416904

Class Struggles and Economic Inequalities in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Arnold Wesker’s Roots

Article

Last updated: 29 Mar 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

شعبة تعليم اللغات والترجمة.

Abstract

This study examines class struggles and economic inequalities in John Osborne's Look Back in Anger and Arnold Wesker's Roots, two seminal works of British kitchen sink realism from the 1950s. Both plays critique the socio-economic conditions of post-war Britain, highlighting the frustrations of the working class. In Look Back in Anger, Osborne portrays Jimmy Porter as an "angry young man" disillusioned with the stagnant social hierarchy, expressing resentment towards the establishment and his own lack of upward mobility (Mezher Saddam, 2021). Similarly, Wesker's Roots follows Beatie Bryant's return to her rural working-class family, emphasizing the challenges of class consciousness and the desire for social change (Gilleman, 2008). Through character development and dialogue, both playwrights underscore the pervasive economic disparities and class tensions of their time, contributing significantly to the discourse on social realism in mid-20th-century British theatre.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine how class struggles and economic inequalities are portrayed in John Osborne's Look Back in Anger and Arnold Wesker's Roots. These two plays, emblematic of the mid-20th century British theatrical landscape, reflect the socio-economic realities of post-war Britain and the frustrations of the working class. Both Osborne and Wesker, through their unique dramatic approaches, present compelling critiques of the entrenched class divisions that defined their era.

DOI

10.21608/jocr.2025.358516.1187

Keywords

Class struggle, economic inequality, John Osborne, Look Back in Anger, Arnold Wesker

Authors

First Name

Ibrahim Mohamed

Last Name

Othman

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

English Language Department Suez University

Email

haitham_zekry@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

26

Article Issue

80

Related Issue

43830

Issue Date

2024-10-01

Receive Date

2025-02-06

Publish Date

2024-10-01

Print ISSN

2090-9489

Online ISSN

2735-3621

Link

https://jocr.journals.ekb.eg/article_416904.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=416904

Order

416,904

Type

المقالة الأصلية

Type Code

1,362

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

مجلة مرکز الخدمة للاستشارات البحثية واللغات

Publication Link

https://jocr.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Class Struggles and Economic Inequalities in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Arnold Wesker’s Roots

Details

Type

Article

Created At

29 Mar 2025