How does Bennett arouse our sympathy for Doris in A Cream Cracker under the Settee Essay Example For Students

How does Bennett arouse our sympathy for Doris in A Cream Cracker under the Settee Essay Alan Bennetts monologue, A Cream Cracker under the Settee manages to take a subject matter which is in itself dark and less than uplifting, and transform it into a touching, yet humorous insight into the life and thoughts of an elderly widow. The success of the monologue depends on the reader identifying with the central character and feeling sympathy for her situation. Doris lives alone. Thus Bennetts monologue immediately encourages the reader to empathise with Doris by focusing on an issue which is very important to many people: the fear of losing independence. This is first highlighted through the very mundane task of dusting the house. We can see this when Zulema, Doris home help, reportedly says: You are now a lady of leisure. Your dusting days are over. It is clear throughout the script that Doris has been very house proud. However she no longer has control in this area of her life as she is visited every week by her Social Services appointed home help. The way in which Doris describes her conversations with Zulema makes it clear to the audience that she feels Zulema has power over her therefore could force Doris into residential care at Stafford House at any time, apparently threatening, I am the only person that stands between you and Stafford House. Zulema is, in fact, blackmailing Doris, which increases Doris fear of losing her independence. Bennetts choice of name for the home help seems designed to render sympathy for Doris. Doris is from a generation who grew up in a time before immigration. She may feel she has little in common with the person, who now has full access to her home, due to a lack of common background. Doris refers to the change in society due to immigration when she says: Carpet sales in chapels now. Else Sikhs Society has changed a great deal from what Doris is used to. Religion no longer plays an important role in society; this would not have been the case in Doris day. Immigration has brought with it many different religions that were not around for Doris generation to experience. The audience can see from watching the television series Talking Heads, Doris facial expressions express a look of disgust whilst on the subject of immigration. This makes the audience aware of how strongly Doris views are on this subject. In spite of what appears to be a difficult relationship with Zulema, this is at least some sort of company for Doris. The audience cannot help but feel sympathy for Doris as we learn that she lives in a lonely world where the neighbours that she once knew have either died or moved away. The new generation that has now moved in seem to live in a parallel universe to Doris. Folk opposite, I dont know them Doris grew up around the time of the war when communities pulled together to help each other. However modern society is a lot more independent; it is now normal not to know everyone in your street. As Doris herself admits, she never gets any bona fide callers. Doris finds herself very lonely now she does not have her husband Wilfred, who complemented her in her obsession to clean and keep herself to herself, to talk to. Doris is now alone in the world with only her memories to keep her company. A Cream Cracker under the Settee is more effective because it is a monologue. Due to the monologue form Doris is able to tell the audience her true feelings that she may not have been able to if the production was not set out in this way. Bennett skilfully uses old-fashioned phrases in order to portray Doris as the seventy five year old lady she is. Hes spending a penny Tension and suspense in the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez EssayLove God and close all gates I think this works very well, as Doris is being witty as well as stating what her religion is. Doris is saying that people should not be able to go around preaching about God is they are unable to complete a simple task such as closing a gate. By mentioning the gate, Doris is once again returning to her obsession with tidiness. In order to promote sympathy for a character the author must encourage the reader to empathise with their life and fears. In addition, a reader is more likely to feel sympathy for a character if they are perceived as likeable or at least admirable. Doris may no longer be physically fit but she remains mentally sharp. She attempts to retain her own high standards of hygiene in her house, without the Social Services home help or home hindrance as Doris refers to her, knowing. Whilst doing so she discovers a cream cracker under the settee. It is in the attempt to dust the top the photo of her and her husband, that Doris has the fall that eventually leads to her death. Even as she sits helplessly on the floor she does not complain or feel sorry for herself. In fact she reports the state of her leg as a fact. I can nip this leg and nothing Bennett ensures that Doris is perceived favourably as even at the finish she is too proud to admit that she needs help. She turns a policeman away, even though deep down she knows that she needs his help in order to survive; instead she chooses to allow herself to die alone, claiming, No Im all right. Although she has put up a battle, Doris is aware that she is unable to cope alone; therefore she will no doubt end up spending her final days in Stafford House. In this final act, perhaps Doris is able to recover some of the freedom of choice and independence that has been lacking in her life through recent times. Whilst readers may not choose to agree with Doris actions, few could fall but to admire her courage and to sympathise with her unfortunate situation. Bennetts message is very powerful throughout the monologue. The end leaves the audience feeling guilty that they part of that modern day society who could help someone just like Doris, but fail to find the time of day to fulfil their desired actions. Bennett skilfully includes aspects of an elderly persons life that are very close to the heart in order to make the audience aware of the very real situation. Before reading A Cream Cracker Under the Settee I did not realise why elderly members of the community I know are so stubborn about certain modern day issues such as immigration. I can now see why they find it hard to accept modern day society moral issues that I would not even class as an issue that needs to be raised. As the light effectively fades on the final scene, Bennett has transformed, in the space of a few short pages, the character of a crotchety old woman into that of a real person with depth of character and strength of personality. Doris has become known to us all as a person with thoughts, problems, and fears similar to our own. By the end, even though she sometimes appears to be too stubborn for her own good, the audience cannot help but sympathise with Doris as her life draws to a close before our eyes.