Then when Tony sees Hannah Jolliver, a muck more prettier woman than Milly, looking from a window he knows that she is going to come out so he asks Milly to hide at the front of the waggon. Hannah comes outside and asks Tony “Well aren’t you going to be civil enough to ask me to ride home with you!” to which Tony replies “Ah to be sure! What was I thinking of?” this shows us that Tony just can’t refuse a woman. Then on the way home Hannah is sharp with her questions and asks Tony if things between him and Milly are “settled” to which he says “No, not exactly.” This shows us that he is having doubts about whether he should marry Milly or go with one of the other women. Hannah believes that she is prettier than Milly and better.
Hannah is demanding and upfront and tells Tony that she is still in love with him and she always has been. She tells him that if asked she wouldn’t say no. She wants Tony to marry her and manages to twist his arm because he tells that he will leave Milly and marry Hannah. Tony tells Hannah, “I haven’t quite promised her, and I think I can get out of it, and ask you the question you speak of.” Hannah is delighted by the news. To show how she doesn’t care about how Milly feels, Hannah cheers when Tony agrees to marry her instead of Milly. Milly is bitter and angry once she hears that Tony has agreed to marry Hannah. She squeaks under the sacks and is compared to a mouse, which are small and weak. This makes sound small and unimportant. When Hannah asks what the noise is, Tony says that there are a couple of ferrets underneath quarreling. This is also showing us that he thinks Milly is unimportant and annoying. Also, Milly is worried about being embarrassed infront of the others.
Tony’s father says “Why if you mean to marry Milly Richards, do it, and there’s and end to it. But don’t go round driving about the country with Jollivers daughter and making a scandal.” He says this because he knew that gossiping would start and because everyone knew everyone else rumours would start to be spread
When Tony gives the reins to Hannah and the waggon crashes. Hannah decides to change her mind because her, Milly and Unity are all on the ground. Milly is disgusted when she sees that Unity and Hannah were also in the waggon. She is angry at Unity for being in the waggon and she says in a raging whisper to Unity, “Well, if this isn’t disgraceful!” Unity replies “Tis, to see you hiding in a young mans waggon like this, and no great character belonging to either of ye!” They both fell embarrassed. Milly gets angry by what Unity has said and says “Mind what you are saying!” she tells Unity that she is engaged to be married to Tony and has a right to be there. She questions Unity right of being there and asks her what he has promised her. Milly says that is it probably a lot of “nonsense.” She says that what ever Tony has promised is a lie and that he doesn’t mean any of it. This shows us again how she is weak and will not believe the truth. Unity says that it doesn’t matter anymore because Tony has agreed to marry Hannah. The three women start quarreling and arguing. This shows how they are immature because they are described as being “small children.” They are described as being shallow creatures.
Tony tries to explain what is going on but when he asks Hannah if she will still marry him she replies ”I have spirit and I do refuse him” and “Never – I would sooner marry nobody at all.” Tony then turns to Unity and she says, “Take her leavings? Not I!” Tony then asks Milly knowing that she is weaker than the others and will accept. Milly asks Tony if he meant what he said in the waggon, to which he replies “Not a word of it!” Milly believes him and agrees to marry him. This shows us that Milly is a pushover and that she chose not to believe what Tony had said. Also, Hannah and Unity had pretended that they didn’t want to marry Tony. In Tony Kytes therefore, the women turn on each other and blame each other and not Tony for the whole marriage incidence. This is although it was his entire fault because he had broken his promises and lied to the women. The man is seen as superior, and all then women are enemies with each other and in competition for a man.
All three women are similar because they all want a husband because they want security. They are easily persuaded. The only problem is that Tony can’t decide who he wants to marry and this because he is easily manipulated.
Ticket’s Please is set during the First World War but was written in the 1920s. It is set in a mining town in an industrial area, possibly up north. The opening creates a depressing mood and this is done with words such as “gloomy”, “cold”, “grimy” and “black.” Unlike “Tony Kytes”, there is a lot of imagery in the opening to “Tickets Please.” The dark imagery created shows us that a war has been happening. Lawrence uses the word “plunges” to represent a risk or something extreme or dangerous. The derailing of the tram might be foreshadowing some form of danger to come later on in the story. Lawrence has used once sentence in the opening to the story to describe the setting because the one sentence is used to show the one journey taken. Also, the short pauses between each sentence create a tense atmosphere. The women are seen to be working together and they are united. They are strong, independent, forceful and aggressive and this important later on in the story.
In Tickets Please the women like it when John Thomas flirts with them. They are willing to sleep with him although there is a chance that most of them will have to quit the service after spending a night with him. Annie thinks that John Thomas is arrogant by the way she calls him a “Fine cock-of-the-wall.” Annie believes that she can sum John Thomas up pretty well. She had always kept him at arms length unlike the other women. Also, she already has a boyfriend of her own. Annie is strong willed and is independent. She is the leader of the group of ladies and likes to take charge. She is cunning and sly and she believes that she can change John Thomas underneath. When she goes to the Statute’s Fair she is alone and she wants to find a man. She happens to find John Thomas at the fair and she glad that she has finally found a “fellow.” She unexpectedly has a great time with John Thomas as he takes on the rides including the dragons. He decides to cuddle her and she enjoys this. She enjoys the intimacy and wants a more loving relationship. Although John Thomas is discreet and likes to keep his movement as hidden as possible, Annie enjoys John Thomas’ company. When the lights go out she wants to kiss him and is about to when the light come back on. Lawrence writes, “There’s no mistake about it, Annie like John Thomas a good deal.” Annie wants to develop the relationship though. She doesn’t just want to sleep with him. She wants the situation between John and her to be different than his other one-night relationships. She wants it to be more serious. She is also being naive. John Thomas is not sure that he wants to be committed, so he decides to end the relationship between the two. He just wants a “Nocturnal presence” or a night-time companion. This because he is the only man around these women and he believes that he can treat the women badly and get away with it. John Thomas hates intelligent interest. Annie starts to cry with fury and misery. She is determined to get her own back and she is bitter.
Annie goes to Nora Purdy and asks her whom John Thomas is currently involved with. Nora tells her that she doesn’t know. Then they both agree that one-day he will get rejected by a woman. Nora says “He’ll get dropped one of these days,” and Annie replies “Ay, he will, when somebody makes up their mind to drop it on him. I should like to see him taken down a peg or two, shouldn’t you?” Nora is more vindictive than Annie is. Annie then goes round to all the girls John Thomas has been with and asks them to meet in the waiting room at the depot. Lawrence says, “Outside was darkness and lawlessness of wartime” and this is negative and foreshadowing danger to come. “Lawlessness” has been used to show that there is no control.
John Thomas enters the room and the girls start to talk to him. The girls have guided John Thomas into their lair. This is what an animal would do and this is referring to the animal imagery. The women are more savage then the women in Tony Kytes and are more like animals and act more viciously. Laura Sharp tells John Thomas that she is afraid to go home at night on her own and Muriel asks him who he’s going home with to which he replies “Tonight?” “Oh I’m going home by myself tonight.” The girls ask him to choose one of them to go home with. He says that he’ll take them all as a joke. They all ask him to pick one. John Thomas says that he can’t choose because he doesn’t want to make any enemies. Lawrence describes the girls as being like “wild creatures.” Lawrence has used words like “butted” and “fury” to show the rage felt by the girls. As they beat him they manage to rip his clothes of him. They make him their victim. Also, they are described as having unnatural strength and power by the way they throw themselves upon John Thomas. This is referring to their wildness and animal like instincts. Unlike in “Tony Kytes” instead of turning on each other, the women decide to turn on John Thomas because he has been using them.
They make him turn around and push him against the wall. As soon as he turns around Annie smacks him and his cap flies off. This sent him staggering. All the women pounce on him and start scratching him and pinching him. They continue to constantly attack him. He tries to escape but the door is locked. He asks them what they are after and they reply “Chose the one your going to marry.” Annie hits him with the buckle of her belt and the other girls seize upon him and start beating him. Lawrence writes the actions following each other quickly and connects them with “and” to create rush and confusion. They ask John Thomas once more to reply to their question. Then they start giggling and laughing like little school children, which makes them seem innocent. This also shows us that they have signs of humanity even though they are beating John Thomas. When John Thomas finally chooses Annie, she says, “I wouldn’t touch him.” This shows us her hatred towards John Thomas. When asked, “Who wants him?” nobody replies so he is allowed to leave. He walks to the door looking at the floor with his head bowed down. In the end John Thomas got what he deserved.
In Tony Kytes the women are seen as immature and childish whereas in Tickets Please women like Annie are taken more seriously. The difference in the two stories is the time is it set in. Women in Tony Kytes weren’t taken very seriously and they were not very independent. They could not work and were seen as objects. In Tickets Please on the other hand, the women are far more independent and are working in the factories. They are taken more seriously and are not seen as just mere objects.
