Q. Is the ending of 'Philadelphia Here I Come' by Brian Friel an effective one?
Brian Friel's play examines the troubles caused by miscommunication and denial of reality. He grew up in an Irish community and one can say that this play reflects some of his harsh opinions of his society. The ending is relatable and effective for all ages and genders due to the colourful portrayal Friel has done of his characters bringing them quite close to reality, ironically since most of them seem to want to escape it.
The story ends in an intriguing way with a mix of sarcasm and sincerity hidden underneath. Contrary to what the title implies, the play ends with Gar still in Ballybeg. A vivd contrast is shown between Private throughout the play and Private near the end of the play. Overall, what he has to say for hometown and its residents is harsh criticism but at the end he asks Gar Public why they have to leave after realising that, the night might be the last time he watched Madge go to bed, the last time he speaks with his father, considering how badly it ended with Gar leaving in frustration, and the last time he'd be seeing Katie, the Boys, Master Boyle and his hometown in general. This brings about feeling of contemplation within the protagonist as well as the audiences, who find themselves wondering if Gar will leave for Philadelphia or stay.
Friel has presented the ending in such a way that the audience is filled with sympathy and can not conclude which character should be labelled as the antagonist. He presents S.B. lost in thought, reading the newspaper upside-down. S.B. is shown to recall his trip with Gar and ponders over whether he is a fit father for him, especially considering that he could be mistaken for Gar's grandfather! Throughout the play S.B.'s greatest struggle is probably communication and by presenting these thoughts Friel depicts S.B. in a more sympathetic light compared to the cold stature he has earlier in the play. Similarly Gar asks Madge to let him know if S.B. ever gets sick to which she answers bluntly that there is no one else to tell. This implies that to S.B. Gar is all he has but he can't express this feeling. It also shows that no matter how Gar Private insults S.B., he has a place in his heart for him. The final words of Gar and S.B., 'I don't know' capture their shared bewilderment that both connects and separates them. Friel introduces a dramatic irony here, the audience know the hidden truths but can't convey them to the characters leaving the audience not only hopeless but also lost for words, therefore the playwright succeeds in allowing the audience to involve themselves emotionally even at the end of the play.
The ending relays the author's intent well. It succeeds to bring attention towards the idea of appearance and reality. The ending allows th eaudience to think about Gar's future and relate with him and the other characters by meditating on how the grass is greener on the other side. The audience is presented with the idea of psychological disorders such ad split personalities in Gar's case, and how it is brought upon by neglect of loved ones or often times, miscommunication. The audience perhaps also realises that blaming others or your circumstances for your misfortunes instead of accepting your mistakes can not solve anything like how escaping to Philadelphia will most probably not solve any of Gar's problems.
YOU ARE READING
English Literature 9695
Non-FictionThis is a compilation of all the essays and notes I wrote while I was in ALevels. It must be noted that not all of of these are A* material (though none goes lower than a grade B) so they aren't meant to be copy pasted for your school assignments. U...
