Act 2 Scenes 4 and 5

These two scenes are really telling!! First of all it is in scene four that we learn Frank hidden passion for poetry. It is here when he gives Rita part of his works as a poet. But at first he doesn`t tell her the truth , he wants her to be able to discover it . In fact, he gives her the task to be able to elaborate a critical assessment of an lesser known English poet. By doing this I think he has two aims: first he wants Rita to keep on developing her critical thinking without resorting to any other`s opinion, secondly he wants her to realize of his hidden passion.

However, this event leads to a terrible argument among them because when Rita tells him that he should start writng again he becomes really ironic and tells her that he should also change his name. He even becomes kind of reprouchful to her by telling her she has now got the knack to understand any kind of "shit" she reads. It is here, at this point when Rita expresses very simply what he cannot bearand it is this new Rita what he cannot bear, he cannot bear the fact that she can perfectly do without him . She has become in an entirely new person now. She feels she can do on her own. She has really made progress. However, we can see Frank has fallen behind. At the beginning of the play it is Rita the one that needs Frank desperately, but now things are the other way about. The difference is that now Rita has wings and she is not willing to stay inside a cage any longer she wants to fly and Frank cannot cope with this idea. the idea of Rita leaving him, making a new fresh start.