Look Back in Anger

Alison Porter shares an attic flat with her husband, Jimmy Porter, and their friend Cliff Lewis in the Midlands of England. When the play begins, Alison is ironing clothes while both her husband and roommate sit in chairs reading. Alison is wearing one of Jimmy’s shirts. Jimmy and Cliff are reading the Sunday papers and bickering. Jimmy complains about a book review he is reading in a “posh” paper that is written in French. He then asks Alison if this fact upsets her, to which she replies that she is not listening. This upsets Jimmy, and he presses on with his rebuke, verbally attacking his wife. He next turns to Cliff and admonishes him for being ignorant and uneducated. He does not think Cliff understands the papers and their message. Cliff agrees with his friend, in a self-deprecating way. Jimmy then says that Alison herself has not had a thought or an original idea for quite some time. Alison, too, quickly agrees with Jimmy. As the scene unfolds, Cliff complains aloud about Jimmy’s pipe smoke. Alison, however, tells him that she has grown accustomed to the smoke. Jimmy turns on his wife again and explains to Cliff that Alison can get used to anything in a short span of time. 

Jimmy complains and argues throughout the entire scene, with both Alison and Cliff attempting to contradict or quiet him down at intervals. He leaps from Cliff and Alison not thinking or understanding things within the flat to England itself not thinking or believing or understanding. He complains about the lack of conviction he sees everywhere, something he likens to them living now in “the American Age.” The reader also finds out that Cliff and Jimmy operate a sweet stall, or candy stall, and that the mother of Jimmy’s old friend Hugh is responsible for having bought the stall for them.

Jimmy complains heatedly about the middle class, of which Alison is a part. Most of his anger seems to be toward the middle class. Jimmy makes fun of Alison’s brother, Nigel, who is a member of Parliament. Jimmy hates the fact that Nigel, and those like him, can succeed in life based solely on their social class. He thinks Nigel and his ilk are insensitive to others. Almost overcome by his own anger, he turns again to Alison and derides her, calling her pusillanimous. He nicknames her Lady Pusillanimous, though Cliff attempts to stop him from being so rude. Alison pretends not to care, though the play indicates that she is struggling not to get angry and give into Jimmy’s verbal attacks, which is exactly what he is hoping for.

When Jimmy attempts to listen to the radio, he again gets angry because he cannot hear the music. He accuses Alison of making too much noise ironing, and Cliff of making too much noise with the papers. He then again turns his ire to a larger, more general target, and goes from criticizing Alison to criticizing women in general. He even complains about their landlady, Mrs. Drury. Cliff takes offense to Jimmy’s barbs and the two men begin to wrestle on the floor. Their playful game eventually causes them to knock over Alison’s ironing board and she gets burned by the iron. She finally cracks and shouts at Jimmy to leave. He looks confused, almost shocked, but leaves quickly.

As Cliff bandages Alison’s arm, they are very affectionate toward one other. She tells Cliff that she is pregnant, which is why she was so angry about being knocked over. She does not want to tell Jimmy because he will probably accuse her of getting pregnant on purpose. They also do not have the money to support yet another mouth in their household. Cliff and Alison embrace, and are holding one another when Jimmy reenters. He notices their intimacy but says nothing. The mood is awkward at first, as Jimmy has clearly wronged Alison, but then the three joke and laugh until a temporary balance is restored, and Jimmy is once again his old self. Cliff leaves to get cigarettes. While Cliff is gone, Jimmy apologizes and admits that he knocked the ironing board over on purpose. He wanted to cause her suffering. She forgives him and the two play a game they often play where she is a squirrel and Jimmy is a bear. The game brings them closer, and Alison is about to tell Jimmy about the pregnancy when Cliff comes back into the room. Cliff tells Alison that someone named Helena Charles is on the phone for her. Jimmy looks visibly upset, and Alison hesitates, but leaves to take the call.

Helena is an actress, and a friend of Alison’s that Jimmy despises. When Alison returns, she informs them that Helena will be in town and will be staying with them for a while. This news sends Jimmy into another argument, this time one that is even harsher than any of the others. While raging at everything, he says to Alison that if she were to have a child, he would like to see the child die. If her child were to die, he declares, she might understand what it is like to suffer for once. Then she might understand where he is coming from. The rebuke is so harsh that Alison flees the room. Jimmy, still angry, tells Cliff that Alison will continue as she is until there is nothing left of him.