Deterioration of a Relationship Essay

throughout the play, we tooshie determine the titular characters, Juno Boyle and Jack Boyle, relationship deteriorate , and how dramatic events in their lives and the lives of their children, Johnny and Mary, deliver the entire family to collapse.The play is set closely following the signing of the treaty dividing Ireland into sections and features the resulting conflict between the diehards who want a united, free Ireland, and the free-staters, who support the treaty, with this conflict representing the thicket of fanatical nationalism and practicality, of i claimism and a recognition that what the people truly wanted was peace. The play also explores some of the relevant ideas of the time, including the poverty of the working level in Dublin in the 1920s, and how this poverty affected the communities that lived within the tenements of Dublin at this time.In the first act we see a great deal of conflict between Juno and Boyle. The root of this conflict lies in Boyles inability to accept responsibility for supporting his family, as he refuses to seek work and spends his days imbibing with his manipulative, scrounging friend Joxer. Juno is forced to act as wife, m early(a) and sole source of income for the family, the prime motivation for this character being to keep her ragged family unit unneurotic Who has kep th home together for the past few years only me This introduces us very early on to the theme of poverty in the play.The tension in the relationship is directly linked to poverty throughout the play, Boyles lack of responsibility causing conflict between him and Juno when their financial situation is bad. Your unforesightful wife slavin to keep the bit in your mouth We can see OCasey present both the positive and negative aspects he perceives in poverty. We see him contrast the strength and ability that destitution can invoke through the character of Juno, and the pettiness and selfishness that only serves to further the poverty and involve ap art the star of community that collective poverty can create through the character of Boyle.However, the converse of this is also true. When, in the second act, the Boyles become apparently more affluent, we can see a greater degree of tenderness come to the fore of the relationship. The windfall of the get out causes Juno to treat Boyle less as a child who mustiness be nagged and scolded to perform any useful, or at least less detrimental, social function in the family she holds so dear, and more as the head of his family, a role she previously fulfilled. This change in attitude is regarded by Boyle as him merely him finally getting the respect he believes he deserves. Im masther now, an Im goin to remain mastherThis period of happiness is quickly dispelled when it is revealed that Boyle has deceived the family, allowing them to continue to spend money that he knows they do non have and are never dismission to get. This demonstrates to us his inability to accept any form of responsibility and signals the end of the period of good luck for the Boyles and the culmination of the intertwining storylines of the play. In the third act the affection that marks Boyle and Junos relationship I the second act is dispelled entirely, only to be replaced by bitter conflict and the eventual dissolution of their entire family.Throughout the play, Junos main purpose is to support and hold together her family but in this final act all her efforts are worthless as the actions and attitudes of the other members of her family and those around them drag the family incontrovertibly apart. The first factor in this dissolution is Marys pregnancy. This in itself would have a bad effect on the family, with another family member to feed, clothe and menage placing further strain on their finances, but it is Johnny and Boyles attitude to this pregnancy that does the most damage. She should be dhriven from the house shes brought so much shame upon Instead of trying to support his da ughter through this difficult and emotionally strained situation, he instead seeks to drive her from the house and from the family. This angers Juno, and leads her to threaten Boyle that if Mary leaves the family then Juno will follow her, as he is attempting to destroy that which she holds to be the most valuable thing, her family, stringently in order to protect his own reputationHowever, the final thing that convinces Juno the family is irreparably torn apart is Johnnys death at the turn over of his former comrades. This cements Junos decision to leave, she feels justified in leaving with Mary in order to help her raise her child (abortion not being an option at this time in such a heavily catholic country) as she is the only part of her family that is salvageable, with Johnny dead and her convinced(p) that Boyle is beyond salvation. Let your father furrage for himself now Ive done all I could an it was all no use hell be hopeless trough the end of his days. This is the fina l collapse of the relationship, and we see the final outcome of it. Boyle is left unchanged, as the closing scene of the play showing him sitting drunk with Joxer, incognizant to all the dramatic changes in his life,. Juno, on the other hand, is resolute in her changes, she has finally been given the strength to leave Boyle behind and move on, she is able to fuck him for what he is, not a child, as she appears to view him in act one, because a child has promise of maturing, but as a waster who will never change and will never do anything but hold her back.