Representation of disillusionment and frustration in John Osborne and Arnold Wesker's plays: A marxist reading of Look Back In Anger and The Kitchen

The aim of this study is to examine the reasons behind the class conflict-based disillusionment and frustration felt by the protagonists Jimmy Porter and Peter in Look Back in Anger and The Kitchen, respectively, which were written by post-war British theatre (1950-1960) playwrights John Osborne and Arnold Wesker who were referred to as the "Angry Young Men" and whose works were written within the context of Kitchen Sink Realism. Being structural issues of industrial societies, alienation and commodification continued in post-war Britain, principally among the working class, because of which they found themselves blocked, detached, and profoundly outraged. This situation turned into a vicious circle for Jimmy Porter and Peter, as they belonged to the same class, despite having different biographies, and both reflected their disappointment- based anger to their surroundings in a rather visible manner. While comparing the two protagonists, Marxist Literary Criticism was used and answers to such questions as "To what extent do class differences affect interpersonal relationships?", "Are people from the same class having different biographies exploited equally?", and "What apparatuses did the upper-class use to maintain its power? were sought. Arguing that these problems are still valid in today's world thanks to the growing strength of capitalism, the study also discussed what type of problems these protagonists might encounter if they were to live in today's world. Consequently, it has been emphasized that the working class needs to take joint action to eradicate their feelings of alienation and commodification. Keywords: Angry Young Men, Kitchen Sink Realism, Post-War Drama, Alienation, Commodification, Class Conflict