The Female Companions of the Angry Young Men: A Comparative Study of John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Bratya Basu’s Hemlat

Abstract

In the world of theatre or literature, in general, female characters have been portrayed from different perspectives – sometimes as docile, passive, sometimes as energetic and active and sometimes as game-changers. However, with the advent of the First World War, the projection of female characters has witnessed a paradigm shift irrespective of territorial boundaries and cultural barriers. The magnitude of agitation and anger among the young men was so intense that the remarkable roles of their female companions could not be overlooked. Most of the writers, in the post-World War phase have brought forth the female counterparts of the angry young men onto the stage to serve a unique purpose. Be it John Osborne in English stage or be it Badal Sircar in Bangla theatre, angry young men had keen listeners to their frustrated life stories. Additionally, the absence of female companions in their lives could have led them to become insane or to commit suicide. This proposition may be defended by arguments, but we should explore their contributions in the lives of angry young men. To delve into the said study, I have preferred John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (1957) and Bratya Basu’s Hemlat (2006) so that I can substantiate my proposition despite the spatio- temporal variations. From the critical lenses of post-modernism and feminism, I have studied characters like Alison and Shefalia, who hardly express their desires rather give importance to their angry young male partners. However, this study may appear to be challenging to the pro- feministic agendas. Nevertheless, this article simply observes the contributions of female companions and also argues that the role of a gender is not often preceded; sometimes, through docile or submissive appearance, female characters can execute the desired changes for their counterparts as well as for the society.