THE COMPARATIVE

Introduction

  • Sive (S) by John Bernard Keane, Colder Than Here (CTH) by Laura Wade and Knives Out (KO) directed by Rian Johnson.

  • My understanding of cultural context is the type of world in which each of the three texts is set and the traditions, beliefs and rituals that the characters hold dear

Religion

→ Sive

  • Religion is a subject of major importance in S, playing a visible and prominent role in the narrative. In the play, the strong influence and power of the Roman Catholic Church in 1950s rural Ireland is undeniable There are innumerable references to God throughout, such as when Nana says to Mena ‘That is the will of God, woman; not your will’ or ‘God gave me my tongue, not you!’, or when characters frequently say ‘God bless you’ as a means of goodbye. In fact, nearly every second sentence contains some manner of reference to God. The characters also evidently believe in Heaven and the afterlife; such as when Liam says ‘nothing in Heaven or Hell could move ye to see wrong’, or when Mike is absolutely adamant that after her death, Sive must be buried on holy ground; ‘Holy ground...she must be buried on holy ground…’. Religion also plays a huge role in education, as the nuns were th3e heads of the convent where Sive went to school; ‘Is that what you’re learning at the convent?’. And unfortunately, in this way, religion is portrayed in a rather negative light; Mena constantly threatens Sive with the nuns at the school, depicting them as figures in the community to be feared; ‘I’m sure the nuns would like to hear of your conduct’. And, despite their supposed ‘forgiving’ nature, the Church at the time was opposed to allowing those who committed suicide to be buried on their grounds. Lastly, religion is also used to expose and highlight the hypocrisy in this text; while many of the characters, namely Mike, Mena Thomasheen Sean Rua and Sean Dota are devout and outwardly respect religious norms, behind closed doors, they act selfishly and cruelly, eg forcing Sive into marriage

→ Colder Than Here & Knives Out

  • Both CTH and KO are the complete antithesis of S

  • Religion is not really a major factor in these worlds at all

  • CTH

  • - In fact, it could be argued that the Bradleys are a largely secular family, with no strong emphasis throughout the play on prayer, faith or even belief in any kind of afterlife. Indeed, most references to God are made in a casual fashion, with no real religious depth or meaning; such as the common expressions ‘ Jesus’, ‘God knows, or ‘Oh my god’. Instead, this text reflects a modern world in which we love today, where attitudes to death are becoming less traditionally religious and more individualised. It could be argued that religion is more notable in this play through its absence, with the lack of religious comfort highlighting how alone and uncertain most of the characters feel at times. Perhaps Alec, Harriet and Jenna’s refusal to accept and come to terms with Myra’s terminal cancer diagnosis is due to the fact they do not have any sort of belief system to rely on and trust in; they do not seem to believe in any kind of life after death and, therefore, have no hope at seeing Myra ever again. Religious rituals and Christian ceremonies have been abandoned in favour of more eco friendly funerals; such as Myra not wanting to be cremated because ‘Cremation’s bad. For the environment. It’s a pollutant’, or the fact all places they visit are described as ‘burial grounds’, rather than religious graveyards. Myra completely rejects the idea of a traditional religious funeral and, at no point, ever even contemplates reneging her decision

  • Knives Out

  • - Similarly, religion is virtually non-existent in this movie. Once again, any religious references made are derived in colloquial manners; ‘Oh my God’, ‘Thank God’. And, while we are aware that Harlan was buried, we are not privy to just how religious this ceremony was, if at all

Therefore, for the most part, CTH are more comparable to one another in this respect, with S being a bit of an outlier.

Education

→ Sive

  • Education is an issue in all three texts, though it arguably plays a larger role in S and KO than CTH.

  • Some characters in this text are very well educated, such as the pries, doctor, nuns and the schoolmaster. All are seen as knowledgeable people, who have received a third-level education. Sive is on a similar path, determined to finish her education and be successful at it. She can be seen doing her homework diligently; ‘Her head is bent over a book from which she is memorising sotto voce’ and she studies poetry; ‘And what is that book you have there before you?’ ‘Poetry and verses’. She recognises her own academic ability and promise, hoping it will provide her with much more independence and a better and brighter future, an escape from her current restrictive life. However, not all the characters were afforded such opportunities. Mena received little formal education herself, and , as a result, appears to both fear and resent it, She even comes across as being rather jealous of the fact that Sive is still attending school, she complains ‘Why should that young rip be sent to the convent every day instead of earning with a farmer?’. In addition, Thomasheen Sean Rua admits that, having left school early, he is illiterate; ‘Will you no be mocking. The letter is only like the print of a birds claw to me’. This gives rise to the idea that education, at the time, was more often than not a privilege, especially for women. It was something that was undeniably both valuable and empowering but ultimately ignored or suppressed in this harsh society. It was viewed as a luxury, not a necessity, with survival and financial gain taking priority. Women’s education, in particular, was undervalues; their roles were expected to be domestic and marital instead.

→ Knives out

  • Correspondingly, many of the characters in the film are extremely intelligent and, therefore, likely well educated. Harlan is a successful, wealthy crime novelist; his books are so famous he has his own publishing company, run by Walter ‘I’m speaking with Walter Thrombey, Harlan Thrombey’s youngest son. So, you run your fathers publishing company?’. His massive home also suggests how successful he was, with it being three stories and referred to as a ‘manor’. Walt is shrewd and business minded like his father; thinking of the publishing company as his own; ‘It’s my…it’s out….it’s the family’s publishing company’ in addition to being well up to date on current business deals ‘The Netflix guys, their business affairs guy…he sent something over’. Linda, like her father, is a self made business woman. She makes it very clear she runs her own company, ‘I built my business up from the ground’. Joni claims to be a lifestyle guru and influencer who runs her own lifestyle brand; ‘Ah! Yeah Flam, right, your skincare company. Sorry’. She has high ideas of the brand, believing it is also a lifestyle; ‘ Yes it’s skincare but it promotes a total lifestyle. Self sufficiency with an acknowledgment of human need’. her daughter, Meg, is attending college. She is studying some sort of social studies degree; something loathed by both Linda ‘Dad’s paying for her crypto-marxist postdeconstrucutral feminist poetry theory whatever major’, or when Ransom refers to it as an 'SJW degree’. Clearly, SHES NOT WORKING FOR MONEY. Marta, too, is very well educated, being a fully qualified nurse; ‘ Harlan Thrombeys nurse, Marta’. This is then later confirmed by Blanc; ‘You’re hired on a part time basis as a registered nurse, yes?’. Finally, Blanc himself is a fully qualified and famous detective, the ‘last of the gentlemen sleuths’. He has significant experience in his field, like his colleagues. Thererfore, it cannot be denied a great emphasis was placed on education in this society,. It was seen as a way to better oneself and open doors moving forward.

→ Colder Than Here

  • Colder than here is slightly at variance with the two. In CTH, education only plays a very minor,background role. When examined alongside S and KO, it is very difficult to find any strong correlations with CTH. Only fleeting references are made to Harriet and Jenna’s school days, and the limited mentions don’t mention their educations, rather their escapades; ‘ You learned to smoke in a graveyard, didn’t you? You and that boy from comprehensive’. However, given the fact Alec is a chartered surveyor, it is inevitable that he attended university or college when he was younger; ‘No I’m a. I’m a chartered surveyor….No, we don’t do heating.’ Furthermore, Jenna’s ex boyfriend is going back to college to get a further education; ‘Just isn’t nice to me anymore. Since he started this stupid course’. For the most part, however, while education might be present, it is understated and simply represents a normal, contemporary upbringing. Things have changed from S, now education, even for girls, is seen as just the normal thing to do.

As a result, it is clear that education (or lack thereof) played a relatively central role in the lives of most characters in S and Ko, whereas its impact on the plot of CTH is merely superficial.

Money

→ Sive

  • Money plays a pivotal role in two of these three texts. Key characters in both S and KO make questionable decisions because of their lust for money.

  • Greed is potentially the main driving force behind this tragic play. Mena makes many undesirable decisions as she stands to gain a considerable amount of money. She wants to marry Sive off to an old man, Sean Dota, for £200; it’s her driving force, ‘keep the picture of 200 sovereigns in mind’ and tries to convince others by it ‘There is a git of £200 for us if there is a marriage’. However, this is not the first money influenced decision Mena has made. In fact, her marriage to Mike was founded on the fact that she was marrying into relative wealth; it was her primary motivation. Nanna constantly reminds her of that fact; ‘Ah! ‘twas a sore day to me my son took you for a wife’, and reminding her that she came from nothing, ‘ We all know what you could do girl and the stock you came from’. And, Mike himself is hardly innocent either. he is almost swayed by the £200 offered for his nieces hand in marriage, saying ‘money is the best friend a man ever had’. However, this was commonplace at the time; Thomasheen Sean Rua is another character who bases his motives on money; he wants a woman to marry, and ‘£100 would see me settled with her’. Due to the impoverished conditions they have found themselves in, money seemed essential to survival and, as a result, these people felt that its acquisition was worth sacrificing their moral values for. For many, marriage was nothing more than a business transaction and, so, some of the characters struggle to see anything wrong in treating Sive like something to be bought and sold. Sive (and Liam), in contract, have far less interest in money. They only wanted to marry for love, ‘Imagine making a marriage between two people who never saw each other before’. Ultimately, however, the pursuit of money eventually leads to Sive’s death.

→ Knives Out

  • KO is similar to S insofar as money also shaped motivation, conflict and behaviours in the film. The entire mystery revolves around Harlan’s will and fortune. After his death, various family members expect to receive their share of his wealth.