94. Jahresbericht des Bundes-Realgymnasiums Steyr 1976/77

a house of his own and that he wants to try some other job. Jimmy thinks that Cliff is not very intelligent but that he has a good heart. He is sad that Cliff will leave him. I think he knows that Cliff leaves ihim because of Helena because he asks why they let those women bleed them to <leath . He says that everybody seems to leave him. Jimmy and Alison used to play -a game with bears a111d squirrels. In some ways this is ,an escape from reality. In reality they are ,so different. Jimmy comes from a lower class. He has gone to university but he has now a !;Weet-stall because he ca1rnot find another job. He hates uhe upper middle dass because the rich peo'Ple do not have to work with their hands and they do not sweat. He always provokes Alison and wants her to break down. Alison comes from the upper mi,ddle class. Her brother Nigel goes to San1d- hurst. 011ly rich people can send tiheir children to Sandhurst. J immy hates Alison's parents, her brother, and all her friends. He think,s that they are pho-ney. He thinks that A lison is ashamed of him because he -is from a lower class anrd not rich. Maybe he has an inferiority complex. Jimmy is a per-son with whom it is not easy to get on. He is hard to understand. Alison ca:1rnot understand him until she loses her baby. I think Jimmy loves Alison, otherwise he would not stay with her. He wants her to break d.own, to be a lost caus~ like he himself. Then they can start a new life together beoaus·e both have experienced a loss. However, all they do is quarrel. Although they love each other they get on each other',s nerves and one provokes the other. They are only happy when they escape reality and play their game. Yet this is not the solution to their problem. Every time they return to reality their situation is even worse. When Helena arrives the situation becomes worse and even their game seems sens eless. I think it is good for Jimmy's and Alison ' s relationship that she leaves bim because they have time to think of the mistakes they made an 1 d the -good times they had. Also Alison experiences her first los;; and so she can understand Jimmy better. Jimmy is angrv that Alison and Helena go to church. He realizes that Helena has much influence on Al ison because ohey go to church. Ali;;on has not been to church since they got married. Maybe he then knows that Alison will leave him. He is angry and sad tbat she leaves him such a phoney and meaningless letter. Then Helena st:ays with him. He wants to start a new life wiuh her. lt seems as if he always wants to start things new. Alison comes back and Helena leaves him. Alison has lost her baby. Jimmy does not seem to c-a.re. At the end they come together agai.n a.nd play their game. The situation does not seem to ha.ve chan,ged. They try to get on a.gain as they did before. I think the relationships between Jimmy and Helena and J immy and Alison are very good examples of a love-hate relationship. The people in this play love each other but they provoke each other. Their feeling,s change very often . At the end of the play there is nearly the same situ-ation as at the beginning. J immy and Alison are two married people who try to get on together in quite an unusual way. (Slightly adapted) 24