blood brothers

• The narrator describes the mother as cruel, with a stone in place of her heart, setting up a negative perception of her before we meet Mrs Johnstone
• Mrs Johnstone has had a hard life, as indicated by her appearance at the age of twenty-five
• The area is characterized by poverty and a lack of empathy towards the struggles of the residents
• Mrs Johnstone is superstitious, creating a sense of foreboding
• Mrs Johnstone is manipulated by Mrs Lyons using her fear of authority figures
• Mrs Lyons manipulates Mrs Johnstone with a superstition about twins, which later comes true
• Edward and Mickey speak differently but have similarities, forming a bond as blood brothers
• Linda always defends Mickey, showing her loyalty to him
• The statue of Peter Pan symbolizes eternal childhood, which is threatened by the characters' actions
• Mrs Lyons' mental state deteriorates, shown through her fragmented speech
• The different treatment of middle class and working class children is highlighted
• Mrs Johnstone gives Edward a locket symbolizing their unbreakable connection
• Mrs Lyons tries to buy off Mrs Johnstone, showing her desperation and manipulation
• Mrs Lyons is shown to have lost her sanity by holding a lethal-looking kitchen knife
• The innocent game of piggy-in-the-middle foreshadows Linda being caught between the two men in an affair
• The boys' lives diverge as they reach adulthood
• Mickey feels inadequate and worthless after losing his job, impacting his self-esteem
• Mickey expresses jealousy towards Edward for having everything while he has nothing
• Edward is portrayed as powerful and vulnerable, standing out for Mickey to shoot at him
• Mickey's mental state deteriorates, leading to madness after discovering the affair
• The narrator hints at the tragic outcome of the Johnstone twins, creating a sense of inevitability and foreboding
• The narrator questions whether superstition or class distinctions are to blame for the events in the play
• Mickey expresses anger towards his mother for not giving him away like Edward, showing his resentment
• Mickey's bitterness and low self-esteem are highlighted in his interactions with Councillor Eddie Lyons
• The play is established as having tragic elements, with an air of inevitability hanging over the narrative
• “the mother, so cruel, there’s a stone in place of her heart” 


  we are invited to dislike and judge mrs johnstone at the start of the play - showing its not always easy to distinguish between good and evil (foreshadowing)
• “I’m up to here with hard luck stories” 


  said by the milkman, the area is one of poverty and society is uncaring about their difficulties
• “a debt is a debt, and must be paid”


  The narrator compares Mrs J ignoring her promise to give away one of the babies to her tendency to order things on credit from a catalogue, only to find that she hasn’t the money to pay when the time comes.
• “You’ll be locked up”


  Mrs Lyons uses Mrs Johnstone’s fear of authority figures to manipulate her into leaving the baby when she is sacked.
• “You do know what they say about twins, secretly parted”

  Mrs Lyons makes up a superstition to manipulate Mrs J. It actually comes true, though, making us aware that Mrs L bears some

  responsibility for the events, as well as Mrs J.
• “we’re blood brothers”


  The pact (and their fate) is sealed.
• “Peter Pan”


  This is the statue that they shoot at in the park. The character is a symbol of eternal childhood; shooting at him with an air rifle suggests that their childhood innocence will not last forever.
• “It’s just… just this place”


  As time moves on, Mrs Lyons’ mental state deteriorates (as shown by her fragmented syntax).
• “he was about to commit a serious crime” / “it was more of a prank, really”


  The policeman’s description of the kids trying to throw stone through a window. Once again, the parallel structure of the scenes highlights the different treatment of middle class and working class children.
• “She removes a locket from around her neck”

  Mrs J gives Edward a token of her affection; it

  symbolises the connection between them that cannot be broken.
• “bright new day, we’re goin’ away”


  Mrs J sings a cheerful song, showing her optimism about moving. However, it comes just after the Lyons family have moved, so we suspect that they are going to end up in the same place (foreboding).
• “could I take you dancing?”


  The Judge is lenient towards Sammy because he is attracted to Mrs Johnstone. It shows women being treated as sex objects and also the corruption of the authority figures in the play.
•  “I’m talking thousands if you want”


  Mrs Lyons tries to ‘buy off’ Mrs Johnstone again, when she realises that they are living near each other again.
• Mrs Lyons “has a lethal-looking kitchen knife in her hand.”


  Shows Mrs Lyons has lost her sanity by this stage.
• “a game of piggy-in-the-middle”

  The stage directions show them playing an innocent game and having fun as teenagers, but it foreshadows Linda being stuck between the two men when she has an affair.