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• Selfish.
• Realistic.
• Changeable.

From the opening of the play, Helen is presented as a selfish, thoughtless woman and mother. The conversations Helen has with Jo make it obvious that her daughter’s needs have not been taken into consideration when she planned their move into the new flat, as she tells Jo, You’re going to have a shocking journey to school each day, aren’t you? It must be miles and miles.

Their constant quarrelling implies that their relationship is a turbulent one and that they have difficulty communicating with each other. Helen also enjoys drinking whiskey and regularly needs a glass or two of alcohol to sustain her, such as when she discovers the father of Jo’s baby is black.

There are times when Helen does show some signs of caring for Jo, such as when she offers to send her to art school or when she suddenly turns up when Jo is in labour. However, she is also extremely selfish and puts her needs above those of her daughter.

Selfish

How is Helen like this?

Helen thinks nothing of dragging Jo from flat to flat as long as she herself is happy. She does not care that this disrupts Jo’s schooling or that it makes it difficult for Jo to make any friends.

Evidence

Analysis

Here Helen is being very honest about her selfish tendencies. It takes Helen a long time to look after herself, leaving very little time to look after Jo. This is why Jo has been left to fend for herself from a young age whilst Helen has been busy selfishly leading her own life.

Realistic

How is Helen like this?

Helen has a realistic view of marriage and relationships. She does not believe in romantic love and prefers to see relationships as a way of getting by in life.

There is an implication that Helen is sometimes paid by the men she has relationships with but Shelagh Delaney has said in various interviews that Helen should not be considered to be a prostitute. Helen is also very practical and down to earth when it comes to what to expect from life.

Evidence

Analysis

Helen says this after Jo talks to her about seeing an advertisement for a Sheik who offers to look into people’s futures. Helen is extremely sceptical about this and warns Jo that everyone’s life is made up of work or want.

She is reminding Jo that she needs to keep her feet on the ground, that she will have no time for romantic dreams and that if she wants things in life she will have to work in order to pay for them.

Changeable

How is Helen like this?

During the play Helen reveals herself to have a very changeable personality. She can be cruel and insensitive but there are times when she can be quite tender-hearted.

This proves to be particularly the case near the end of the play. Helen is cruel to Geof, viciously teasing him and forcing him to leave the flat. However, at the same time she displays more maternal affection towards Jo than she has previously done.

Evidence

Analysis

Helen says this to Jo after Jo accuses her of being rude to Geof. Helen has indeed been very rude to Geof, calling him a Bloody little pansy, but there is a surprising change when she talks to Jo with sudden generosity about all the new things she has bought for the baby.

Analysing the evidence