Assessment Essay: Talking Heads by Alan Bennett.
The loneliness of Irene is portrayed all throughout the monologue. At the beginning she is describing a letter she has written about the “lack lustre” crematorium service. She goes on to describe Mrs Pringle and it soon becomes apparent just how lonely Irene is. I think she sees the service a bit like a film premier and she is one of the stars. Even if she didn’t know Mrs Pringle “all that well.” She compares herself with Mrs Pringle to try to justify her being at the service. When she explains about Wednesday being the “one time I’m dangling my feet a bit” it makes her sound like she has a lot to do and is a busy person, which is far from the truth. In “A cream cracker under the settee”, Doris’ loneliness is portrayed in the way she keeps referring to the past, such as conversations with her husband and Zulena. It also seems that she feels institutionalised in her own home. The fact she knows a lot about the neighbourhood is also a sign that she is lonely and is apparent in both monologues. Doris also talks to “Wilfred” who is a picture of her late husband, which portrays loneliness. Irene, in “Lady of letters” has her pen, which she classes as her friend and calls her “trusty Platignum.” The two ladies in each of these monologues are very lonely for different reasons.