How does Alan Bennet create sympathy for the character of Wilfred in Playing Sandwiches Essay Example For Students

How does Alan Bennet create sympathy for the character of Wilfred in Playing Sandwiches Essay This essay sets out to find how a playwright, ie Alan bennet, extracts sympathy from the audience for his character. Alan Bennet is an expert at creating sympathy for his characters. He places them in situations or with problems which become the focal point of his drama. Wilfreds character is that of a paedophile, but Wilfred also has a nice personality and is not the stereotypical monster that you would associate with his problem. So how does Alan Bennet create sympathy for a man who has created a tragic crime and would normally be rejected. When you read the title of the essay the title you will ask your self is what is Playing Sandwiches. Well, it is the title of play written by Alan Bennet Playing Sandwiches is also a monologue. The main characteristics of a monologue that sets it part from any ordinary piece of drama is, when you view through any medium ie on stage, television,or book it is one person speaking. Another aspect is, there is a quick change between the thoughts of the main character, in this case Wilfred, this is called a stream of consciousness, so ideas lead quickly from one to another but not necessarily in a logical sequence. Alan Bennets first task is to create a character we can understand or relate to. So how does he make Wilfred seem normal, ie someone we can relate to. The first time in the monologue where Bennet does this is in the first paragraph. Wilfred is shown in a park attendant uniform, so he has a job just like an average man, he also starts complaining about the state of the park. Alan Bennet uses, extreme words like filth instead of dirty to create the sense that Wilfred is as disgusted as the audience might be.Character response to the situation is very important, because if the response is completely differently to that which might be expected, then we might start to think of Wilfred as not being normal. Again the idea being to show that Wilfred has many of the normal attitudes and standards as other members of society. Wilfred is also married to Janet which you definitely do not associate with paedophilic tendencies. Bennet also shows Wilfred with friends and family at a social event, a christening, which also builds on the sense that he is a normal part of society. But normally a paedophile would be treated differently, he would be thought of as scum and would be a social out cast, with no friends or a job. But Wilfred is presented completely differently, he has a number of attributes which a paedophile would not be expected to have, a wife being perhaps the most important difference. Another thought that comes into peoples minds when you think of a paedophile is, monster. This is perhaps the reason why Alan Bennet needs to make Wilfred seem normal, because it would be difficult to sympathize with a monster. So Alan Bennet has managed to make Wilfred somewhat normal, so that a link is formed between Wilfred and the audience. The next step for Alan Bennet is to build up sympathy between the audience and the character of Wilfred. Bennet is often very subtle at this, most of the time, but on occasions he develops situations or scenes which demand a higher level of feeling. One example of Bennets subtle approach occurs when Rosalie is clouted for suggesting that Wilfred be a godparent. Alan Bennet again makes use of vocabulary to its fullest effect, because the harsh words emphasise the embarrassment for Wilfred. As a result we are made to feel sorry for him. Another important subtle moment of sympathy develops when his family makes fun of him. The dramatic device here is to use the other characters to show Wilfred as the outcast and underdog and as such make him appear vulnerable, the effect is again that we are made to feel sorry for him. The effect this has on the audience is the creation of contrasting characters, which gives us an alternative perspective on Wilfred. Here we sympathise because they are teasing a character that we know more closely. 'I wanna be yours', 'To His Coy Mistress' and 'Our Love Now' EssayThe judge said i would get treatment. I havent been given any treatment. Theyve put me by my self to stop me getting the others giving me the treatment. The scalded in the kitchen treatment. The Piss in the your porridge treatment Bennet also stirs up a social context here by suggesting the other prisoners are wrong to feel they have the right to punish another prisoner, because they feel his crime is worse than their crime. Thus we sympathise with Wilfred for getting unjust treatment or harassment. Wilfred also says in this scene, Its the one bit of my life that feels right and its that bit thats wrong. In this powerful soliloquy, we sympathise with Wilfred as he confronts this cruel realisation. Wilfred has a desire to be alone and isolated, this is use of soliloquy and dramatic irony. We sympathise because we realise that it is too late for him. The damage is done. Also it is ironic that he is totally isolated and alone but it is not the way he would prefer. Wilfred is seen in despair as well in the very end stage direction, the use of fade and use of vocabulary all play their part in a memorable ending. The fade here emphasises the isolation as Wilfred is engulfed in darkness. Alan Bennets stage directions leave the audience with the harrowing sound of Wilfred crying. A very difficult situation not to have sympathy for. AB has succeeded in creating sympathy for Wilfred, by firstly developing Wilfred to have similar emotions and feelings to yourselves therefore making him seem normal and easy to relate to. He then throughout the monologue builds on the sympathy we feel for Wilfred and then secures it in the last scene with a powerful and moving ending to the play which gives the audience a lasting impression of Wilfred to think about afterwards. AB uses this monologue to contrast the man against the crime, i.e. you get to know Wilfred before knowing the crime therefore you see the human behind the inhuman acts. This is also what Bennet is suggesting about the police, social services and the other poisoners because all they could see is the crime, not the man behind them.