Within the Gates: Analysis of Major Characters
"Within the Gates" explores the lives of several major characters, each representing different facets of society and human experience, particularly in the context of struggle and despair. At the center is Jannice, a young prostitute confronting her impending death, embodying the modern Everywoman. In her search for solace, she reaches out to various figures in her life, including her father, the Bishop, who is unable to provide the compassion she seeks, instead offering only conventional responses. The Dreamer, a sensitive poet, stands out as her sole source of genuine understanding and support, championing the independent spirit that Jannice embodies even in her final moments.
Other characters include Jannice's mother, the Old Woman, whose life is marred by addiction and memories of a lost love, and the Atheist, Jannice's foster father, who has become too wrapped up in his political pursuits to care for her. The Gardener represents a rejection of emotional intimacy, while the Salvation Army Officer serves as Jannice's lover, adding complexity to her struggles. Together, these characters illustrate the themes of societal neglect, personal tragedy, and the quest for meaningful connection amid despair. The narrative invites reflection on the human condition, particularly in how individuals navigate their relationships and confront their own vulnerabilities.
Within the Gates: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Sean O'Casey
Genre: Drama
Locale: A park in London
Plot: Morality
Time: Twentieth century
Jannice, a young and dying prostitute. The streetwalker is a modern Everywoman who turns, in her final days on Earth, to family, church, social agency, lover, and finally poet. Of all those to whom she turns, including her father, the Bishop, none sustains her with love and compassion except the poet.
The Dreamer, a young poet. Sensitive to the impoverished spirit of modern people, weighed down by mass conformity, he protests and urges the Down-and-Outs to throw off their worldly bonds. As Jannice dies, he sings his song of praise to the independent spirit who is dying within the gates.
The Bishop (Gilbert), Jannice's father. Limited only to conventional responses, the guilty lover and irresponsible father cannot admit his guilt in spite of Jannice's mockery. Worship of self has replaced compassion, and he can only utter Latin comfort as she dies.
The Old Woman, Jannice's mother, a drunkard steeped in sin and hatred. Her only happy memory is of a week spent with a long-dead Irish soldier.
The Atheist, the foster father of Jannice. Deserted by both the mother and the daughter, he is now too much interested in his rabble-rousing, speechifying, and pamphleteering to take Jannice back.
The Down-and-Outs, the victims of dead traditions, bowed by the master classes.
The Gardener, a man in love with physical love who rejects Jannice.
The Salvation Army Officer, Jannice's lover.