The Caretaker

Drama | Harold Pinter

What role does Helena play in separating and uniting Jimmy Porter and Alison?

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What role does Helena play in separating and uniting Jimmy Porter and Alison NU In John Osborne s play Look Back in Anger Helena Charles plays a double role She first separates Jimmy and Alison but later her actions help them reunite Osborne shows Helena as both a critic and a participant in their troubled marriage Helena Encourages Alison to Leave Helena is an old friend of Alison She arrives to visit her She sees Alison s suffering under Jimmy s anger In Act I Jimmy cruelly says If you could have a child and it would die This shocks Alison and reveals his bitterness In Act II Helena tells her But you can't go on living in this way any longer To her ALISON I'm so tired Then Alison feels tired and hopeless She leaves Jimmy under Helena s influence Helena s Affair with Jimmy After Alison leaves Helena

becomes close to Jimmy herself In Act III she even confesses her love to Jimmy She says I love you Jimmy replies I think perhaps you do This affair shows Helena repeating Alison s mistake She enters the same painful world that she once criticized Helena Realizes Her Mistake The turning point comes when Alison returns after a miscarriage She tells Helena in Act III You saw me and I had to tell you what had happened I lost the child This moment makes Helena guilty She realizes her role is wrong and finally leaves Jimmy returning to London In ACT- III She says Very well I'm going downstairs to pack my things ACT- III In short Helena first breaks Alison s marriage but later clears the way for reconciliation Her actions bring pain but also prepare the ground for Jimmy and Alison s reunion Helena plays a key role in both separating and bringing them together

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