A Taste of Honey" was written in the 1950's. This decade was an era of vast changes.

Wages almost doubled, and with the "Welfare State" peoples' fear of paying large sums of money in the event of an emergency was removed. This left people with more money to enjoy themselves. This provided people with new opportunities, such as being able to go to the cinema, visit leisure areas such as museums, theatres, shop more frequently, and could begin to afford the luxuries previously only experienced by the richer class. Items such as cars, refrigerators, and televisions were beginning to spread into many peoples' homes. "A Taste of Honey" is often termed to be a "kitchen sink" drama. A "kitchen sink" drama confronts issues that were being experienced by many. "A Taste of Honey" brought along a new level of realism to the theatre, which was very controversial for its time. Theatre had never before experienced this, as previous forms brought along the ideas that every story has a happy ending. Helen is a part time prostitute and the mother of Jo. At the beginning of the play they have just moved into a flat in an industrial area of Manchester, which is very dilapidated, grimy and polluted area. The flat also reflects these surroundings, also being dirty, grimy and dingy. They both have a very low income, if any, and Jo is adamant that she will leave once she gets a job. Jo also wishes to leave school, hoping to be able to attend an art college, as she seems to be very creative. In the first scene, the play is opened with Helen and Jo entering, laden with luggage, into their new flat. Straight away Jo's feelings about Helen become clear. Helen: "Children owe their parents these little attentions" Jo: "I don't owe you a thing." This shows that Jo feels she has no relationship with Helen and that their bond is almost non-existent. This is also the start of the "traditional" family image being destroyed, threatening the stereo-typical family values which was always portrayed in the theatre of the time. At this point in the play, we are lead to believe that Jo is an independent figure hoping to move out as soon as she can afford it. She seems very weary to express her feelings in this act, we really only see any indications of love and romance in this first act with the introduction of "boy", later found out to be called "Jimmie". Jo becomes much more open and relaxed when conveying her feelings in conversation, and also after her meeting with Jimmie her feelings are still clear on stage as she re-enters the flat she seems to be relaxed, happy and in a dreamy state of mind.

Even though Jo is reluctant to admit that she loves Jimmie, it becomes increasingly obvious that she loves him. Between acts one and two, Jo falls pregnant by Jimmie. Having received the sex Jimmie longed for, he then leaves the play and is hardly ever mentioned again. The next strong character we come across in the play is Peter Smith, a loud, presumptuous, self-confident man. He is a car salesman and a 'customer' of Helen. Jo instantaneously takes a strong loathing to. Conversely, there is a complex relationship between Jo and Peter throughout the play which is built on a foundation of hate, as Peter stands for everything Jo rejects. Jo: "Do you mind getting out of here?" Peter: "Shut your mouth, bubble belly, before I shut it for you!" Peter's statement is made whilst he is heavily under the influence of alcohol, but his malicioustone is still evident. This was not always true, as when he enters in act one, scene one he is tolerant of her and very friendly with Helen. The feelings of bitterness became clearer in act two, turning him into the most unpleasant character in this play. Also made clear are the reasons why Peter marries Helen. Sex. After his wants are fulfilled, the tragic signs of hostility and hate are also direct at Helen. Geof is introduced in the beginning of act two. He is totally opposite from Peter, as he is kind, pleasant, and polite. It is clear at the beginning of this act that Jo is heavily pregnant, although it is not revealed until later that the baby is Jimmie's. Also discovered later on in this act is that Geof is a homosexual, although Jo realises that he is homosexual early on in this act, when asking if Geof is thinking of moving in with her. Jo: "Come on, the truth. Who did she find you with? Your girlfriend? It wasn't a man was it?" Geof: "Don't be daft." The 'she' that Helen is referring to is Geof's landlady. Geof denies that his landlady caught him with a man, because homosexuality would have been considered appalling in the 1950's, and even illegal (until 1967). Geof is seen to be a motherly figure that would never have been provided to Jo, possibly because he is more in touch with his feminine side. Geof is also roped into providing for Jo and the baby, buying her clothes, food, paying rent, bills, and assuming the role of housewife. There is a confliction of feelings further on between Geof

and Jo, as he tries to kiss her and proposes marriage. Jo promptly turns his offer down. Further on from this point, Helen has returned as her marriage with Peter is no more. She attempts to help with Jo, and here a mother-daughter bond is seen, by Helen showing some concern into Jo's actions. "Are you going to the clinic regularly? Is she working?" This statement from Helen displays a lost bond between her and Jo, as we have never before seen any commitment to Jo whatsoever from Helen. "A Taste of Honey" has no real conclusion to its end. We are still left with a feeling of vagueness as many of the plot lines are left incomplete. We are left wondering whether or not the baby will be born, whether Geof will come back. I think that Delaney kept the end like this to draw the audience away from the ideas previously portrayed in the theatre; everything always has a happy ending. As in real life, this is not true. Delaney has kept with the plays character by doing this, as it was a realistic drama, not a fabricated, out of reach play. The relationship between Helen and Jo, in my opinion, was realistic and true to life. I think this because it is unlikely that you would be happy to your mother if she neglected you, was bad tempered, and was a prostitute. If I were Jo, I probably react to the events that occurred in the same way, as she had no definite motherly-figure. The Mother-Daughter Relationship in A Taste of Honey The play "A taste of Honey" is set up in England in the 1950s. Helen is a single mother in a time it was very hard to rise up a child due to the criticisms of society for being unmarried. There were and still are social expectations on how should a good mother be, caring, comprehensive, loving etc which Helen does not live up to them. The relation between Jo and Helen all over the book is a destructive and negative relationship "Drink, drink, drink you make me sick" with some moments of affection " I'll pay, you're not stupid. You'll soon learnyou're wasting yourself". Helen drinks, she is poor, living off of men putting them before Jo, she is sarcastic and cold when it comes t..