By Willie Egan
A lack of a healthy relationship with one’s father is now recognised as holding the key to self-actualising for a lot of young men. “Father-approval is recognised as being the private dream of practically every young boy that cannot be derived elsewhere”.
This concept is perhaps the central theme of the play “Da” by Hugh Leonard.
A popular song from the mid-60’s with genius lyrics “The Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics looks creatively at this theme, helping us to have a better understanding of Leonard’s Play: “I know that I’m a prisoner to all my father has held dear; I know that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears: just wish I could have told him in the living Years” [i](Rutherford and Robertson, 1986).
A powerful one-man recitation by Leitrim’s Seamus O’ Rourke (“What kind of an Eejit are ya?”) equally effectively brainstorms this theme.
“Da” is also a clear example in action of the theory that, while physically we’re ever only one age, emotionally and psychologically, we carry the hurts, the disappointments and the anger of every previous age in our “shadow-side”, waiting to “pop out” (sometimes literally as in this Play) in times of suddenness, sadness, drunkenness or stress.
The theory of how humans are “moulded” is also very evident through the lens of this Play: Genes (biological heritage), Influences (family where we grow up, school, friends, heroes, enemies etc), experiences, choices (not necessarily our own but those which affect us) and circumstances. Whilst all of these components are present throughout the Play, the one that’s referred to frequently is to young Charlie having being adopted and the consequent suppositions around his potential genetic predispositions. Even though Charlie has apparently been relatively lucky in his adoptive family circumstances, the play references are mostly negative on the subject of adoption, wondering why any good parent would take such a high-risk decision, just to give a child a better chance in a more “functioning” family unit. Of course, the word “functioning” was as much a moveable feast in the late ‘60’s in Dublin as it is today or at any other time anywhere else. But Charlie apparently did well, according to his childhood friend, Oliver.
All of the “human formation theory” elements are present throughout this play, and when we look at Influences, we see that, apart from his adoptive mother, who cares for Charlie but keeps reminding him of his eternal debt to her for adopting him, Charlie has contrasting male role models: Da (uneducated to the point of being crass and rude, unambitious but warm-hearted and a bit of the “street angel, house-devil about him) about whom young Charlie tells Drumm: “He taught me not by his enthusiasm-he had none-but by his dislikes”, and Drumm (educated to the point of an equally damaging kind of rudeness, and cold-hearted). And it’s fair to say that, at different times, both his mother and his two male role models give Charlie lots of mixed messages about who he is, about right and wrong and about his capabilities.
A line from another brilliant Play (“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller) comes to mind: “A man can’t go out the way he came in; he has got to add up to something” (Miller, 1957). Leonard’s play seems to indicate that Da went out pretty much the way he came in, as was the case with Drumm. 18-year-old Charlie doesn’t like what he sees of the 42-year-old version of himself: “Apart from knowing that I will live to be at least 42, you’re a disappointment to me”, so he has the option of choosing how he will go out….or does he?
Will Da leave him in peace now? Hugh Leonard probably knew the answer to that but doesn’t tell us. So, we can only draw on Australia’s Steve Biddulph (in his book “Fully Human”) for guidance: “Whether it’s the case where the father may have effectively rejected the son or the case of the son rejecting the father as a role model, it’s often true that the boy cannot get on with his life successfully until he understands his father, forgives him and in some way comes to respect him” (Biddulph, 2000. p15)
I conclude with a line from “Da”, spoken by Drumm, perhaps as good a line of this or any Play: “In a public house lavatory, incoming traffic has the right of way”!
This line sticks with me, especially at half time during a Munster Hurling Final!!
‘Da’, by Hugh Leonard will be presented by Lake Productions at the Thomastown concert hall, ( March 14 to 16 and March 21 to 23)
Willie Egan
(Accredited Adolescent Counsellor in Kilkenny for the past 20 years)
