Bernard Bligh Flashcards
Who plays Bernard in the National Theatre adpatation of Small Island
Andrew Rothney
who is Bernard
Queenie’s husband
An English bank clerk
RAF soldier.
characteristics
unsympathetic character
Hostile to anyone who’s not of his own race or class
Bernard typifies the racism and classism that pervade British society.
how do Bernard and his wife contrast
He’s a notable contrast to his wife,
The only white character who attempts, however unsuccessfully, to combat the rampant prejudice that surrounds her.
how does being a RAF soldier in India effect Bernard
Bernard experiences the horrors of war and the hypocrisies of the British army.
However, rather than making him more open-minded and empathetic, Bernard’s stint in the army makes him even more racist and convinced of his own superiority.
How does Bernards return home effect Queenie
His return home ruins the tenuous cohesion that exists between Queenie and her black tenants; his unmitigated rudeness towards the Josephs convinces Queenie that baby Michael can’t thrive in a white community, and provides the final impetus for her decision to give the child to the Josephs.
