Character Analysis (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Character analysis
Introduction to the characters
Peter Whelan's The Accrington Pals presents a profoundly human depiction of individuals from Accrington, Lancashire, during World War I. The play features a diverse range of characters who represent different social positions, personal challenges, and reactions to the war. Through these carefully crafted figures, Whelan explores the experiences of both those who fought on the front lines and those who remained on the home front, creating a comprehensive portrait of a community transformed by conflict.
The play's strength lies in its ensemble cast, where each character serves a specific dramatic purpose while also representing broader social experiences of World War I. Understanding these characters means understanding the war's multifaceted impact on British society.
The women on the home front
May Hassall
May Hassall emerges as the play's most prominent female character, working as a determined and independent market stall holder. She represents an early feminist figure, committed to bettering her own circumstances and those of other women despite experiencing fear and significant loss. Her unspoken affection for Tom Hackford provides emotional complexity to her character, revealing vulnerability beneath her strong exterior.
May's leadership qualities and resilience serve as powerful symbols of the home front's strength during times of extreme difficulty. She refuses to accept traditional female passivity, instead taking active steps to improve women's situations. This proto-feminist stance was particularly progressive for the World War I era, making her a fascinating character to analyse when considering gender roles and social change.
Key aspects of May's character:
- Independent businesswoman challenging gender expectations
- Demonstrates emotional depth through her concealed feelings for Tom
- Symbolises female strength and determination during wartime
Eva Mason
Eva arrives in Accrington as a young woman from a rural farming background, seeking employment at the local mill. Her character represents innocence and the profound disruption that war brings to ordinary people's lives. Through her developing relationship with Ralph, Eva embodies both the hopes that people clung to during the war and the devastating losses they experienced.
Her transition from country life to industrial town life reflects broader social changes occurring during this period. Eva's character allows Whelan to explore how war affected even those who seemed far removed from its immediate horrors.
Eva's journey from rural innocence to urban experience mirrors the broader social upheaval of the World War I period, when traditional ways of life were irrevocably disrupted by industrialisation and conflict.
Sarah Harding
Sarah functions as the neighbourhood busybody and source of local information, representing the community dynamics and social pressures prevalent in tight-knit working-class communities like Accrington. Her gossiping and interference in others' affairs often creates tension within the play, yet she also provides moments of comic relief that balance the drama's more serious themes.
Through Sarah, Whelan examines how communities monitor and regulate themselves, particularly regarding social behaviour and reputation. Her character demonstrates the sometimes suffocating nature of close community ties.
Annie Boggis
Annie Boggis is portrayed as a devoutly religious, hard-working woman who struggles to maintain her household whilst her husband serves in the war. Her strict religious beliefs, reflected in her bible-reading and moral standards, shape her worldview and responses to crisis.
Annie's emotional breakdown upon learning about the battalion's fate powerfully illustrates the devastating toll that war exacted on families left behind. Her character represents the countless women who bore the weight of uncertainty, responsibility, and grief during World War I, making her particularly significant when analysing the home front experience.
Important characteristics:
- Religious devotion influences her perspective
- Carries the burden of household management alone
- Demonstrates the psychological impact of war on civilians
The men and the war
Tom Hackford
Tom Hackford stands as one of the play's most complex and psychologically nuanced characters. As a young man with strong political convictions, he struggles to reconcile his socialist beliefs with his personal emotions and desires. This internal conflict reflects broader tensions between idealism and the harsh realities of war.
His character development throughout the play, marked by hallucinations and emotional fluctuations, highlights the psychological trauma that war inflicted on soldiers. Tom's experiences reveal how the conflict challenged and often destroyed the idealistic notions with which many young men entered military service.
Key conflicts in Tom's character:
- Political ideals versus personal feelings
- Pre-war optimism versus wartime trauma
- Public duty versus private desires
Tom's psychological deterioration serves as a powerful commentary on how war destroyed not only bodies but also minds and beliefs.
Ralph Brierley
Ralph serves as May's romantic partner and fights as one of the Accrington Pals. His relationship with Eva forms a central romantic thread in the play, exposing the contrasts between passionate love and the societal constraints of the period.
Ralph's youthful optimism provides a striking counterpoint to the war's bleakness and brutality. His character allows Whelan to explore how young men's enthusiasm and hope were confronted with the horrific reality of trench warfare. This contrast between expectation and reality is crucial for understanding the play's exploration of war's impact.
Arthur Boggis
Arthur, Annie's husband, represents traditional working-class values and religious faith being tested by war. As a Primitive Methodist and family-oriented man, he embodies the conventional moral framework that many working-class communities relied upon.
His character demonstrates how war challenged not only individuals but the fundamental values and structures that held communities together. Through Arthur, Whelan examines the intersection of religious faith, family duty, and military service.
Reggie Boggis
Reggie undergoes perhaps the most dramatic transformation in the play, evolving from a young boy living on the streets into a reluctant breadwinner for his family. This change represents youth being forced into premature adulthood through loss and hardship.
His character arc powerfully illustrates how war's consequences extended beyond the battlefield, fundamentally altering the life trajectories of those too young to fight. Reggie's transformation from child to provider demonstrates the far-reaching social disruption caused by the conflict.
Significance of Reggie's character:
- Represents lost childhood and innocence
- Shows war's impact on the younger generation
- Illustrates enforced maturity through family necessity
Sergeant Major Rivers
Sergeant Major Rivers provides an authentic portrayal of front-line military life, combining authoritative strength with genuine compassion for his men. His character balances the necessary toughness required for military leadership with human sympathy for the soldiers under his command.
Through Rivers, Whelan offers insight into the experiences and challenges faced by those guiding younger, less experienced soldiers through the horrors of trench warfare. His supportive yet firm approach demonstrates the complex responsibility borne by military leaders during World War I.
Collective character significance
The ensemble of characters collectively embodies crucial themes including class dynamics, gender roles, and war's impact on both individuals and communities. Whelan carefully employs dialect and mannerisms to create authentic, relatable characters who endure both personal and communal tragedy.
Each character serves a specific function in exploring different aspects of the World War I experience. The women characters reveal the home front's challenges and the changing roles available to women during wartime. The male characters expose the physical and psychological costs of combat, as well as the varied motivations and responses to military service.
Together, these characters create a comprehensive picture of a community fractured by war, examining how different individuals respond to extraordinary circumstances based on their social position, personal beliefs, and relationships with others.
Exam focus: analysing characters effectively
When writing about characters in The Accrington Pals, consider:
- How characters represent broader social groups or themes rather than just individuals
- The relationships between characters and what these reveal about society
- How characters change throughout the play in response to war
- The symbolism each character carries regarding gender, class, or wartime experience
- Contrasts between characters to highlight different perspectives and experiences
Always support your analysis with specific references to the text, noting how Whelan uses dialogue, actions, and interactions to develop character and theme.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- May Hassall represents emerging feminist consciousness and female resilience on the home front during World War I
- Tom Hackford's psychological struggles illustrate the traumatic impact of war on idealistic young men
- The contrast between characters like Ralph (youthful optimism) and Rivers (experienced realism) highlights different perspectives on military service
- Female characters collectively demonstrate women's varied experiences and expanding roles during wartime
- The Boggis family unit shows war's devastating effect on traditional working-class family structures and values