hear how the Johnstones died” as if he already knew. Is he a conscience, as he tells us what may be or is on a characters mind, or the devil, as he narrates bad things to occur, which then do, and we can see that he influences characters into doing terrible and spiteful things. This leads to whether he is merely showing us what happens throughout the play, or if he is actually controlling the play and characters, like a puppeteer, and could he have been in control of the twins deaths.
Superstition plays a big part in ‘Blood Brothers’, and could be blamed for the twins deaths. But was it meant to be there, so people believe in it, or was it put there by Mrs.Lyons, who used Mrs. Johnstones superstitious beliefs, to curse the twins, if they ever found out who they really were, or just to scare Mrs. Johnstone? “There’s shoes upon the table, an’ a spiders been killed, an’ a looking glass’s been shattered…” Superstition may exist in the play, as a obstacle, to keep the play going, and for the characters to avoid it, or as a plot for the story; the story could have been based on superstition. The main superstition occurs at the beginning and the end of the story, when Mrs.Lyons says to Mrs. Johnstone (preying on Mrs. Johnstone’s belief in superstition), that if the twins found out who they really were, they will both die. This could have been the cause of their deaths, as the superstition did come true, when they both found out that they were once a pair, and then they both end up dead. Could that one superstition said by Mrs.Lyons to scare Mrs. Johnstone been true, did it really happen? We can now see that fate and superstition could be blamed for the twins deaths, as they both lead to deception, and trickery, so they can also be blamed for many a other things.
Lastly, we can discuss, what is believed by many to be the main and most important influence in the play, the environment. We can consider for example, if Mickey was brought up as Edward, if he went to university, if he faced many better opportunities in life, then maybe he would not have ever felt depressed, worthless, and would have made something out of his life, rather than resulting in violence every time he is faced with a problem. So, could the tragic deaths be a result of the different environments, in which both twins were brought up in? Could Mickey have changed his life, if he was in Eddie’s shoes, or what would Eddie result to in Mickey’s shoes? Mickey, brought up in a deprived area, with little money and Edward brought up in a wonderful house, with lots of money and being spoilt, could explain the different decisions that they had to make, the different problems they faced, and the different opportunities they were given.
In conclusion, the person whom I believe is to blame for the tragic deaths of the twins, Eddie and Mickey, in Willy Russell’s ‘Blood Brothers’, is Mrs.Lyons. There were many other characters, which contributed to the blame, but I believe that Mrs.Lyons was the one who contributed the most. She was a malicious, manipulating, wicked woman which I think led her to be the character to blame for the deaths. Her actions, her rudeness to others, her lying, her cruelty of separating twins all confirm that she was indeed the main ‘devil’ of the play. “You gave your baby away. Don’t you realize what a crime that is. You’ll be locked up. You sold your baby.” Mrs.Lyons acted in the play, as though she could control everyone around her, which she did manage to achieve, as she controlled Mrs.Johnstone, lying to her that she could see her baby every day, to her husband, by showing others, such as Mickey, what would potentially harm them, or make them feel jealous or hateful, without realizing the consequences of her actions, and what she had done to others, even her own son. She had lied to her own son about who he really was, which I believe to be a very horrid act. Another and the most important reason I believe that she is to blame for the deaths, is the fact that she started all of the treachery and betrayal in the play, which led to many more fraudulent things, and the death of her son. I believe that if she had not started all of this, then no-one would be dead, no-one hurt, and no-one guilty.
