When Rita was younger she did not achieve a full education so she feels that her life is empty, she wants to find her inner self before she can move on with her life RITA: I don’t want to have a baby yet, I wants to find myself first, how can I look after someone else when I don’t know who I am?
Nobody understands her; she has no support from Denny (her boy friend) or her dad. Everyone around her is educated so it makes it harder to learn however on the other hand this makes her more dedicated towards her course at university. She is determined to learn and know everything to make her into a full educated woman.
After meeting Frank, Rita’s view for education has widened, she wants to learn everything there is too learn but doesn’t know where to start, she’s getting into the feeling as she began to become a proper student when she is being taught by frank.
FRANK: what do you want to know? RITA: everything FRANK: everything? That is rather a lot, isn’t it? Where would you like to start? RITA: well I’m a student now, aren’t I? I’ll have to do exams wont I?
After a while of going to Franks lectures, Rita’s personality begins to show that Rita is taking on all the things she is learning with frank on board as her attitude begins to change, she is starting to think like a educated women as well as feel like one. She rather would like to stay at home and read a book or write up a essay than go down to the pub with the rest of her family and get drunk RITA: I don’t want to go to the pub, I’ve got to do this frank, I’ve go to, I want to know about Chekhov.
Frank is a bright up man with manners; he is a well educated man with a wide range of vocabulary, he doesn’t understand some of Rita’s vocabulary but he is learning at the same time FRANK: what in the name of god is one being off his cake? RITA: soft you know mental FRANK: ah, I must remember that next time a student asks if Isabel archer was guilty of protestant masochism shall be told that one is obviously off his cake as on the other hand Rita was brought up in an urban environment where she was taught the slag vocabulary RITA: it’s all right, I know. Soon as I walked in here I said to myself, you can tell he’s a flora man FRANK: a what?
RITA: flora, flowers? Where as Frank was taught the formal English language and does not understand some of Rita’s words.
At Rita’s house, she lives with her boy friend Denny who hates the fact that she comes to the lectures at Franks office, he would rather like her to come to the pub than go to Franks office and learn, RITA: Denny tries to stop me coming here. He tries to get me to out to the pub with his mates, he hates me coming here. Rita’s cultural background it tough; she is the odd one out of her environment that wants to do something with her life than just go to the pub with her boy friend and her parents.
By going to Frank’s sessions her friends and family get annoyed that she is spending more time with Frank than her family. Frank’s cultural background isn’t as exciting as Rita’s; he is an old man that drinks alcohol a lot and doesn’t really know what’s going on in his surroundings. His life was very depressing until Rita had walked though the door and into his life. As the session got longer and Rita’s educating mass began to widen and her life had gotten better, she had finally moved out of Denny’s house where she was under a lot of pressure by her boyfriend which did not like her learning at all.
FRANK: where you going RITA: my mothers FRANK: what’s wrong? RITA: I got home from work and he had packed my case. He said either I stop coming here and come off the pill or I could get out altogether franks personal problems began to expand
she has also made new friend with people at the university which gave her a big step into being a proper student which she really wanted but when Rita’s life was getting better franks was getting worse and worse, his partner had left him and he had got into a lot of trouble at work because of his problems, he kept drinking and trying to teach but did not succeed at doing it STUDENT: sir are you drunk, FRANK: drunk? Of course I’m drunk. You really expect me to teach this when I’m sober?
As Rita gained more confidence in her own ability she did not need Frank’s help any more especially as she had met students around the university which she could relate to and go out with. Things have changed now, especially after summer school. FRANK: were you going? RITA: frank you are not in any fit state for a tutorial. We can talk next week. Rita doesn’t need to have tutorials with frank every week because she thinks she frank can’t teach her anything else that she doesn’t know about. Frank knows that Rita is educated enough that he can’t teach her but from all the session they had with each other frank had built up feelings for her and cares about her
FRANK: Be careful. RITA: what do you mean be careful? I can look after my self now and I can read what I want to read and understand without having to come to you every five minutes. Now that Rita is moving on Frank is becoming lonely like he was when he didn’t teach Rita the characters needs have changed, it not like the beginning of the play where Rita needed frank, now frank needs Rita FRANK: you don’t work at the hairdressers any more? RITA: no I left ages ago, I though I had told you I moved to Bristo FRANK: I care. Frank knows that she is changing into a different person that he wouldn’t like.
Frank has feelings for her, she’s not just a average student that he teaches he cares for her, after a while of having sessions with her he started giving her little messages in his language when he talks to her FRANK: Rita my dear – Rita be careful but on the other hand Rita’s gives Frank some of her own messages in her language that show that she is not interested and that he is too old for her. He always talks about her young friend and about Tiger one of her male friends
RITA: look for your information I do think Tiger is fascinating like I find a lot of my friends that I mix with fascinating they are young and they passionate about things that matter. They are not trapped.
Rita’s confidence expanded and franks social life declined, Rita found the people he always wanted to mix with and she became an educated woman as she always wanted but at the end of the play we can see that. franks life just got worse he decided to move out of the country were he could drink and be happy, he decided to have a two years break from the students in Australia
RITA: why are you packing you books FRANK: Australia RITA: did you bugger the bursar? FRANK: metaphorically. And as it was metaphorical the sentence was reduced from the sack to two years in Australia
and Rita has passed her exam and became a educated women at last, her life had gotten great she was free now, she could do what ever she wanted without anyone nagging at her or holding her back, she could do anything she wanted now that she was free
FRANK: what you going to do now FRANK: I don’t know, tiger asked me to go to France with him in his mob FRANK: will you RITA: I don’t and my mum asked me to come over for Christmas, so I’m still thinking. FRANK: Were you going to go? RITA: I don’t know, I might go to France, I might go to my mother or I might even stay here and have a baby I don’t know.
After all the things Rita went through she still made it thought and accomplished her ambition of being educated and smart. Willy Russell showed me that if you really want something and work hard for it you will get it at the end and that is what happened with Rita she worked hard and made it.