From dependence to independence Essay

From dependence to independence To what degree does Jo advanced during the chance and become less subordinate on otherwise people?Jo was a nave boyish schoolgirl, dependent on her unreliable acquire Helen, never knowing her father. She was trapped amidst school, her breed and grotty little bedsits, never really having an outside life. This kept her young, so she was often childish and had a fear of the dark. Jo was desperate to leave her stupefy and spread her wings. Her life is a roller coaster and the play shows her life with its ups and downs. From meeting the black sailor, to getting make believe to give birth, we see her mature and become item-by-item.In Act 1, prognosis 1, we find out about Jos schooling and talents. When she arrives, she wants to find somewhere to plant her bulbs. As she says, Its nice to see a fewer flowers. Helen likewise finds some drawings that Jo had d unmatched and gives her a r atomic number 18 compliment by saying, I didnt realise I had such a expert daughter. Jo replies by saying, Im not just talented, Im geniused.Jo is also intent of leaving school and Helen at Christmas. She seems to think that she is mature enough to do so. She hates the flat and when Helen says, This is the place, Jo replies, And I dont resembling it. She hates life and doesnt realise how good it can be because she is unceasingly on the move. She also seems lonely. This is most likely because she is never in one place long enough to make any friends.Her mother gives her real little support so she must seek affection from other sources. She is sarcastic, entirely witty and is unceasingly answering Helen back. Although she seems to hate Helen, Jo is very dependent on her and to a certain extent Helen is dependent on Jo. She is ever so making Jo do things for her (getting drinks, cooking, etc).Jo and Helen are mother and daughter save soul who didnt know them, might think that they were strangers that abhorred each other. The pair ar e constantly bickering and Jo unconstipated says, Im sick of you. Youve do my life a misery. Jo blames Helen for her misfortune and, in truth most of it is Helens fault. There is no typical mother / daughter kinship between them. They mainly communicate through bickering and rasied voices.Jo is desperate to leave her mother as soon as she has the chance. The teenager is always criticising Helen and vice versa, although Jo does a lot more(prenominal), for example, Youre knocking it back worse than ever. Jo never calls Helen mother. This is probably because Helen never acted like mother and tutorshipd for her daughter like a mother should. Even Helen says, I know, Im a cruel, grievous woman, not using the word mother. Towards the end of the play, Helen comes back to digest with Jo. The readers then think that she has decided to be a good mother before her child deserts her. Instead we see that Peter has throw her out and Helen has become the dependant p fine arty, not Jo. Ther e is total voice reversal here as Jo has matured and Helen is immature perchance nave thinking that she can just move back in with Jo and return everything back to how it was.Peter is a brash car salesman with an eyeball patch. Helen moved again to get away from him barely he bring in her down. He wants her to marry him but Helen declines the premier(prenominal) time but agrees when he persists. Jo seems to hate him and even asks if hes already married. She seems spiteful and encompassing of hatred towards Peter. They are both fighting for Helens love. Jo asks Peter, Do you date me? and he responds, Not yet. He also has photographs of all his ex-girlfriends. Jo teases him quite a bit, asking about his eye and why hes marrying Helen.Jo also has a fear of the dark, Im not frightened of the wickedness outside. Its the darkness inside I dont like. This could be that she is only scared of her future and not whats happening to everyone else. Jo lives in a poor, sad life and he r needs are not heavy to Helen and the terrible mother neglects Jo a lot, for example, leaving her alone for a spend while she runs off with Peter.Helen also makes no attempt to help Jo when shes pregnant. Because of the lack of motherly love, Jo is determined to become independent. She plans to move out, get a job and marry a black sailor. Her mother disapproves but that makes Jo even more single-minded. She is only sixteen so we see that she is pretty independent for her age. She is growing less dependant on Helen, which is a good thing. Readers whitethorn think that she is doing this because she has realised that Helen will never love her as ofttimes as her many boyfriends.Jo had a brief love affair with a black sailor. Readers never find out his name but Jo calls him Jimmie. It is a quick relationship as he has to leave but the relationship is quite odd. They both say that they love each other but are very relaxed with each other and Jo doesnt seem to care that he doesnt come back.Jimmie offers quite a lot of comfort. He is older than Jo and they could move in together if he wasnt always on the move. He also asks Jo to marry him. She jumps at the opportunity, probably because it intend she can leave Helen.As I said, Jo appears to love the sailor but doesnt expect him to return and doesnt panic when theres no sign of him. This could be because her life is so bad anyway, that she becomes demoralised and doesnt expect her life to improve in any way. She has had her gustatory modality of honey and it has gone forever. Her ideas about him do change. Jo says, Last Christmas I had him, and she realises that she loves and misses him but only when the bollix up is due. It seems to her that it was all a dream and she cant remember the reality. The trouble is, the dream left her pregnant with an unintended baby so it must be real.While Helens away, Jo meets Geoff, a gay, art student and the pair move in together, without Helen knowing. In todays society, there is nothing abuse with this but homosexuals were frowned upon in the 1950s. Geoff is an ideal take up friend for Jo. She is no longer dependent on Helen but is sort of dependent on Geoff, probably more than she was on her mother. Jo even says, supposedly to the baby, Lets see what big sisters making us.Geoff is a congenial carer and is totally different from the sailor. Whereas the sailor wants a sexual relationship, Geoff is content with fondness for Jo and making cakes. Geoff even asks Jo if they should get married and also asks her what shed do if he started something. Jo replies, In my condition, Id probably faint. He adores babies but Jo is less keen on them. Geoff seems to want, more than anything, to be the father of Jos child.To begin with, Jo treats Geoff with little respect, joking around and saying things that could hurt him. As their relationship progresses and they get to know each other better, Jo respects Geoff more and more. Jo eventually realises that the baby w ill need a father render and decides to let Geoff stay, but they wouldnt get married.Jo has mixed feelings about become a mother. She is intent on keeping the baby at first because she thinks it is cruel to have them aborted. She does, though, have some doubts. For example, she doesnt want to bosom feed her baby. Geoff brings her a doll to practice holds on. She says the colours wrong the father being black and explodes. She screams, Ill bash its brains out Ill kill it I dont want to be a mother, which makes us think that she may have an abortion after all. previously though, the baby kicked her and she was overwhelmed. All of these details then leave us query if she is ready for motherhood. It is more likely that she is ready to become a mother because she has matured a lot since the beginning of the play when she was dependant on Helen.As the play progresses, we see Jo turn from a nave young girl to a mature woman. She is no longer dependant on anyone and, although she is pr obably destined to a life living in low-pitched flats and houses, the prospects are bright and, as she sings at the very end, a glitter of hope shines through and we think she may have a happy life.