Educating Rita Interview

Today we are going to be interviewing the author of Educating Rita, Willy Russell. We are going to touch base on a few questions about theme, symbolisms, imagery, metaphors and their meanings, and more. Stay tuned and find out if the questions you're dying to to know the answers to will finally be answered.

“Good afternoon Mr. Willy Russell, are you ready to go?” “Yes m’am, I sure am” “Great. Well my first question for you is going to be about theme, specifically, what is the theme of Educating Rita?” “There are a couple different themes that can be brought out by my play but a very important one is their social class. Rita and Frank are from different social classes, working and middle, and this is apparent in the way they speak, their social behavior, and views on the world. Frank’s level of intelligence and education put him in the middle class but it is apparent that he takes it for granted. Rita’s place in the working class is rough in the way that when faced with hardships and difficulties she proceeds with ambition and persistence. It is apparent that she wants to move up the social ladder, take the scene when she is invited to dinner at Frank’s house for example. Instead of going and being herself, she ends up bailing on the grounds that she wouldn't fit in and isn't intelligent enough to hold real conversations with the people there. She doesn't want ‘the sort of education that would get her just a better job or more pay, but an education that would open up for her a whole new world--a liberal education’ (Bramann).”

“Lovely answer Mr. Russell. Now my next question is one about the symbols of the play.” “Ah, the many different symbolisms in the play. For starters, the painting that Rita first comments on when she first meets Frank is a big symbol of taste and refinement. The fact that Rita comments on the more sexual aspects of the painting when the painting means so much more than just that. Frank focuses more so on the historical emphasis and ignores the “erotic” part of it to make him appear more refined. Another symbol is Rita’s essays. As she gains more knowledge and becomes more cultured, her essays reflect all of these changes. Her first essays show her lack of education but her later ones show the social change that she has gone through throughout the entire play. Another symbol being Rita’s dress. She talks of how she plans to buy a new dress once she completes her exam to reflect her newfound education and taste. She wants to appear the way she sees herself after being educated and ready to enter, essentially, a new world.”

“Again, very fulfilling answer. Do you have time for a few more?” “Indeed I do.” “Perfect, lets get into the imagery and metaphors of Educating Rita.” “Frank’s office is a place that most readers have the most ease picturing in their mind. They think big books shelves, the hidden bottles of alcohol behind a few books, the painting that Rita comments on when first meeting him, and stacks of essays, books, and random papers everywhere. This mental image is a clear representation of Frank. Another instance of imagery is Rita in the pub. She is sitting with her husband, mother, and their friends while depressingly singing along to mind-numbing songs and watching her wasted mother burst out in tears. This scene allows the readers to picture the emotions of Rita and her feeling as is she doesn't belong at the pub but also feels as if she doesn't yet fit in with the “educated middle class” people. A metaphor that occurs throughout the entire play is education. In the play, education is a metaphor for being refined, civilized, cultured, and being of a “higher social status”. Another major metaphor is Rita cutting Frank’s hair. She finally gives him a haircut at the end of the play and it symbolizes her cutting away anything that is holding him back from discovering a new life for himself in Australia. The haircut could allow him to become a “new person” and find a new purpose for himself.”

“Okay, last question Mr. Russell. How do you think an education changed Rita and how did it not?” “Well this is usually a part I let readers decide for themselves but I’ll give you a bit of insight on one of the many opinions on that question. There are definitely some changes that we can see in Rita. The way she dresses,