Rose and Gerry have very similar personality traits that stand out amongst the rest of the characters. Having the same sense of humor and childish minds, it would make a lot of sense for their personalities to merge nicely. The underlying dislike of one another is revealed through the theme of changing time in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. In the beginning stage direction, in tableau, it is stated, “Rose and Gerry sit on the garden seat” (Friel 1). This stage direction is not used to foreshadow any relationships, but to display each character’s core personalities. For example: Jack, Rose, and Gerry are all close together because they are similar in the way that they are very talkative and carefree. On the other hand, Kate, Agnes, and Chris are all very distant from everyone which shows their personalities. The fact that it …show more content…
Because of Rose’s “simple” nature, she frequently misinterprets the gravity of a situation. She picks up on the wrong clues, thus transforming her entire mindset to alter for one misinterpreted detail. Her bashful anger is triggered when Gerry comes. She is able to comprehend that her sisters are nervous and recognize the tension in the room. This causes her to immaturely blurt out, “You’re right, Kate. I hate him!” (Friel 24) and “I couldn’t look that man in the face. I just hate him- hate him!” (Friel 25). When Kate reprimands her for her outspokenness, she rushes off stage, not to be seen again until act two. In rose’s mind, Kate was the one to put those hateful thoughts into her head and then she turned around and yelled at her for it, which upset Rose greatly, leading to her exit. In the film adaptation by O’Connor, when Rose speaks about how she hates Gerry, her comment is ignored and she runs to the window with the others to watch the action play out. (O’Connor 19:05). Both editions of the story portray just how much Rose’s opinions are