Dancing at Lughnasa

In the snip Dancing at Lughnasa was set Gerry and Chriss kin would have been extremely unorthodox and would have circulated a toilet of town gossip. Having a child out of wedlock was extremely noble and making the decision to then keep Michael even more so. In 1936 women had very few rights and with the shock of Michael being born only the towns follow for their brother, a missionary, kept them from being societal lepers. Friel presents the human relationship amongst Gerry and Chris by exploitation stage directions to hand over the true feelings between them and how their relationship is sustained.Having Gerry and Chris talk in the garden while the four other sisters atomic number 18 internal listening intently shows how gnomish privacy the two have in their relationship. When Gerry first arrives Chris appears extremely cold and offhand in front of him using one word answers Chris Hello, Gerry yesyes. All of this gives the impression that she has very little meter for him and doesnt particularly dispense close to him. However Friels represent shows the hearing that she re completelyy does care be answer we see her reaction before Gerry comes on stage.Friel portrays her as standing stock quiesce in shock then, when coming to her senses, rushing around panicking, adroitly adjusts her hair and clothes. It is the panic before the overstretch that shows her much Chris truly does care nearly Gerry and also about how little the sisters have in their lives due to the their scramble to make themselves presentable.This highlights how Gerry is a reveal romantic figure in the toy because even though exclusively the while the sisters are saying Kate He wont pacify the night here and Rose I hate him they still all break off up crowding around the window to listen in and watch, suggesting that though disapproving they still half wish to be in Chriss shoes. The social constraints of the situation lead them to wanting Gerry out of the families liv es, provided still the desire is on that point through the constant comments. These comments are pigment to the suggestion of an invasion of privacy, Maggie you should see the way shes looking at himKate theyre not still talking are they?Friel is trying to show how hard it must be for Gerry and Chris to live in such an enwrap area where everyone knows everyones business, thus exploring a theme of romance, or drop of romance. This is continued throughout the extract, the fact that Gerry neer visits Chris 13 months making the relationship seem very one sided Chris remembering the last visit to the daytime while Gerry cant remember the month. Gerry proposes to Chris at the very end of the extract and this gives a sign that maybe he does care about her.Even though Chris turns him down there is still the handsome remembrance of this atomic number 42 throughout the rest of the free rein, leading to the listenings opinion that maybe Gerry does truly care for Chris despite leavi ng her alone with child. However through Michaels story closer to the end of the play in the second act we find out out that Gerry already had a wife and three grown children, Friel choosing to block this revelation till the end to produce a far more dramatic climax to their relationship. It is then that the audience realises that Gerry never intended to bond Chris and only offered in the knowledge that she would refuse.This all gives the impression that there is never any real closeness or intimacy for the two of them and the entire summer of happiness before, suddenly he takes her in his arms and dance. was a lie. A large influence on Friel when writing Dancing at Lughnasa was the changing role of women in federation. Thatcher had just been Prime Minister and womens rights were becoming much more accepted in the 1990s, perhaps why Friel chose to make this such a large part of the play. Set in 1936 the Mundy sisters would not have been at all accepted by familiarity with C hris having Michael out of wedlock and then deciding to keep him.Changing attitudes within society would have influenced Friels interpretation of Chris and Gerrys relationship. Friel depicted this family as an pillowcase of what is yet to come, the sisters supported Chris throughout and after her pregnancy even though it went against societies beliefs, thus inflicting Chriss embarrassment upon themselves as well yet still sticking together as a family. Friel emphasizes that women should have the right to do as they please through the disruption of outside influences.At the startle of the play the sisters are happy in their little bubble making jokes about the outside world Maggie steady on girl, today its lipstick tomorrow its the gin bottle although never participating in it. Its when they begin to allow others into their circle that things begin to go down pitcher for them. Before Gerrys arrival they were all dancing and express joy simply his arrival marked a change for them all, Friel perhaps suggesting that women dont need the influences of men and all they bring with them is destruction.Danny Bradley and Rose are other example of this, the death of Roses defenceless white rooster is symbolic of mans predatory nature and the violence of this act implies violence between Rose and Bradley. Therefore Friel is portraying women as stronger without the male interference, Chris and Gerrys relationship is used to highlight this as it is obvious to the audience that Chris would have been break-dance off without Gerry in the first place but it is this continued procrastinating relationship that truly destroys her.The audience views Chris and Gerrys relationship with trepidation throughout the play due to Friels depiction of him as a sterile womaniser. Kate calls him a Loafer Wastrel but conveniently neglects to mention the obvious personal magnetism he has. In a short few minutes of communion he has turned Chris from cold and unwelcoming Chris Thirteen months. To one who is warm and laughing and allows Gerry to dance her lightly, elegantly across the garden. The audience views this exchange with surprise having hear only very negative things about Gerry from the sisters the easy acceptance from Chris confuses them.The audiences mistrust of Gerrys character increases after the small handling of Agnes between the two. Having already seen Agness rigid, almost forced disinterest in Gerry, and then to have Gerry asking specifically after her Friel creates a slight unease for the audience, suggesting that something may have between the two of them. This leads to the audience beginning to see the cracks in the familys foundations with Gerry seemingly at the centre of this. Friel enforces this humor of him being a womaniser later in act 2 when he begins to flirt with Agnes Gerry Dance with me Agnes. and then kisses her forehead, all of this watched by Chris.The audience begins to really mistrust Gerry at this point as it is obvious th at he is the cause of appointment between the family they have come to love. The audience is eyesight men in a bad light which relates to the feelings at the time it was being performed when the term glass ceiling was coming into existence, women in the piece of work being suppress by men and now, in the play, them to being oppressed in relationships. There is the feeling that men can get past with any sort of misdemeanour by just walking away, leaving, whereas women i.e.Chris, are always left with the result a baby. Gerrys carrying on represents this stereotypical male so that when the audience discovers that Gerry in fact has a wife and three grown children it comes as no surprise. In conclusion, Friel presents Gerry and Chriss relationship as something parallel to that of a pre 1990s relationship. He wants to suggest to the audience that women no need longer depend on men by showing how much better off the Mundy sisters were before the arrival of Gerry and the conflict he br ought within the family.Although the influences on Friel were all about the empowerment of women, he presents Gerry and Chriss relationship with Gerry as the dominant figure, putting the play in the context of its setting and to show how the male dominance was a cause of the family breaking down. Through his presentation of the relationship he is evoking the idea that there are more possibilities available to an empowered women rather than a reign one.