Theme: Poverty (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Theme: Poverty
Overview of poverty in the play
Poverty shapes every aspect of the Morrisons' lives. Stewart presents this through the physical setting, stage directions, and dialogue between characters. The family's struggles with deprivation affect their health, their pride, and their relationships with one another.
The theme of poverty is not merely a backdrop but actively drives the plot and character development throughout the play. Every decision, conflict, and moment of desperation stems from the family's economic circumstances.
The physical setting
The stage set uses doors, curtains and a bed recess to create a sense of confined space. The characters appear trapped by their circumstances, hemmed in by their poverty. This physical limitation on stage mirrors the social and economic limitations they face in life.
The family cannot afford basic necessities. Edie wears a random collection of hand-me-down clothes, and Lily later discovers that "she's no got a pair o knickers to her name". The lack of fundamental clothing reveals the depth of their poverty.
The stage design itself becomes a visual metaphor for poverty's constraints. The physical boundaries on stage represent the inescapable nature of the family's economic situation.
Living conditions
The deprived setting directly affects the family's health. Bertie's condition worsens because of where they live, and he cannot be allowed to return home. In Act III, Jenny describes their home:
"It's rotten, this hoose. Rotten. Damp. Ye ken yersel. It's a midden looking oot on ither middens. It's got rats, bugs."
The repetition of "rotten" emphasises the extent of the decay. Stewart places this word in a short, blunt sentence followed by "Damp", which creates a stark, undeniable statement. They are living in a slum, and while Maggie denies the presence of bugs, she cannot dispute the other problems.
The expression "midden looking oot on ither middens" suggests the family exists within a community of poverty. The only view from their disintegrating flat shows more poverty, more suffering. This creates a sense of hopelessness - there is no escape, no glimpse of a better life.
A "midden" is a Scottish term for a rubbish heap or dunghill. Jenny's use of this word to describe their home reveals her disgust and despair at their living conditions. The fact that they look out onto "ither middens" (other rubbish heaps) emphasises that poverty traps entire communities, not just individual families.
Impact on pride and dignity
Poverty destroys self-respect. Maggie waits outside Jenny's workplace hoping to receive bruised fruit and vegetables. Jenny feels angry and embarrassed by this, saying she is "sick of her mother disgracin her afore the hale shop". The word "disgracin" reveals how poverty forces people into humiliating situations. The audience sympathises with Maggie, who apologetically explains she is "just desperate for money". She is not choosing this behaviour - poverty has forced her into it.
Stewart shows how poverty damages not just material wellbeing but human dignity. Maggie's desperate actions create a generational conflict - Jenny's embarrassment shows how poverty's shame affects even those who witness it, not just those who experience it directly.
John's suffering
John's pride suffers most deeply. He believes his role is to be the breadwinner, yet he cannot provide for his family. He blames "the dirty rotten buggers in Parliament" for leaving him helpless. His long speech in Act II, Scene 2 expresses the cruel reality of poverty:
"If I could hae jist- jist done better by ye a. If I could hae…(Head in hands, eyes on floor) If! If! Every time I've had tae say 'no' tae yon an the weans it's doubled me up like a kick in the stomach. (Lifting his head and crying out) Christ Almighty! A we've done wrong is tae be born intae poverty! Whit dae they think this kind o life dis tae a man? Whiles it turns ye intae a wild animal. Whiles ye're a human question mark, aye askin why? Why? Why? There's nae answer. Ye end up a bent back and a heid hanging in shame for whit ye canna help."
The stage direction "(Head in hands, eyes on floor)" shows John's physical defeat. He describes refusing his children's requests as feeling like being "punched in the stomach" - poverty causes him actual pain. He ends with "a bent back and a heid hanging in shame", an image of a broken man.
The repeated conditional "if" reveals John's sense of powerlessness. He keeps thinking "if only it wasn't like this" - he feels life has given him no chance. The phrase "If! If!" in isolation emphasises his frustration and desperation.
Analysing John's Language:
The progression of John's speech shows the psychological stages of poverty's impact:
- Regret - "If I could hae jist done better" (self-blame)
- Physical manifestation - "doubled me up like a kick in the stomach" (poverty as violence)
- Recognition - "born intae poverty" (understanding it's systemic, not personal failure)
- Dehumanisation - "wild animal" (loss of dignity and civilised behaviour)
- Resignation - "bent back and a heid hanging in shame" (complete defeat)
John describes poverty as turning him into a "wild animal". This may refer to his primitive living conditions, or to the uncontrolled sexual desire that has resulted in many children. In this one area, he retains some power, some sense of not being completely impotent.
John's threatened authority
In Act III, John tries to defend his position as head of the household when Jenny challenges his authority. He says he "he'd an idea [he] wis the heid o this hoose". The phrase "an idea" is revealing - it suggests his power has never been real or solid. He holds onto the traditional male role only in theory, because in practice, poverty prevents him from fulfilling it. Without the ability to provide, his authority becomes meaningless, allowing Maggie to take control instead.
Stewart's use of the phrase "an idea" is deliberately ironic. John's patriarchal authority exists only as a concept, not as reality. Poverty has stripped him of the economic power that traditionally underpinned male authority in working-class households, creating a power vacuum that Maggie must fill.
Key Points to Remember:
- Poverty dominates the play through setting, dialogue and stage directions
- The confined stage set and terrible living conditions (damp, rats, bugs) show the family trapped by circumstances
- Poverty damages both physical health (Bertie cannot return home) and emotional wellbeing
- The theme destroys pride and dignity - Maggie begs for bruised fruit, John feels shame at failing to provide
- John's long speech with repeated "If! If!" and the "wild animal" metaphor reveals the psychological damage poverty causes
- Stewart presents poverty as both a personal tragedy and a systemic injustice