In the first few paragraphs we learn what Irene’s character is really like. As Bennett writes the play as a dramatic monologue, Irene talks to us in a type of soliloquy; she tells us all her thoughts her feelings. Everything is from her perspective and from the beginning Bennett shows us how disapproving and critical Irene can be. When she notices the men smoking in the chapel of rest, Irene mixes a snobbish tone with a colloquial tone: “skulking in the rhododendrons with tab-ends in their mouths”. The mix of tone tells us that Irene is making an effort to be a higher class than she actually is, which is shown in the colloquial language.
Irene is obsessed with writing mostly critical and threatening letters to people. An example of this is when she is visited by the police who ask her about her letter writing, “ was it you who wrote to the chemist calling his wife a prostitute?”
Her obsession is echoed in the title of the play ‘A Lady of Letters’ because her writing is the only link she has to the outside world. When Irene says “it’s stood me in good stead has this pen,” “it’s been a real friend,” we understand that the pen may be her only friend and once again symbolises her loneliness, as well as being the instrument of all the trouble she causes. We also find out that Irene has lost her mother and this will obviously contribute to the loneliness, which is undoubtedly the biggest theme of this play. “She lost her mother around the time I lost mine,” accompanied by little mention of any other family suggests to us that Irene has no other close relatives left in her life; she is on her own.
Bennett makes Irene seem a very ordinary, mundane character in his use of language. Irene uses colloquial language as well as trying to make herself seem superior by adopting a snobbish tone; Bennett called this a ‘metropolitan voice’ and a ‘provincial voice’. For much of the monologue Irene talks to the audience in this colloquial tone, using words and phrases such as, “kiddy”, “radio going hammer and tongues”, whilst also using her ‘metropolitan voice’: “could I interject?”
Irene can be described as an unreliable narrator as we see things from her point of view only. She misleads us about her neighbours, making us believe that they abuse their “kiddy” and leave the child on its own when they go out. It comes as a surprise to us when we find out that the “kiddy” had died of leukaemia and the parents were out visiting the child in hospital. This makes us feel somewhat ashamed of Irene’s actions, as she couldn’t have been further from the truth. Our opinion of Irene suddenly changes; Bennett has manipulated our sympathies. When Irene talks about the neighbours, it acts as the climax to the scene and is usually followed by a blackout. This is cleverly used by Bennett so that little information is discovered about the family and the subject changes, so we do not consider many possibilities.
Later on in the play, Bennett describes Irene at home looking out of her window again. He cleverly introduces dramatic irony to the scene as we become aware that Irene has forgotten her letter writing boundaries and she is heading towards trouble once again, “he wants reporting”. Her judgemental side shows once again as she writes herself into bother.
Bennett presents Irene as a lonely woman with no family who is isolated behind the curtains of her bay window. Many parts of the play draw attention to this loneliness.
“That’s why these tragedies happen, nobody watching,” and “At least it’s an outing,” are just two extracts that reveal her seclusion and solitude. The fact that Irene sits and looks out of her window all day watching and disapproving of her neighbours simply underlines her confinement. Bennett also applies satire to show how others judge Irene and it is not just she who criticises others, but also the doctor, the vicar and the social workers. The doctor fails to realise Irene’s problem and gives her more pills instead of taking his time to assess her. The vicar simply ignores her when she says she is an atheist, saying “ I shall look upon you as a challenge.”
The social workers agree with everything that Irene says and try to relate it to their own problems, the last thing Irene wants to hear about, “I think it’s just chiming in.”
We don’t realise how Irene really feels until near the end of the penultimate scene. She refers to the rule of novels, “ then you can bank on it happiness is just around the corner,” comparing this to her life, “whereas in life you can say you’re never going to be happy and you never are happy.”
At this point the tone changes as Irene sums up her life in a sentence, “but this is it-it’s been my go.”
Irene is at her lowest point; her life has been wasted and empty. The play becomes powerful and moving as we discover how sad Irene really is. Bennett manipulates our sympathies once again and we feel sorry for Irene as she tells us how miserable she really is. This dramatic, shocking tone as a sharp contrast to that of the final scene; Bennett leaves this to the penultimate scene to ensure a happy ending.
The stage directions of the final scene totally change the mood of the play. From being lonely and isolated, Irene is now “Radiant” and “speaks very quickly”. Irene is now in prison. She is wearing a tracksuit, which implies relaxation. She appears to have hobbies such as dressmaking and bookbinding, symbolising that she no longer has nothing to do.
Irene’s new roommate Bridget killed her child when she was drunk and upset. Bennett shows us that Irene is a changed woman because she doesn’t accuse Bridget of any crime but sympathises with her. Ironically, when Irene talks to Lucille she brings up the subject of freedom, “This is the first taste of freedom I’ve had in years.” This reflects on all the years isolated in her house without the chance of getting to meet new people and making friends. Her happiness in prison is ironic because earlier in the play she describes prison as a “holiday camp.”
Now she has many thinks to do and many friends to talk to, all her frustration has gone. She can now use her writing skills to her benefit. Irene has become close to the audience’s hearts and although she has been judgemental and snobbish we now hope for a happy end for her.
The final scene ends on a fade out to conclude the play and make the tone feel more optimistic. Also, it shows that Irene life is fulfilled and a fade out is a gentle way to end, rather than an abrupt black out. Bennett wants the audience to respond to Irene by feeling delight when she finds freedom and feeling relief that Irene is happy in the end, summed up by the words, “and I’m so happy”.