Alienation in WWII literature
“The alienation of the individual is a key theme in writing of the post-World War II period”
Once World War II had ended, Britain saw not only a change in government, but also a decline into bankruptcy. Clement Attlee’s Labour party aimed to implement the Beverage Report and tackle the “five giants”: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. They faced many challenges such as rationing and heavy winters, raising alarm bells for the country’s economy. After much debate the United States and Canada eventually loaned four billion dollars with interest, putting Britain’s future into the hands of the Americans. i A decade after the war ended, Britain found itself in an identity crisis. Post-war austerity was still in place and the country was financially crippled. With the introduction of the National Health Service and The Butler Education Act, the first generation of poorer individuals emerged with opportunities like never before. Many post-World War II literary texts have focused on this theme of alienation from society in Britain, and have done this through the use of one main character to illustrate this idea. Examples of these texts are John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone and Phillip Larkin’s The Whitsun Weddings and will be used to discuss the idea of alienation.
John Osborne had many affairs over the course of his life and frequently mistreated his wives and lovers. He was married five times with all apart from his final marriage being unhappy unions. His marriage to Pamela Lane (1951-57) was what influenced the character of Alison in Look Back in Anger, although he described Pamela’s parents as ‘much coarser’. Osborne also had a troubled relationship with his mother whom he described as "hypocritical, self-absorbed, calculating and indifferent". The difficult relationships with the women in Osborne’s life bring us to question the credibility of his ideas that he brings about in Look Back in Anger. Is Jimmy just a rampant
Once World War II had ended, Britain saw not only a change in government, but also a decline into bankruptcy. Clement Attlee’s Labour party aimed to implement the Beverage Report and tackle the “five giants”: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. They faced many challenges such as rationing and heavy winters, raising alarm bells for the country’s economy. After much debate the United States and Canada eventually loaned four billion dollars with interest, putting Britain’s future into the hands of the Americans. i A decade after the war ended, Britain found itself in an identity crisis. Post-war austerity was still in place and the country was financially crippled. With the introduction of the National Health Service and The Butler Education Act, the first generation of poorer individuals emerged with opportunities like never before. Many post-World War II literary texts have focused on this theme of alienation from society in Britain, and have done this through the use of one main character to illustrate this idea. Examples of these texts are John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone and Phillip Larkin’s The Whitsun Weddings and will be used to discuss the idea of alienation.
John Osborne had many affairs over the course of his life and frequently mistreated his wives and lovers. He was married five times with all apart from his final marriage being unhappy unions. His marriage to Pamela Lane (1951-57) was what influenced the character of Alison in Look Back in Anger, although he described Pamela’s parents as ‘much coarser’. Osborne also had a troubled relationship with his mother whom he described as "hypocritical, self-absorbed, calculating and indifferent". The difficult relationships with the women in Osborne’s life bring us to question the credibility of his ideas that he brings about in Look Back in Anger. Is Jimmy just a rampant