May 18, 2017
How does Russell present superstition as a driving force in Blood Brothers?
Superstition is arguably the main diving force behind the events of 'Blood Brothers'.Russel shows how supersitious belief drives Mrs Johnstone's powerlessness, Mrs Lyons' decent into madness and, though the women's actions, the deaths of the twins. Throughout the play, Russell uses the Narrator as a dramatic device to remind the audience of the invented superstitious belief can be.
Russell uses language to present superstition as an important driving force. The Narrator's Language is full of supesitious imagery. He constantly threatens the two mothers withimages such as "shoes upon the table" and "walkin' on the pavement cracks". The repeated refrences to superstitions associated with bad luck create the sense that the characters cannot escape the influence of superstitious belief. Furthermore, the Narrator's references to the devil imply that the power of superstition increases as the play progresses. The devil moves ever closer, from "walking past your door" to "screamin' deep inside you". By varying the repeated refrence to the devil in this way, Russell suggests that superstition is an important factorin driving the play towards it's tragic ending.
