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Dancing At Lughnasa Analysis

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How does Brian Friel show the topic of change in” Dancing at Lughnasa” and how well or badly do the characters handle it?

” Dancing at Lughnasa” is a play written by Brian Friel first published in 1990. In the play, Friel tells the story of Ireland as a whole through the story of a family living in Ballybeg, Donegal. The family consists of five sisters and their brother, as well as Michael. Michael is the son of one of the sisters, Christina, but more importantly the narrator of the story. The play is set in the summer of 1936. The first change mentioned in the book is the return of Father Jack. Father Jack is the oldest member of the Mundy family, a respected missionary priest, who has spent the last 25 years in Uganda. During his time in Uganda, he has absorbed the African religion and culture. Jack’s return affects greatly the everyday life of the Mundy sisters as he has problems adjusting back to Ireland. With his new pagan beliefs, the attitudes of the townspeople towards Jack change radically. In addition, this is the first time Michael sees his uncle. Friel creates a strong contrast between paganism and Catholicism in his play. Kate being the one to reinforce Catholic values and Jack to introduce new views. He tells the sisters about the different ceremonies he experienced during his time in Uganda, about the great …show more content…

Agnes and Rose are laid off from their jobs as a new factory opens. The factory sells gloves at a lower price than they do, which is why they find themselves unemployed. This is an example of forced and unwelcome change. One of the consequences of industrialisation mentioned in the play is poverty. As all their means of earning money are taken away from them, the financial situation of the house worsens and their meals become smaller, Agnes and Rose decide to emigrate to England. Their lives in England are not great as they are left to do the worst jobs

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