Lily By Shauney, Maria, Sarah, Ben and Caitlin

Character overview

Personality Traits Generous Kind Outspoken Independent Responsible Jealous Judgemental Hard-working

How Lily Helps the Morrison's “(Lily takes from her bag a tin of baked beans and a bottle of cough mixture)” We are given the impression that Lily making purchases on the Morrison’s behalf (due to their inability to afford certain ‘luxuries’) is not an uncommon occurrence, this shows that she is generous and compassionate, as well as responsible when it comes to saving and spending money. “Here’s yer Christmas” Lily’s gift to Maggie is very thoughtful and shows that she knows her sister well, and as well as it being a kind gesture in it’s own standing it dramatically contributes to Maggie’s positive attitude and Christmas spirit. Lily’s ability to bring joy to the Morrison household, which is often otherwise stressful and broken shows how much of a significant impact she truly has.

Act 1

Lily’s Criticisms of John and Maggie “Maggie, hes she no got a pair o knickers tae her name?” This is Lily’s first ever criticism in the play. She is commenting on the fact that Maggie’s children do not have sufficient clothing, in her opinion, despite knowing the family’s poor financial position. This statement seems to suggest that Lily herself would be doing more to provide for her children if she were in the same position. “It wisnae they bliddy capitalists gie’d you a the weans, wis it?” Here Lily is saying that the reason the family is so poor is because John continued to impregnate Maggie despite not having a steady job and she shouldn’t believe his accusations that it’s all someone else’s fault.

“How you ever find onythin in this midden beats me” This is a particularly cruel comment, despite seeming innocent upon first inspection, as Maggie prides herself on keeping her home and dedicates all her time towards it. This one comment shows that Lily, the one person who usually supports Maggie, disapproves of her efforts. “Heve ye looked in the mirror since ye rose the morn?” Here Lily is insulting Maggie’s appearance, when she knows that Maggie has little spare time. This is especially rude considering she has not long since implied that Maggie should spend more time caring for the household.

Act 3

The Warm Relationship Between Maggie and Lily “Lily, I’ve said it often to you…Whaur would I be wi’oot ye? Maggie relies on the generosity of Lily, and despite their disagreements caused by Lily’s opinionated nature, she is glad to have such a trustworthy and loving sister; someone who looks after her while she is preoccupied with looking after everyone else is the family “I’m yer sister. Family type, me.” This lighthearted remark just goes to prove that Lily honestly doesn’t begrudge Maggie the help, financial or otherwise, that she has to provide her with, despite what she may imply during disputes. Lily cares for Maggie so much, this is possibly the reason why she is so critical of her life in the first place; she just wants what's best for her sister.

Lily’s attitude towards Jenny “Laugh awa, am no mindin. I’ve kept ma self-respect” Lily degrades Jenny by implying that she has no self respect, unlike herself. This is an attack on Jenny’s source of income, which Lily accuses her as being prostitution. It is clear that Lily believes that she is morally superior to Jenny for not resorting to such measures herself when financially supporting the Morrison family. “She’s come back on Christmas Eve, kiddin on she’s a fairy wi a magic wand” Lily is invalidating everything Jenny is trying to do for her family, making a joke out of her effort and displaying disbelief at her ability to provide sufficient aid. This may be because of her distaste for how Jenny received the money, or because of a need to be the main provider for the Morrisons.

Lily’s attitude towards John “An I’ve had tae fight hauf your battles for ye, John Morrison.” Lily feels like John is incapable of providing for his family and has left her to do all the hard work that he’s been dodging while claiming unemployment. Lily is angered by the fact that John claims to be the head of household while she has done more for the family than he ever has, and she receives little credit. “He’s no tae blame. Nae man’s ever tae blame. It’s they dirty rotten buggers in Parliament, or they stinkin rich bosses –” Lily thinks John’s anti-government rants are pathetic and comical, and here she is making jokes about his inability to get a job, pointing out that it’s no one’s fault but his own. Here we see that, unlike Maggie, Lily won’t blindly believe everything John says, and she definitely won’t sympathise with this situation that he’s gotten himself into.

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