The Silver Tassie: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Silver Tassie" is a play that explores the impact of war on individuals and their relationships, focusing on the lives of its major characters. Central to the narrative is Harry Heegan, a vibrant and athletic young man celebrated as a local hero for winning a football cup. His experiences shift dramatically after he is wounded and paralyzed in battle, leading to his alienation from friends and his fiancée, Jessie Taite, who quickly transfers her affections to Barney Bagnal, another soldier who returns unscathed and becomes the new local hero. Teddy Foran, a physically dominant neighbor, faces his own downfall after being blinded in combat, which renders him dependent on his wife, highlighting the vulnerability of even the strongest individuals.
Other characters, like Harry's parents, Sylvester and Mrs. Heegan, portray contrasting responses to Harry's plight, with Sylvester maintaining a humorous façade and Mrs. Heegan worrying about financial implications more than her son's suffering. The play also features Simon Norton and Susie Monican, who illustrate the petty concerns and jealousy that permeate the community. Through the interplay of these characters, "The Silver Tassie" critiques societal values and the harsh realities that soldiers face upon returning home, emphasizing themes of loss, betrayal, and the fleeting nature of heroism.
The Silver Tassie: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Sean O'Casey
First published: 1928
Genre: Play
Locale: Dublin, Ireland, and the front lines in France
Plot: Tragicomedy
Time: During and after World War I
Harry Heegan, a boisterous and athletic young man. He is established as a local hero early in the play, winning the cup, the “silver tassie,” for his football club while he is on leave from the army. In love with Jessie, Harry is a rather unthinking man, devoted to the senses. He takes for granted his own strength and health and the adoration of others. After he is wounded in battle and his legs are paralyzed, he loses his standing at home as well as Jessie's love, and he becomes a bitter outcast, haunting his former friends and ultimately renouncing them.
Teddy Foran, a neighbor and comrade of Harry who is married to a woman who prefers to have him away at war. He is large and powerful and is first seen chasing his battered wife into the Heegans' home. Physical dominance over others is his most notable trait: He breaks all the crockery in his home before his leave is ended. He is rendered powerless, and dependent on his wife, when he is blinded in battle.
Barney Bagnal, a friend and comrade of Harry, a pleasant, unexceptional young man. He is clearly in Harry's shadow when they are home on leave, and he is tied to a gunwheel throughout the entire second act as punishment for stealing a chicken. Despite his unheroic character in much of the play, it is Barney who is the hero at home after the war. He has come home unscathed and decorated; he is the latest hero of the football club and Jessie's new lover. He comes to represent all that Harry has lost and finally rejects.
Jessie Taite, a spirited, young local woman who is in love with Harry. When he is injured, she refuses even to visit him in the hospital. Her attachments are based on physical attraction and public esteem, and she easily transfers her love to Barney after the war. Although at first other characters disapprove of her, she comes to represent the prevailing ethos—selfish and utilitarian—of the community.
Sylvester Heegan, Harry's father, a retired dockworker who spends his free time drinking and bragging about his son's exploits. He is a strong, stocky man of a humorous and argumentative temper. Ultimately, he cares little for his son, and his comic exploits with his friend Simon Norton begin to appear grotesque when they are removed from their earlier, jovial context.
Mrs. Heegan, Harry's mother, a nervous, worn-out woman. Her conversation tends to revolve around money. Her worries that Harry might miss his boat after his leave-time is ended mask a concern that the family might then lose money from the government. She is oblivious to Harry's pain after he is disabled, and she reproaches Jessie not for her betrayal of Harry but for the money that he had spent on her when courting.
Simon Norton, a friend and former colleague of Sylvester Heegan. He is a slightly less robust and loud man than Sylvester. A caricature of a petty, self-centered man, Simon maintains a running debate with his friend, intent on preserving an air of authority. Their trivial wrangling endures throughout the play, in increasing contrast to the situation around them.
Susie Monican, an attractive young woman who is in love with Harry and extremely jealous of Jessie. She hides her infatuation behind a rigid sense of propriety and loud religious fervor. A stint as a wartime nurse ironically liberates her, and she enters a romance with Harry's doctor while treating Harry with impersonal pity.
Mrs. Foran, Teddy's wife. She is indifferent to her husband, who beats her when she appears to be pleased to see him return to war. She is heartbroken over Teddy's destruction of her household goods and less concerned over his blindness.