Blood Brothers Key Theme: Violence (AQA GCSE English Literature) : Revision Note

Violence timeline

The theme of violence in key moments of Blood Brothers:

What are the elements of violence in Blood Brothers?

Violence is presented in Blood Brothers in the following ways:

• Play-fighting: In Act 1, the boys' childhood games involving pretend guns foreshadow the tragic use of real weapons later in the play:

  • The Narrator comments on the difference between adult violence and the innocent rough and tumble of the children

  • He says “the whole thing’s just a game”

• Poverty leading to violence: Mickey’s financial struggles, job loss, and depression push him towards crime and violence:

  • This demonstrates how desperation can so easily lead to aggression 

• Negative role model: Mickey’s troubled older brother, Sammy, serves as a role model for Mickey:

  • This shows how negative domestic influences can shape attitudes towards aggression

• Violence as an inevitability: The play’s climax sees the deaths of Mickey and Edward, reinforcing the tragic consequences of an endless cycle of violence:

  • Like Mickey, his and Linda’s child will now be forced to grow up without a father figure

The impact of violence on characters

The theme of violence is woven throughout Blood Brothers, reflecting the impact of social inequality, desperation and loss of control. Willy Russell depicts violence as escalating from childhood games to deadly adult consequences, illustrating how social pressures and personal struggles push characters towards aggression. The play suggests that violence is not an inherent trait but a product of environment, upbringing and circumstance, and these factors combine in a way that ultimately leads to the tragic deaths of Mickey and Edward:

Why does Willy Russell use the theme of violence in his play?

1.  The normalisation of violence

• Russell explores how children learn violence through childhood games and working-class life:

  • He questions whether exposure desensitises individuals, making adult violence more likely

2. The link between poverty and crime

• Financial hardship and lack of opportunities are shown to push people towards crime and aggression:

  • Mickey turns to violence because he doesn’t feel as though he has a choice

  • He is a victim of an economic downturn that had a devastating effect on working-class people

3. Tragic structure

• The cyclical structure and the chorus-like Narrator emphasise that the deaths of Mickey and Edward are inevitable:

  • This reinforces the theme of fate and highlights the devastating consequences of a society that pushes people to violent acts

Exam-style questions on the themes of violence

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of violence: 

• How does Russell present the theme of violence in Blood Brothers?

• How does Russell use the character of Sammy to explore attitudes towards violence in Blood Brothers?