How Female Characters In ‘The Accrington Pals’ Are Affected By The War

Discuss how female characters in The Accrington Pals are affected by the war. Also rumourmonger on what sort of message Peter Whelan is making through these characters. You should discuss at least 2 characters in your essay. The Accrington Pals is a play that follows the lives of those numbered by the war both and home and overseas. The role that the women played at home has often been underplayed within World War Literature so the play gives an preference view of the womens role.The female characters in the play are stuck in limbo not free from war but at the same fourth dimension not directly involved. Looking at the effect on these characters can show the impact that the War had on the country as a safe and sound and gets across the message that the playwright, Peter Whelan, is hoping to portray. The war has affected women in many different ways and forces them to take on roles that otherwise would never have been through with(p) by women. Whelan makes it obvious that most o f the women are not used to living a life without the men present.The majority of the conversations between Eva and Sarah are associated with the men. at that places a bit about the pals at camp. They are unable to have a conversation without the men being involved this exaggerates their dependence on them. to begin with the men went away to war they were the main source of income and power in the womens lives With the men away at war they are lost and they want authority from the next best thing May. May, the owner of the stall has taken charge in general.The other women look up to her and respect her, as they would a man. She has almost taken over the mens stance as the authoritative figure. Oh May I was just going to make the tea as soon as May enters the scene the other women, Eva and Sarah, stop frolicking and get back to doing something productive, which is exactly what May expects them to do. Later, the women discuss the fact that Jack Proudlove dies his tomentum. This m assively shows what effect the war has had on those at home.Eva has now become more useful than her foreman Proudlove and in an attempt to stay relevant he has resorted to dying his hair so the bosses wont notice. The men at home are starting to feel threatened by women as their input is a necessity on the home front the gender hierarchy is starting to break down. The female characters in The Accrington Pals make conscious efforts to ignore the demonstrable war. Theres a bit about the Pals at camp There always is. Read me the funny poem.Sarah diverts the conversation she appears to want to stay blind to the events of the actual war. This may be as a way to help her deal with the heartache she is feeling whilst her husband Arthur is away at war. They use the humour in the poem as a distraction. Whelan portrays the women as growing figures in The Accrington Pals it is obvious how they are affected by the war but they dont allow it hinder them. Whelan makes a point of the men at home , one example being Proudlove, feeling threatened by the womens growing place in society.