treatment of women character in look back in anger

The two women that appear in Look Back in Anger are both of upper class origin. Alison has decided to lead a working class life with her husband Jimmy. She seems to be doing the household work and otherwise be ignorant of any social developments. Jimmy treats her badly by verbally abusing her because in his eyes she is lazy and does not know how to lead a 'real' life. Real to him means that you have had to suffer and have experienced real emotions. He is tired of lethargic and slothful people.

Cliff and the Alison's father on the other hand are very tender and caring towards Alison. Cliff bandages her wound and her father rescues her from the cruelty of her domestic life with Jimmy.

Jimmy also abuses Alison's mother by wishing she was dead. He resents her because she represents an upper class, educated woman who objects to his marriage with Alison.

Helena is depicted as a self-sufficient woman earning her own money and deeply religious. Jimmy despises her church-going but is otherwise not abusive towards her. Instead, she slaps him only to kiss him passionately in the next moment.

Both Alison and Helena are shown as submissive housewives at the beginning of Acts I and III. Yet, as we learn towards the end of the play, their actions are more directed to the well-being of Jimmy than symbolising the inferiority of women at that time.