Blood Brothers: Mickey Johnstone Character Analysis (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Mickey grows up with his working-class mother, unaware of his brother’s existence. He is likeable and sympathetic, but grows from a carefree child to a tragic figure consumed by despair.
Mickey Johnstone character summary
Mickey Johnstone | |||
Key characteristics | Role | Themes | Overview |
| The working-class twin raised by Mrs Johnston, Mickey represents how a person’s life can be shaped by poverty, societal pressures and a lack of opportunity |
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Why is Mickey Johnstone important?
Mickey embodies the struggles faced by working-class individuals in 20th-century England. Through Mickey’s experiences, Russell explores the impact of social class, upbringing, and external forces on personal identity and fate:
Working-class struggles: Mickey’s life, struggles and eventual downfall reflect the realities of poverty and the lack of opportunities available to those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Nurture over nature: Mickey is genetically identical to Edward, but his upbringing in a working-class household shapes his personality and prospects, contrasting with Edward’s privileged life and good fortunes
Cycles of violence: Mickey’s childhood games and the influence of his older brother (and only male role model), Sammy, demonstrate how violence can affect young people and lead to violent behaviour as an adult
Mickey Johnstone language analysis
Mickey’s language highlights his working-class background and his emotional decline, but Russell also includes elements that foreshadow Mickey’s tragic fate:
Colloquialisms: Mickey speaks with a heavy Liverpudlian accent, and his dialogue includes working-class slang and informal expressions (“bunk”; “yeh”; “An’ a plate of chips”) and swear words (“like the ‘F’ word”). These qualities emphasise his social identity and contrast vividly with Edward’s polished language.
Expressive tone: As Mickey’s circumstances worsen, his language reflects his despair and frustration. He repeats the line “I’m not well” in Act 2, and his declining health makes him give up on life and isolate himself: “I can’t do things. Just leave me alone, Linda.”
Foreshadowing: In Act 1, Mickey’s admiration of his troubled older brother, Sammy, anticipates Mickey’s later descent into crime and violence. Mickey is also envious of Edward (“If I was like him, I’d know all the right words”), which reflects Mickey’s growing resentment and foreshadows the play’s tragic climax.
Mickey Johnstone key quotes
“If I was like him, I’d know all the right words”
“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”
“I’m not well. The doctor said, didn’t he, I’m not well… I can’t do things”
“I could have been him!”
Mickey Johnstone character development
Act 1 | Act 2 |
Childhood innocence: The prologue reveals that Mickey and Edward will die. Mickey is the twin kept by Mrs Johnstone, and is introduced as a mischievous and carefree child who befriends Edward, unaware they are twins. He admires his troubled older brother, Sammy. His friendship with Edward reflects his warm and honest nature. Mrs Lyons forbids Edward from playing with Mickey, but the two remain friends and get in trouble with the police. The Johnstones eventually move away. | Struggles and tragedy: As a teenager, Mickey becomes increasingly envious of Edward. He marries Linda, but is made redundant , leading to financial struggles and a growing resentment towards Edward. He and Sammy commit robbery, but it ends in murder and Mickey is imprisoned for seven years. He becomes addicted to antidepressants. Mickey’s jealousy and resentment lead him to confront Edward with a gun. He learns the truth about his twin from Mrs Johnstone, but inadvertently kills Edward, then is shot by the police. |
Mickey Johnstone character interpretation
Class and education
Russell uses Mickey to present a critique of modern society where education is not a great social equaliser but rather an institution that maintains class divisions. The cyclical nature of the play’s events, with Mickey trapped in poverty while Edward thrives, demonstrates how education and social class are inextricably linked.
In Act 2, while Edward leaves for university, Mickey loses his job in the factory and this can be seen as the turning point in Mickey’s development as his redundancy leads to crime, his arrest and depression. By presenting Mickey’s struggles alongside Edward’s success, Russell conveys the injustice of an education system that favours the wealthy and further marginalises the working class. Mickey’s character development, from happy and shy to depressed and angry, depicts the impact of educational inequality on working-class men.
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