Philidelphia, Here I Come!: Why does Gar have to leave Ireland? - page 4
Keywords: Philidelphia, Here I Come! Gar Ireland Brian Friel Public Private
By roshooo on 10/06/2010
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 4 of 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
this so he feels like he needs to take this opportunity to leave and make something of himself, unlike Boyle. The Canon is also an important figure who adds to Gars leaving.
The Canon represents religion in the play and religion was a problem in Ireland in the 1960s because it was controlling and led to a restricted lifestyle for almost everyone. He is predictable and strict, ‘I see no reason to alter them’. The way he is presented in the play is dull, he is a terrible role model for Gar as he neglects his duties for example, the Canon went on a five week holiday at one point instead of staying in Ballybeg to look after the church and its ceremonies. He showed no sympathy for SB when he began to talk about Gar leaving, “SB: Aye, tomorrow morning. Powerful the way time passes, too. Canon: ‘You wait,’ she says, ‘till the rosary’s over and the kettle’s on’”. The Canon repeats himself a number of times when he quotes Madge, this represents the repetition of daily life for Gar and begins to link his reasons for leaving. This killjoy way of life gets Gar down and besides being boring, it is directly linked with the strict lifestyle of the Catholic Church. Gar feels he needs to be somewhere rich in diversity – like America.
Despite not being ‘role models’, “the boys” could also be seen as a negative aspect of Gar’s life in Ballybeg and become another reason for his departure. “The boys” are childish, immature and vulgar. They speak about sex and exaggerate their experiences, we can only assume because they need to make Ballybeg seem less boring and uneventful, ‘Game as they’re going, big Annie. But you need the constitution of a horse’. They make up events and play along with one another pretending to remember so that they seem adventurous and courageous. Gar soon realizes what they are like and begins to distance himself; he does not want to be like “the boys”. They are the kind of people who find going to a fair (in their 20s) to be the most fun they could have. He wants to be somewhere where he does not have to associate with people like this.
The American Dream also played a huge role in Gar’s decision to leave. For many people in Ireland around that time,
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