Characters

The main character in the short story “Pride and Joy” by Philippa East is Mrs Jacks. Billy and Meg are other important characters, yet they can only be characterised briefly through Mrs Jacks’ perspective.

Mrs Jacks

Mrs Jacks is the main character in the short story and the entire narration is told from her perspective.

The woman’s outer characterisation reveals that she is quite old and ill, as she has a 48 years old child (l. 28), uses a walking stick (l. 7), takes pills (l. 57), and is in pain: “She pressed a hand to her side where the shoots of pain swam” (l. 59). Mrs Jacks is also a widow, and her husband Jim has been dead for a while: “When Billy was young they’d managed, her and Jim. But steadily they’d all grown older, thickening and hardening, till in the end Jim had just given out” (ll. 72-73). Her son, Billy, has a developmental disorder, and Mrs Jacks tends to his needs every minute: “The pain took so much and Billy took the rest” (ll. 74-75).

Inner characterisation

The woman’s inner characterisation is revealed from her relationship with her son, from the way she interacts with Meg and the fat man in the diner, and from her passion for plants.

When it comes to her relationship with Billy, Mrs Jacks comes across as a dedicated and hard-working mother. She tends to Billy’s needs, even though this means treating him like a baby, clipping his nails (ll. 3-4) or tying his shoelaces:

Mrs Jacks parked the car, and went around to get Billy and her walking stick out. The laces on his shoe had come undone; she bent down by the car seat. Her bunched knuckles tangled in the strings as his heavy hand patted her head. (ll. 6-9)

Note that Mrs Jacks is generally not ashamed of her son and the things she needs to do for him. She carefully prepares Billy’s food, as she knows the way he eats: “Mrs Jacks cut his food into little pieces and slid the plate under his fingers. He pushed handfuls up against his lips and chewed them with his tongue; she transferred the fallen bits back to his plate.” (ll. 54-56)

However, when Billy starts wailing because he needs the toilet but Meg doesn’t understand, Mrs Jacks does start to feel embarrassed. Nevertheless, she takes him to the toilet and helps him, even though she is in pain:

Mrs Jacks tugged Billy through, shame burning at her heart. She leant her stick against the wall and edged him into the narrow closet. The bird – trapped and wounded now – beat against the walls of her chest. She squeezed the door ...