View of JOHN OSBORNE’S TIME PRESENT: ANEXPRESSION OF FEMININE SENSIBILITY

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal IMPACT FACTOR: 2.104 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) UGC APPROVED NO. 48767, (ISSN NO. 2456-1037)

Vol. 03, Issue 02,February 2018 Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

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JOHN OSBORNE’S TIME PRESENT: ANEXPRESSION OF FEMININE SENSIBILITY

Dr. Suman Mohan

Associate Professor of English, Pt. D.D.U Govt. Degree College, Palahipatti, Varanasi, U.P.

John Osborne is a playwright without parallel who forays into the so called impregnable shield of society, bring out necessarily the evils ensuing there in and prove that an „angry young man‟ can weave other themes also in his plays with a marked dramatic skill. “Like Brecht, he has balanced the man and the social structure so that every movement of one produces a gesture from the other. But unlikely Brecht, he has not endowed his play with that added intellectual dimension around which the drama may hear cohere.”(1) Osborne‟s plays have a kind of intensity rarely found in a modern playwright.

“Time Present” (1968) reflects Osborne‟s concern with the inner lives of women, their longings, anger, despair, resentment and emotions going on in different ways in the family & society both. This play proves that Osborne keeps himself concerned with society and its values. “Time Present” is Osborne‟s first play that has a female protagonist. This play was “opened at the Royal Court at the end of May, 1968.” (2)

In the play the protagonist Pamela is an actress who was born in India:

“I was born in India. It‟s where a lot of us come from.”(P.23)

In a conversation between Pauline and her mother Edith, attitude towards bad experience of marriage can be well noted. Pauline is dissatisfied with the behaviour of the males towards females in respect of their progress:

Edith:Well, with her own father it was complicated of course. I could never make out what he really wanted for Pamela, being such a famous actor. But when I said she ought to get a good degree and a profession, he wasn‟t too keen on that either. Still, she might have

spent fifteen years or so, like I did, training her mind to end up washing nappies and getting up coal.

Pauline: Did you mind much?

Edith: Of course I minded. Well, I had three children. But of course I minded. One always minds wastes. And the worst waste I can think of is training a woman to the top of her potential and then just off-loading her into marriage when she‟s probably at her most useful.

Probably at the height of her powers. (P.16)

Pamela believes in friendship and love. When Constance asks her whether she believes in friendship, she replies:

“Oh, of course. Yes, I believe in friendship, I believe in friendship, I believe in love.

Just because I don‟t know how to doesn‟t mean I don‟t.”(P.28).According to her,

“Marriage must be pretty academic too.”

J.R. Brown holds the view,

“Shifting illusion of reality is explicitly noted in the play” (3)Osborne has criticisedmany things in the play, like Hippies, M.Ps., Lady writers, drug taking etc. through Pamela. Pamela functions as his mouth piece.

In the play, the heroine is dissatisfied with every character. In the opening lines of the play, we can note that

“There is some evidence that is lived in by two people with different temperaments and interests.” (P.13)

Pamela is a strong character in the play. She is unsatisfied with her relationship with Murray. She calls Murray a „feeble‟. When males find themselves incomplete without females, they blame them (females) as unsuitable.

But Pamela‟s opinion is different.

According to her, males are inferior to

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2 females that is why there is no match between them.

Pamela: Immature, I Suppose.

Murray: That‟s what women usually say about men when they can‟t keep up with them.

Pamela: I dare say. We don‟t match up, you see. (P.62)

When Murray expresses love, she doesn‟t want to accept or respond it, she always ignores it.

Murray: I do love you.

Pamela: Well, even if you do…

Murray: What is it?

Pamela: What is what?

Murray: Haven‟t you got anything to say to me?

Pamela: No, Murray. Not really, we‟ve had a good time together,

because we‟ve hardly

beentogether.(P.63)

Whenever Murray wants to talk to Pamela, she strictly doesn‟t want to continue talking about love and sex. She doesn‟t want to continue her relationship.

Pamela is sufferer in her life. She hints that she is pregnant by Murray, and he has now an affair with the very near friend of hers, Constance. This shows the fickleness of the male. And that is only the reason for her rejection of man, love and sex and this shows her supremacy over Murray.

Murray: Pamela, let‟s talk about it.

Pamela: You always talk about it. I don‟t want to. I'm not going to. Now go or talk about something else. (P.63)

Edith, mother of Pamela is always worried about her, she asks her:

Edith: What‟s going to happen to you?

Pamela: I shall go no as I have done for twenty nine years. (P.59)

Edith suggests her: “As you say, you‟ve never married or had children.

Well, that‟s all right, there‟s no reason why you should if you don‟t feel the need to. At least people are beginning to realise a woman isn‟t a freak if she wants other

things out of life. But there are other things, like work, yes and having affairs and even making love. You can‟t want to stop all that at your age. You are young and intelligent and healthy and attractive.

And a lot of people like you. Constance adores you. She says lots of people do and you aren‟t always aware of it.” (P.59) But Pamela is not at all moved. She replies: “I shall manage within my own;

my own walls. I have no ambition. I have told you: I love acting. I am not so keen on rehearsals. I don‟t wish to be judged or categorized or watched. I don‟t want to be pronounced upon or do it for anyone.”

Pamela is confident enough to do everything without any support of a male.

This way she is free to do any work and can earn name. She is never incomplete without a male. John Osborne has tried to show in his plays that in lack of love and response from female‟s side a male becomes frustrated, but it is not the case with females. They can flourish without company or support of males. When they are surrounded by four walls, they are bound to act according to their husband‟s desire. But when they are free, they can prove themselves better than males with the use of their talent and power. They are always optimists. But males, when not getting their desired response from females, became frustrated in Osborne‟s plays.

Jimmy Porter is „angry young man‟

in “Look Back in Anger” and Pamela is

„angry young woman‟ in “Time Present”.

But Jimmy‟s anger is due to lack of the same response from his wife over the absurdities of the situations and Pamela‟s anger is due to ill-treatment of females by males. And as a result Jimmy becomes frustrated but Pamela is in hope of doing something good because she is talented and never feels depression. She wants to have firm hold over the circumstances surrounding her. Hence, we observe that Jimmy is incomplete but Pamela finds herself complete even in the absence of male in her life. She is unable to adjust

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3 herself with males like Murray, she calls them „feeble‟. Murray is spineless while Pamela is very strong. She suffers in her pregnancy, expresses her anger and despair. But there is no effect on Murray that he might be the father of the child.

Pamela is ready to get rid of the foetus in her womb because it is Murray‟s-a „feeble‟

child.Pamela is more supportive and stronger than Murray.

John Osborne‟s great merit his in the vitality of his characters as well as in their dialogues. His plays are interwoven with feelings having great emotional depth as he is a private and domestic writer.

“Time Present” is based on emotional relationship. In an adverse situation, Pamela‟s capacity to live peacefully and strongly without any support of male gives an optimistic conclusion.

REFERENCES:

1. Taylor, J.R. (ed.) “John Osborne Look Back in Anger”, A Casebook Macmillan Education, 1968, P.162

2. Hayman, Ronald. (Sec. Ed.) “Contemporary Playwrights, John Osborne, Heiman London, 1968, P.152

3. Brown, J. R. “Theatrical Language – A study of Arden,” Osborne, Pinter and Wesker, Allen Lane, The Penguine Press, 1972, P.152 4. Osborne, John. Faber and Faber. 1968.