A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney - Book Report/Review Example

A Taste of Honey: Shelagh Delaney Written in 1958 and set in a small slum apartment in Salford, Shelagh Delaney’s play “A Taste of Honey” was written to illustrate how theatre had drifted away from confronting real issues in a real way. Thus, the play itself confronts such issues as single motherhood, abandonment, teenage pregnancy, racially mixed couples and sexuality. These were issues rarely discussed during this period of British history, “when the divorce rate was less than 1 percent, when the black community hardly resonated in the UK, when single parents were the tiniest minority of the population and living together prior to marriage was a mortal sin” (Burbage, 2006). Because the play follows the story of teenaged Jo, who becomes pregnant and nears the time of her delivery within the space of the play, it illustrates many of the developmental stages of adolescence as Jo is forced to go from childhood to adulthood in preparation for her baby’s birth. However, development can also be seen in the character of Geof, who enters the play as a gay friend, but seems unsure of his own sexuality while he watches Jo mature into a young mother-to-be. Whether intentional or not, many of these concepts were written into the play by a nineteen-year-old playwright at a time when many of the theories understood today regarding adolescent development were yet to be formulated. As such, “A Taste of Honey” offers remarkable clarity of vision and understanding to have been able to distinguish the stages of adolescent development so completely. As early as 1952, though, Richard Havighurst had proposed his ideas regarding developmental stages throughout the lifespan, each characterized by a specific set of necessary developmental tasks before the individual can move forward into the next stage. The definition of a developmental task as defined by Havighurst et al (1952) is “a task which arises at or about a certain period in the life of an individual, successful achievement of which leads to his happiness and to success with later tasks, while failure leads to unhappiness in the individual, disapproval by the society, and difficulty with later tasks” (p. 2). The tasks identified with adolescents include achieving new and more mature relations with age-mates of both sexes; achieving a masculine or feminine social role; accepting one’s physique and using the body effectively; achieving emotional independence of parents and other adults; preparing for marriage and family life / preparing for an economic career; acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior, developing an ideology; and desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior (Havighusrt, 1952). However, Havighurst was not the only individual to develop a theory based on key developmental stages that had to take place at key periods in a person’s life. By 1956, Erik Erikson had identified his own set of developmental tasks that each needed to be completed before the next step could be undertaken. As these steps apply to the adolescent, Erikson indicated that at about age 13 or 14 until about age 20, the individual must determine how to answer the question, ‘who am I?’. “But even the best-adjusted of adolescents experience some role identity diffusion: most boys and probably most girls experiment with minor delinquency, rebellion flourishes, self-doubts flood the youngster, and so on” (“Stages”, 2006). While not quite providing the detail involved in Havighurst’s theory, this concept rather neatly sums up some of Havighurst’s ideas regarding acquiring values and separating from parents. Erikson’s adolescent stage further entails the individual acquiring self-certainty and a determination to achieve something as well as developing a clear sexual identity, much of which is also delineated in Havighurst’s theory. Moving beyond adolescence, Erikson indicates the successful young adult, for the first time can experience true intimacy – the sort of intimacy that makes possible good marriage or a genuine and enduring friendship” (“Stages”, 2006). From this point, the adult is ready to be productive, whether that entails starting a family, starting a career or starting something else. Supporting many of these earlier theories, John Hill (1983) also identified specific tasks that seem to be particularly important for adolescents. There are many biological, psychological and social changes that take place during adolescence that make five of these tasks stand out as being of particular importance. These include the formulation of an individual identity, developing the ability to share close relationships with other individuals, gaining a sense of independence and confidence, identifying one’s sexuality and gaining comfort in the expression of it and finally, achieving some form of success in society. Like Erikson, many of Hill’s theories serve to support the conclusions of Havighurst with some small variations. However, many of them can be traced through the characters of Jo and Geof. In the first act, Jo and Helen illustrate the type of relationship that exists between mother and daughter, demonstrating throughout how Jo has begun working out some of these concepts regarding the development of a self and the separation from her mother. This is immediately clear in that Jo refers to her mother as ‘Helen’, something that just wasn’t done that often in the 1950s and therefore stands out as both a sign of rebellion and separation. Thanks to her mother’s drinking habit, it is seen that Jo does a lot of the caring in the household, taking the responsibility to check out the flat for the necessary fixtures, beautifying the area and preparing food and drink. Anxious to try and better her circumstances above that which her mother can provide, Jo decides to leave school and go to work, telling her mother, “I’m sick of you. You’ve made my life a misery” (Delaney, 1958: 15). However, her adult demeanor is confused by her fear of the dark, hinting at her fear of being left alone. That she has already begun to formulate her own opinions and values is evidenced in the acidic comments she sends toward her mother’s boyfriend Peter, which make it clear that she is well aware of her mother’s dubious behavior and doesn’t approve of it for herself. This is supported later in the play when Geof tells her one can get rid of babies before they’re born. “I know, but I think that’s terrible,” (Delaney, 1958: 49) she replies. Although Jo evidently has two jobs by the time it is revealed she is pregnant, these are not positions she intends to keep long, “Anyway, I’m not working for much longer”, but also that her intention to stop working is based on little more than cosmetic reasons, “I’m not having everybody staring at me” (Delaney, 1958: 50). Work is something that gets in the way of her being able to do things for herself. Although it keeps a roof over her head, she barely has anything left after paying rent and buying her cosmetics (49-50). This indicates that while she has successfully made the transition from school to work, she has not fully accepted responsibility for herself yet, nor is she completely ready to take on her adult role as she is willing to spend all of her money on making herself look pretty, itself one of the tasks set forth by Havighurst. Although she has fulfilled the aspect of finding and maintaining work, Jo is not able to make the connection between work and her own survival. When Geof asks her what she’ll do to support herself and her baby when she stops working, she simply tells him “There’s no need for you to worry about it” (Delaney, 1958: 50). Similarly, her experiments with sex in the one night stand she has with Jimmie, the black sailor who impregnates her then leaves for six months (actually never to be heard from again), can be seen as merely fulfilling one of the more important tasks identified by not only Havighurst, but also Erikson and Hill. While she is still unsure that she is ready to take on the responsibility of raising a child, Jo has obviously progressed through more of the necessary developmental stages by the end of the play. She keeps Geof at a distance through much of the second act, telling him “I don’t want you” and “You’re nothing to me. I’m everything to myself” (Delaney, 1958: 57). This indicates the early stages in which Jo still finds herself at this point, but as her pregnancy progresses, indicating not only the need for Jo to grow up but also the passage of time, Jo seems to change her heart about Geof. “It’s a bit daft talking about getting married, isn’t it? We’re already married. We’ve been married for a thousand years” (Delaney, 1958: 76). Jo herself admits to Helen by the end of the play that Geof “is the only friend I’ve got, as a matter of fact” (Delaney, 1958; 79). At the same time, Jo is seen to take on a deeper intimacy with her mother as she turns to her for advice regarding the baby, “What’s it like?” she asks, “Is there much pain?” (Delaney, 1958: 84). As Erikson suggests, Jo has passed from adolescence to adulthood through the steps she’s taken. Erikson’s theories regarding the adolescent’s difficulties in establishing a sense of their own identity applies particularly well to Geof. There are many instances in which Geof is obviously gay. The first hint at this is given in Jo’s comment, “I’ve always wanted to know about people like you” (Delaney, 1958: 48). Perhaps in support of this statement, Geof can be seen to constantly try to clean up after Jo in a stereotypical feminized manner. Jo even tells him, “You’d make somebody a wonderful wife” (Delaney, 1958: 55). Throughout the second act, though, Geof continues to switch his personality as he tries on new roles in an effort to come to his own sense of identity. He tells Jo he would like to be the father of her baby, plays nursemaid to Jo in consistently trying to get her to drink milk and eat properly, and providing her with reading materials to inform her about how to care for a baby as a means of taking on the motherly role. At one point, he even tries to take on the role of the lover, forcing Jo to kiss him despite her protests. While Delaney was trying to shake up 1960s theater by re-introducing frank talk regarding ‘taboo’ issues, she managed to capture the essence of the developmental stages that were being identified by psychologists at the time. Jo’s progression from an angry, spoiled child demanding to be treated better to a mature woman capable of taking responsibility for herself and making her own decisions covers many of the important tasks delineated by these theories. Geof epitomizes the search for self identity through sexual orientation outlined by Erikson. By looking carefully at her characters’ progression, it can be determined that these characters have taken each step almost as if following a map. Works Cited Burbage, Richard. “A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney.” Manchester Confidential. (April 2006). December 10, 2006 Delaney, Shelagh. A Taste of Honey. New York: Grove Press, 1958. Havighurst, R.J. Developmental Tasks and Education. New York: David McKay, 1952. Havighurst, R., et al. Growing up in River City. New York: Wiley, 1952. Hill, J. “Early Adolescence: A Research Agenda.” Journal of Early Adolescence. Vol. 3, (1983), pp. 1-21. “Stages of Social-Emotional Development in Children and Teenagers.” (2006). Child Development Institute. December 10, 2006 Outline Thesis statement: “A Taste of Honey” offers remarkable clarity of vision and understanding to have been able to distinguish the stages of adolescent development so completely. Body 1: Havighurst Body 2: Erikson Body 3: Hill Body 4: Jo’s positive development Body 5: Jo’s lack of development Body 6: Jo’s passage into adulthood Body 7: Geof’s development Conclusion Read More