However, when Billy first arrives on stage some aspects agree with his family comments, whereas some don’t.
His idleness is confirmed with how he is dressed as he enters.
‘(He is wearing an old raincoat over his pyjamas. He is smoking a cigarette)’ (Act 1: 92)
This shows that Billy doesn’t take any pride in his appearance and cannot be bothered either. On the other hand, his language challenges that he is idle because he addresses his father and grandmother formally.
‘Good morning, father.’ (Act 1: 103) and ‘Your servant, ma’am’ (Act 1: 110).
However, this is also evidence of how Billy mocks his parents, showing his cheeky side. Nevertheless, the audience eventually see the real Billy as he responds to his fathers taunts and his mothers questions.
‘…I worry about the H-Bomb. You didn’t know I nearly went on the Aldermaston march last Easter, did you? I don’t want another war, you know. And what about all them refugees? You never stop to consider them, do you? Or South Africa.’ (Act 2: 823)
When Billy interacts with his family his attitude can vary. When he communicates with all his family around him at one time he often says things at the spur of the moment to get out of sticky situations that his family are questioning him on.
‘I’ve been offered a job in London. Script-writing’ (Act 1:198)
The audience doesn’t actually know if this is true or not because Billy doesn’t actually show any proof that he has the job. When Billy is in one to one situations with his family he often just replies to questions that he is being asked and is actually quite civil. This reveals how he is confused and doesn’t know what he wants to achieve from life.
Some of Billy’s characteristics are inherited off his family; such as his Dads short fuse as he can become impatient when people don’t listen to what he has to say. On the other hand, Billy is also different from his family because he likes to escape from them and his priorities are different from those of his family.
This complies with social and historical context because the younger generations were starting to pull away from tradition of looking and becoming like their mother and fathers. They wanted new things for themselves and they no longer had to be constricted by the class system as this was crumbling.
As the play continues, the audience becomes aware of Billy’s attitude to work and how unimportant it is to him. This is confirmed by Arthur; Billy’s friend; who also believes that Billy is idle and needs to pluck up his ideas.
‘You rotten idle crow! Some of us have done a day’s work already, you lazy get.’ (Act 1: 362)
Working in an undertakers symbolises that Billy doesn’t want to get anywhere in the life of work because it is considered as a dead end job. However, he makes out to be interested in working in London being a scriptwriter.
Billy and Arthur seem to be on the same wave length as when Billy answers the door to Arthur they act a little play between them
‘There’s trouble up at the mill…’ (Act 1: 340)
On the other hand, work plays a more crucial part in Arthur’s life than it does in Billy’s.
‘Why aren’t you at rotten work…You never turned in last Saturday either’ (Act 1: 365)
The audience sees how Billy acts around his friends and this shows development in his character because they get to see how Billy understands different types of people.
During this play the audience become aware that Billy actually has three girlfriends. This is more evidence to show how his character is confused about what he wants in life. His relationship with Barbara is similar to his relationship with his mother. It could be said that she is a mother figure as she is traditional and is also conventional. To Billy, Barbara offers him stability; a type of security almost that his mother provides for him. Whereas, Rita is completely different as she is promiscuous. So therefore Rita offers the physical side of a relationship to Billy because he only gets the emotional side off Barbara.
‘Billy, have you been – having relations with this girl?’ (Act 2: 928) However, his relationship with Liz isn’t yet clear to the audience.
Billy is unable to settle down with one of them because they all offer different things to Billy and yet he wants all of them characteristics in one women. This is all evidence again of Billy’s turmoil because he his still trying to decide what he wants from life; so its almost as though he is testing out all the different types of life and deciding on which one suits him best.
Billy’s character towards the end shows signs of development as he begins to trust other people; in this case Liz. Billy claims that he loves her and this time it does actually seem as though Billy is expressing his true feelings. Liz represents liberated ideas and so this shows that Billy wants to just get out there and enjoy life. It becomes noticeable that Billy respects and trusts Liz as he tells her many of his secrets.
‘…When I want to feel invisible. I’ve never told anybody. I have a sort of – well, it’s an imaginary country…’ (Act 3: 531)
By telling her this he demonstrates a sense of honesty and maturity showing that his character has developed from him once being idle and acting like a big kid.
‘His father comes home one morning at twelve o’clock and finds him playing with some plasticine.’ (Act 2: 682)
Florence’s death may have represented the crescendo of the play and the turning point for Billy to decide what he wanted in life. The death of his grandmother may have brought some home truths to the surface and makes him realise that it is time fro a fresh start. His character also shows some development because in the end he doesn’t actually go to London so this might show him being realistic and loyal to his family duties instead of running away from his problems.
Billy is constantly lying and Arthur can see straight through Billy’s acts. So when Billy makes out that he has a job in London Arthur doesn’t believe him because he has lied so many times before.
‘Yes, and we’ve heard that one before.’ (Act 1: 479)
‘I mean, if it isn’t another of your stinking lies!’ (Act 3: 374)
At times this gets Arthur angry because no matter what he says Billy just carries on lying and making things up.
Geoffrey emptying Billy’s cupboard could symbolise a fresh start for Billy as this cupboard hides Billy’s secret life. Consequently, when his dad opens it, it is as though all of Billy’s secrets are coming tumbling out which also links to him telling Liz his secret about his fantasy world.
The writers may have chosen this particular ending because it shows how Billy’s character as developed. This can be said because he wanted to be adventurous and to have freedom (liberated ideas) however, he has realised that he has got to be more responsible indicated by him coming back home instead of going to London. Consequently, Billy’s character has developed in many different ways and that he also starts to consider other people and things instead of always thinking about himself.
‘(He glances towards the ceiling, wondering if he is making too much noise, then crosses and switches off the radio.)’ (Act 3: 920)
