Belonging And Identity In Willy Russell's Educating Rita
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Educating Rita is a play, set in the 1970s, for two actors set entirely in an office of an Open University, written by Willy Russell. In this play, a 26 year old woman, Rita, seeks an education, as she is unsatisfied with her life, she wants something more. Rita feels that there is no meaning in her life and she wants to find one. This humorous play gives out a very strong message which informs the reader to never give up on life and to strive for your goals to become the very best person you can be. Rita's sense of belonging and identity is emerged through the connections she makes with people to further her education.
The concept of belonging and identity, appears during the first scene of Educating Rita through the use of language. It…show more content… Rita's struggle to educate herself is partly due to Denny, who is uneducated, his lack of education pushes Rita to not further her own as he feels threatened she will gain control over their relationship. "Denny tried to stop me comin' tonight... He hates me comin' here. It's like drug addicts, isn't it?" Rita's connection with Denny compromises her want of belonging to an academic status and her identity of being an educated young woman. Rita decides that the only way to advance herself is to leave Denny. Rita's ambitions got in the way of her lifestyle and she is forced into a new one. A life where she makes her own decisions and depict her lifestyle.
In Act one, scene 7, Frank invites Rita to a dinner party, Rita's actions, display her identity and her sense of belonging in society. Rita dresses up and buys a bottle of wine "Spanish plonk" to take as a gift. When she shows up at the party she looks through the window and sees intellectual and sophisticated guests, making her feel out of place with the group. Rita quickly leaves so she is not seen. This depicts to the reader that the loss of connection between people can cause the feeling of not belonging to a group, in this case, Rita feeling as if she does not belong to the dinner party