Is Gar weak-willed?

Is Gar weak-willed? CCEA’s Summer 2023 GCSE English Literature examination posed this question to students. In this article, I will show you how I go about setting out an argument, supporting it and exploring the language, form and structure of the play. In addition, I will consider the ideas to support the idea of Gar as weak-willed, as well as those against Gar as weak-willed.

Where should I start with a GCSE Literature essay?

GCSE Literature essays should not be over-complicated. Let’s start with an overview of the mark scheme, as this shows us what the examiners are looking for.

For this CCEA exam, it is important to note that only AO1 (your argument) and AO2 (analysis of form, structure and language) are being assessed, so there is no need for context analysis or comparison. Although, that’s not to say you can’t include them. In your answer, you should focus relentlessly on these two AOs: how you prove your argument, and how you analyse the writer’s choices.

In order to craft a good argument, it is important to plan your ideas before you start to write. Below are bullet points to show the two sides of this argument: Gar as weak-willed, and the opposite; Gar as a strong-willed character.

Ideas to suggest Gar is weak-willed:

Indecisiveness: Gar often struggles to make decisions, especially regarding his emigration to Philadelphia. He frequently dithers between the conflicting choices of ‘go’ or ‘stay’, which shows his indecisiveness.
Linguistic hesitations: Throughout the play, Gar frequently uses qualifiers, hesitations, and vague language in his conversations, reflecting his uncertainty and lack of conviction.
Internal conflict: Gar grapples with a profound internal conflict between his desire for a new life in America and his attachment to his Irish roots. This internal turmoil demonstrates his weakness in making a definitive choice.
Fear of confrontation: Gar avoids confronting his father and sharing his true feelings with Kate, Madge, and others, indicating his avoidance of difficult conversations and decisions.
Inability to express emotions: He struggles to express his emotions and feelings openly, concealing his true self from those around him, which can be interpreted as a sign of emotional weakness.

Ideas to suggest Gar is strong-willed:

Courage to dream: Gar demonstrates courage by daring to dream of a better life in Philadelphia. His willingness to take a bold step towards a new beginning shows strength of character.
Challenging social norms: In the context of 1960s Ireland, Gar’s decision to emigrate challenges societal norms. His determination to break away from tradition and seek his own path could be seen as a sign of inner strength.
Confronting his father: In the climactic scene, Gar confronts his father about their strained relationship, displaying the courage to speak his mind and address long-standing issues.
Awareness of complexity: Gar’s awareness of the complexities of life and the difficulty of decision-making may be seen as a sign of maturity rather than weakness. He acknowledges the weight of his choices.
Struggle for self-identity: Gar’s internal conflict can be interpreted as a search for self-identity rather than a weakness. His journey to discover who he truly is suggests a willingness to explore his own psyche.

When you spend time planning, you often come up with more ideas that you have time for in a one hour essay. That-s ok: pick your best ideas.

Once you have ideas together, choose an argument i.e. choose a point of view. It is important to develop your own interpretation of the character/theme focused on in the question. This interpretation should unfold paragraph by paragraph to form a consistent and well supported point of view. To do this, you should make an essay plan i.e. a bullet point list of ideas which are sequenced into a logical order.

Essay Plan

Introduction

Provide a brief overview of the play, its central character, Gar, and his desire to begin a new life in Philadelphia. Introduce the conflicts that drive the play: his difficult relationship with his father, his longing for Kate, his lack of opportunity in Ballybeg. These conflicts all set Gar up to either step up decisiviely, or crumble indecisively. The indecision shown by Gar highlights his personality: he is a weak-willed character who lacks the courage needed to make a success of his life.
Introduce the essay argument: “This essay will argue that Gar is a weak-willed character based on the ways Friel presents him in the play.”

Main paragraph 1: Gar's language reflects his weak nature

Gar hesitates and uses qualifiers in his speech, showing his uncertainty. For example, in the early lines of the play, when S.B. asks Gar about the coils, Gar cannot respond with confidence. “There were two – no, no, no, three – yes, three – or maybe it was … was it two?”
When Kate brings Gar to her father, Gar panics, saying, “God, Kathy, I’m in no – look at the shoes – the trousers – “. And to Senator Doogan, Gar speaks with a lack of confidence when Doogan asks about S.B.:
Public: What – what – what’s that?
Doogan: Your father – how is he?
Public: Oh he – he – he’s grand thanks.
In addition to speaking with hesitancies, Gar also acts hesitantly. He fears rejections, so would rather avoid asking Senator Doogan if he can marry Kate, just incase he is turned down.
Gar is hypocritical in his anger at his father; when he says, “To hell with all strong silent men!” he shows anger at his father’s failure to speak. But Gar himself is guilty of the same thing: staying silent when he should speak up.

Main paragraph 2: The form of the play reinforces Gar's weakness

The split character, public Gar and private Gar, are a physical and visual representation of his inner turmoil. This dramatic device is a central choice in the play: Friel uses the split character in every scene to highlight Gar’s weakness in that we only truly understand the character by hearing the private alongside the public.
Analyse scenes where Gar switches between his public and private selves, showing his inability to fully express his emotions. For example, when questioned by Senator Doogan, private Gar speaks, showing that Gar moves inward and struggles to express himself outwardly to Doogan, showing his weakness:
Private: O God, the aul bitch! Cripes, you look a right fool standing there – the father of fourteen children! – Get out, you eejit you! Get out! Get out quick before the others come in and die laughing at you! And all the time she must have known – the aul bitch! – And you promised to give her breakfast in bed every morning! And you told her about the egg money!
None of these thoughts are verbalised. Private Gar is confident, clear and decisive, but Public Gar is weak and lacks confidence. The exclamations, the aggressive language, command verbs etc all show private’s strength of mind. This is the opposite to what we hear from public Gar.

Main paragraph 3: The structure of the play shows Gar's indecision and weakness

Analyse the structure of the play and its impact on Gar’s character:
- Discuss the portrayal of Gar’s past and the reasons for his desire to emigrate, showcasing his yearning for escape.
- Examine the climax of the play, the night before his departure, where Gar grapples with the final decision to leave. Ultimately, the audience if left uncertain: does Gar leave or stay? The play moves from decision, for example:
  Gar: (singing) Philadelphia, here I come, right back where I started from …
  Compare this singing, excited, decisive version of Gar to the weak and indecisive Gar at the end of the play:
  Public: I don’t know. I – I – I don’t know.
Analyse how the structure builds tension and emphasises Gar’s moments of weakness, building to the final scene where Gar is overwhelmed with indecision, highlighting his weakness.

Main paragraph 4: counter argument

Acknowledge and briefly refute counterarguments that suggest Gar is not weak-willed or that his weaknesses are understandable given his circumstances:
- Mention instances where Gar displays moments of determination or self-assuredness, such as when he confronts his father. In Part 2, we see this dialogue:
  Public: (with pretended carelessness) D’you know what kept coming into my mind the day?
  S.B.: Eh?
  Public: The fishing we used to do on Lough na Cloc Cor.
  …
  Public (more quickly) There used to be a blue boat on it – d’you remember it?
  In this dialogue, Gar finds the courage to begin a conversation with S.B. and while some may see this as a sign of inner strength, untimately, the conversation is unproductive and Gar gives up when his father doesn’t share the memory. Rather than being a sign of strength, Gar highlights his own weaknesses and feels even more frustrated with himself and his father.
- Another counter-argument could suggest that Gar chooses a new life in America, showing courage and bravery and decisive action to change his life. The reverse of this, however, is that he is running away from the failed relationships in Ballybeg, mainly Kate.
  Emphasise the internal conflict he faces between the desire for a new life and his fear of leaving his hometown. Gar is also not able to confront or accept the change in his relationship with Kate. Instead of showing maturity and acceptance, (after all, Gar let Kate go. He did not ask her father for permission to marry Kate. Rather, he backed out of the conversation before being honest), Gar lashes out at Kate. His aggressive tone with the woman he loves reveals that he is weak and unable to confront these difficult feelings. At the end of Episode II, we see their conversation end with his interaction:
  Kate: I’d better go. Francis’ll be wondering what’s keeping me.
  Public (recklessly): Tell him I was asking for him.
  Kate: Good-bye, Gar.
  Public (in same tone): Enjoy yourself, Kate. And if you can’t be good –you know?
  Public goes off with Kate.
  (off) Be sure to call the first one after me.
  Gar’s hurtful tone and words mean Kate leaves without a positive resolution to their relationship. Gar is faced with leaving unresolved relationships with the two most important people in his life: S.B. and Kate.
  Kate
  I’d better go. Francis’ll be wondering what’
  s keeping me.
  Public
  (
  recklessly
  )
  Tell him I was asking for him. Kate Good-bye, Gar
  .
  Public
  (
  in
  same
  tone
  )
  Enjoy yourself, Kate. And if you can’
  t be good –
  you know?

Conclusion

Summarise the main points discussed in the essay.
Reiterate the argument that Gar is indeed a weak-willed character, supported by the evidence presented throughout the essay.
Leave the reader with a thought-provoking final statement that underscores the weakness in Gar’s character as a central theme in the play.
For example:
The irony of ‘To hell with all the strong, silent men!’ rings true not just for S.B. but for Gar too. In ‘Philadelphia, Here I Come!’, Friel presents Irish men as lacking the strength of character to communicate their feelings, make changes and improve their relationshps. Untimately, Friel presents his male characters as silent, indecisive and weak-willed.

A note about context:

In CCEA’s English Literature Unit 2 Drama examination question, there are no specific marks for context analysis. That is not to say that you cannot include it to help to support your argument, but rather it is not part of the mark scheme. This means that context analysis will not directly improve your mark. Other exam boards might have a heavy weighting for context in the drama exam … it is important to check your exam’s specification and the weighting of the Assessment Objectives in the mark scheme.

If you were to include context, you should read this article on the context of Philadelphia, Here I Come in 1960s Ireland. You could add to this essay a great deal about the role of men in society, the societal expectations on men to be strong and silent in relation to their feelings, the lack of opportunity to improve your life in small-town Ireland, the lure and promise of the new world: the USA, and many other ideas. These would all help to analyse Gar as weak-willed, in comparison to the society around him.

You can find an electronic copy of the play online. It is important to quote accurately and then explore the language choices made by Friel.