Lesley as a character feels as though she needs to sleep with men in order for her ego to be boosted and as well as get attention. ‘I woke up in the night and couldn’t remember where I was’ generally indicates that when sleeping around she never knows who the person is or were she goes. The quote also portrays how Bennett uses innuendo- a double meaning-to change the way the audience respond to her. Lesley is one of those people who constantly sense the need to correct or suggest a comment made by another. This makes her seem smart and ‘impressive’ because if she comments on something her self believe increases; even though her comments are in the wrong context ‘Yacht? That’s very interesting Simon. My brother in-law has a small power boat.’ Her attempts to make an impact on the director do not work, but make a fool of her. Bennett is able to create a bigger idea on the reader by giving characters such as Lesley lack of self-knowledge. He shows that the characters have no realisation that they are not fitting into society by the languages he uses and his techniques. Bennett uses different techniques such as imagery to reveal Lesley as a character ‘Then I saw the cat sitting there watching the trout’. This gives the image of the way in which people are towards her and how she is not wanted in the society. Lesley seems not to notice that she is not fitting into the world of ‘show biz’ and makes excuses for people’s actions. After they had finished shooting a sense, the crew went out to eat but did not invite Lesley. Instead of accepting this she made up and excuse ‘More convincing if my headache was so bad I couldn’t actually speak.’ She knows that ‘the rest of them had gone off to supper’ but does not stop and ask herself why she was not invited to go with them. Alan Bennett makes the character Lesley seem arrogant, but really she is insecure of herself. By doing this it allows the audience to respond to Lesley as the character described in the book. Alan Bennett is able to do this because he uses varied writing techniques so that they may have a double meaning or no answer except for what the audience thinks. His work is described as a ‘dark and discomforting thread‘. He is able to insert hidden message in the way he writes, and also the language used.
Alan Bennett was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, where he grew up and was educated. When growing up in an ordinary family with an ordinary life. He graduated in Oxford and while living there Bennett performed comedy with a number of future successful actors. This helped him when he pursued in writing because Bennett invokes humour and pathos in numerous ways in each of the ‘Talking Heads’ speeches. Bennett uses different writing techniques in ‘Talking Heads’ in order to portray different emotions in a character, for example isolation and loneliness. Bennett reveals the issue of loneliness and isolation in mundane lives using very different methods; he uses society as a big part of the characters isolation.
In reference to ‘Her Big Chance’ the society frowns upon her. Bennett makes the reader respond to Lesley as a woman who is being taken advantage of with out realisation. Bennett uses this to show how the society acts towards people and the way in which they mistreat them. Bennett also uses the characters relationships as a way in which to expose their true nature. He is able to reveal to the reader that having many relationships can leave a person feeling unsure and isolated. This is shown by Lesley’s character. She has many relationships with many different men, in a hope to blend in with the society. Lesley does not realise that by doing this she is just becoming even lonelier. Bennett makes Lesley phrase her words so that the audience is unable to reorganise her true action until they are performed. Innuendo is a big part of the monologue because Bennett uses as one of his language techniques a number of times to implicate ideas and actions.
The language used by Bennett in ‘Her Big Chance’ means that the reader is able to see the events and choices made by Lesley and how her ways are very deluded. Bennett often has Lesley using clichés such as ‘I didn’t fall off the Christmas tree yesterday’ he does this as to make her seem superficial because even though she states this, she still goes and sleeps around with men in order to fill useful and wanted. Although at the same time she uses colloquial language ‘ciao, Simon’ this shows how Lesley acts fake towards people. This also draws her away from society; she does this as she often reads self-help books to tell her how to act instead of trusting in herself ‘I know something about personalities. There’s a chapter about it in this book I’m reading’ this too shows how Lesley is insecure about how to act around people.
In conclusion I think that Alan Bennett writes monologues such as ‘her big chance’ in a very humorous way, but there is a secret, which is hidden, yet perhaps subconsciously known, and isn’t revealed by Bennett but left for the reader to reflect on; such as Lesley and her promiscuity. There is a sense of irony used by Bennett in ‘Her Big Chance’ which gives the audience the impression that Lesley is talking about giving her body ‘acting is really just giving’. Lesley causes people to feel sympathetic towards her, because she is a woman who is seeking to be liked. Lesley tries to appear to be professional, and she does reiterate this throughout her speech, often saying she is a professional, and that she would rather curl up with a book. Yet, she is far from this, as she is made to seem not this, “You look an interesting person. I like interesting people”. Bennett changes the perception that Lesley is ‘professional’, when she says “You won't be able to tell my tits from my goose pimples”. Bennett is very successful in showing her lack of intelligence, foolishness and how she can’t see these traits in herself, and it is at these things, we can laugh at her attempts to appear otherwise. Bennett is successful in revealing a character for whom they are.
