Observation

This question is on Jimmy’s marriage to Allison and Alison’s parent’s (Col Redfern and his wife) disapproval of the union.
The question requires the candidates to:

• Relate the theme of social class and marriages in Victorian England to the question.
• Provide a detailed character description of Jimmy, Alison, Col. Redfern and his wife.
• Comment on why the Redferns do not approve the marriage: Jimmy’s working-class background and ill-bred manners are a stumbling block to the marriage.
• Comment on the marriage and its goings on: it is full of boredom. Alison is always at the receiving end of Jimmy’s tantrums, insults and mockery of her class and family. Helena encourages Alison to leave the marriage and subsequently takes over.
• Comment on how a renewal of love between Alison and Jimmy after Alison’s returns ironically fulfil Col. Redfern’s thought about marriage, “I always believed that people married each other because they were in love”.

Candidates did not highlight these and thus scored low marks