Blood Brothers Key Theme: Nature vs Nurture (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Nature vs nurture mind map
The theme of nature vs nurture in key parts of Blood Brothers:
Act | Quotation | Summary |
1 | "As like each other as two new pins / Of one womb born, on the self same day" — The Narrator | Mr Birling tells Eric, Sheila and Gerald to remember his predictions about the future — predictions the audience knows are inaccurate |
1 | "You learn filth from them and behave like this, like a, like a horrible little boy, like them. But you are not like them" — Mrs Lyons | Mrs Lyons believes Edward’s middle-class upbringing makes him different from Mickey, suggesting that nurture determines identity |
2 | "I wish I could still believe in all that blood brother stuff. But I can’t, because while no one was looking I grew up" — Mickey | Mickey expresses how his difficult experiences have forced him to grow up prematurely, showing how his environment has shaped his worldview |
2 | "I wish that I could be like / Kick a ball and climb a tree like / Run around with dirty knees like" — Edward | Edward envies Mickey’s carefree, working-class childhood, showing that he recognises the limitations of his privileged but restrictive upbringing |
2 | "I'm not well. The doctor said, didn't he, I'm not well… I can't do things. Just leave me alone, Linda" — Mickey | Mickey’s hardships and lack of opportunities lead to his depression, reinforcing how a lack of support impacts his fate |
What are the elements of nature vs nurture in Blood Brothers?
Nature vs nurture is presented in Blood Brothers in the following ways:
The brothers’ upbringings: Mickey and Edward are foil characters who are biologically identical but become vastly different due to their upbringing:
Their contrasting lives allow Russell to question whether fate is determined by genetics or social conditions
Class: Mickey is raised in an impoverished, working-class household, while Edward enjoys privilege and stability:
Their behaviour and attitudes reflect their contrasting childhood environments
Consequences of upbringing on adulthood: Edward attends university and becomes a city councillor, while Mickey’s lack of education and qualifications leads him into crime
The power of privilege: Although the friendship between Mickey and Edward suggests the power of nature, the influence of nurture is stronger:
Social pressures push Mickey into despair while Edward remains protected by privilege
The impact of nature vs nurture on characters
While Mickey and Edward share identical natures, their upbringing and social circumstances ultimately shape their paths in life. Mickey, raised in a struggling working-class environment, experiences hardship from an early age. Furthermore, the absence of a positive male role model and the negative influence of his troubled older brother, Sammy, also lead to his eventual downfall. In contrast, Edward has a stable upbringing in a life of wealth and privilege, which grants him access to opportunities unavailable to Mickey. As they grow, their friendship deteriorates as the forces of nurture create an unbridgeable divide between them. By the tragic conclusion, Mickey himself laments the role nurture has played in his life, highlighting Russell’s critique of an unjust social system:
Character | Impact |
Mickey |
|
Edward |
|
Why does Willy Russell use the theme of nature vs nurture in his play?
1. To critique social inequality
Russell highlights class disparities in 20th-century Britain, showing how a working-class background severely limits opportunities:
His point is that two genetically identical people can have drastically different lives depending on which side of the social divide they grow up on
2. Political commentary
The play challenges the Thatcherite ideology that success is based purely on effort, showing how nurture and class define opportunities
Mickey’s home influences suggest that crime and poverty occur in inescapable cycles regardless of one’s effort:
Mickey’s absent father leaves Mickey searching for a role model, which leads him to look up to Sammy
Sammy’s violent, criminal influence leads to Mickey’s downfall and eventual death, and Mickey’s child is left without a father
3. Tragic effect
The play’s tragic structure reinforces how nurture shapes fate, making Mickey and Edward’s doomed outcome even more poignant
Exam-style questions on the themes of nature vs nurture
Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of nature vs nurture:
Explore how Russell presents the conflict between nature and nurture in Blood Brothers.
How does Russell use Edward Lyons to represent the influence of one’s upbringing in Blood Brothers?
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