In John Osborne’s last play Déjà Vu (1991) the protagonist J.P., who appeared as young Jimmy in Look Back in Anger (1956) as the prototypical ‘angry young man’, seems to have changed. J.P. has a son and a daughter (who live with their mother, his third ex-wife), and ‘enjoys’ life in a 15-room-flat with his papers, pipe and his pal Cliff as a visitor every now and then. Having come to some wealth enables him to drink champagne, but he has nontheless not come to friendly terms with the world outside.
As proposed by Peinert and various others, the animal imagery -i.e. the ‘bear and squirrel’ game- is a central key element to the understanding of Look Back in Anger as a whole and particularly with regard to the figures of Alison and Jimmy. How can this theory be applied to the figure of Teddy in Déjà Vu, where the tattered teddy bear seems to have risen from being a toy on a chest of drawers to a full member of the family with his own views and qualities.
The aim of this paper is to have a close look at the figures of ‘bear’ and ‘squirrel’ in Look back in Anger and of ‘Teddy’ in Déjà Vu and to compare the ‘bear’ and ‘Teddy’figures with regard to the following questions:
How is the bear metaphor used in Look back in Anger and to what extent does it match Jimmy’s being? What role does the teddy bear figure play in relation to the different protagonists in the two plays? And is there a development from bear to Teddy similar to the development from Jimmy to J.P. in the two plays?
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- 1. The game of ‘bear and squirrel' in Look back in Anger
- 2. Jimmy as the bear in Look back in Anger
- 3. The Teddy figure in Déjà Vu
- 4.The protagonists and Teddy in Déjà Vu
- 4.1 Alison and Teddy
- 4.2 Cliff and Teddy
- 4.3 J.P. and Teddy
- 5. Summary and Conclusion
- 6. Sources
- 6.1 Primary Sources
- 6.2 Secondary Sources
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze the "bear and squirrel" game in John Osborne's Look back in Anger and the "Teddy" figure in his play Déjà Vu. The paper seeks to compare the metaphorical representation of Jimmy as the "bear" in Look back in Anger and J.P. as "Teddy" in Déjà Vu. The paper will investigate the role of these figures in relation to the different protagonists in the two plays.
- The metaphorical representation of Jimmy as the "bear" in Look back in Anger.
- The role of the "teddy bear" figure in relation to the different protagonists in Déjà Vu.
- The comparison of the "bear" and "Teddy" figures in the context of Jimmy's and J.P.'s development.
- The analysis of the "bear and squirrel" game in Look back in Anger.
- The significance of the "teddy bear" figure in Déjà Vu.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides a brief overview of the two plays, Look back in Anger and Déjà Vu, and introduces the key figures of Jimmy/J.P. and Teddy. The first chapter explores the "bear and squirrel" game in Look back in Anger and its relationship to the characters of Jimmy and Alison. It examines how the game represents their different social backgrounds, attitudes, and the tension in their relationship.
Chapter two focuses on Jimmy's character and his portrayal as the "bear" in Look back in Anger. It examines his complex personality, his anger and frustration, and his paradoxical nature. Chapter three introduces the "Teddy" figure in Déjà Vu and its significance in the play. Chapter four analyzes the relationship between the different protagonists (Alison, Cliff, and J.P.) and Teddy in Déjà Vu.
The paper concludes with a summary and conclusions about the development of the bear metaphor from Look back in Anger to Déjà Vu and how the Teddy figure reflects the changes in Jimmy's/J.P.'s character.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and topics explored in this paper include: John Osborne, Look back in Anger, Déjà Vu, "bear and squirrel" game, "Teddy" figure, Jimmy, J.P., Alison, Cliff, anger, frustration, development, metaphor, symbolism.
- Quote paper
- Konstantin Seitz (Author), 2007, Let me be your Teddy bear. Function and Development in John Osborne’s "Look back in Anger" and "Déjà Vu", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/80088
