Response to Juno and the Paycock

"The 'Mother' Image in Juno and the Paycock"

高鼎壹

     There are two kinds of the image of “mother” in Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock. One is “Ireland,” the romanticized mother and the motherland of the Irish people; the other is “Juno Boyle,” mother of Mary and Johnny Boyle, the central figure of the Boyle family. Ironically, the two mothers, one connecting to earthly values whereas the other representing ideological notion, hold opposite stance on the issue of their roles.

     The idea of a maternal figure embodied in Ireland is interwoven with nationalism and romanticism. In other words, what “she” symbolizes is, in a sense, abstract. In the case with Johnny, a firm believer in certain principles claims that “Ireland only half free'll never be at peace while she has a son left to pull a trigger” (214). He believes that he should fight for the freedom of his motherland till the end of his life; he even boasts that he does not regret for what he has committed, for “a principle's a principle” (214), and sacrificing for one's native country is worthy of one's life, let alone an arm or a leg. The idea is shared by the Diehards and some dwellers of the tenement house. One of the neighbors indicates that Robbie Tancred has “died a noble death” and will be buried as a king (227). For those who support the neighbor's comment are the believers of the one principle: to sacrifice to one's native land is the only principle. The intriguing point is: do these faithful followers of a certain principle understand their own actions? As Errol Durbach suggests in his “Peacocks and Mothers,” such a principle is “illusory” and “over-idealized” (19). Johnny claims (earlier in the play) that if the similar situation takes place, he will “do it agen” without hesitation (214). Nevertheless, his words do not conform with his actions. For instance, he refuses to attend Tancred the Diehard's funeral. If dying for one's country is honorable, paying respect for the dead should be considered necessary and inevitable (for Robbie died for his great love for his motherland, and the funeral rite is dedicated to the son; those who respect Ireland should respect Robbie and attend the ceremony). Johnny is reluctant to attend and is punished for that reason.

     As for Juno, the other mother in the play, principles lie in the details of daily life. She serves as a stark contrast to Ireland as a mother figure. There is nothing unrealistic in her thoughts or speech. She is the physical mother and the heart of the Boyles, who struggles to pull the family together, who brings food to the table, and who really pays attention to the wounded and traumatized son. She might seem cold and unpatriotic at the first glance, for she neither supports her daughter's participation in a strike nor approves of her son's association with the Easter Riot (and she actually feels relieved to learn that Johnny has no contact with Diehards for a long period). Durbach reminds us readers that one always has to bear in mind the odds against which she [Juno] is fighting….What she is opposing in her family is their refusal to acknowledge and come to terms with a desperate reality, their tendency to seek for refuge from it behind ‘principle', making it the excuse for their insufficiencies and relying upon the cant phrases which masquerades as sincerely held ideal. (21)

     It seems that Juno has no choice but to be practical. What will become of the Boyles if the whole family live on romanticism? Will the beliefs save them from the basic human needs? She is the indispensable role and core to the family and the only person who encounters the hardness of everyday life. Besides her role as the breadwinner, she is, at the same time, the affectionate and loving maternal figure who endeavors to protect her children from any possible damage. In the case with Mary, Juno attempts to defend her from sarcasm of Jack Boyle the father and the expected gossips in the neighborhood. As a mother, Juno is more than ready to sacrifice for the need of her children whereas Ireland expects and relies on the sacrifices of her sons and daughters.