In the beginning of Harrower’s Blackbird there are a lot of secrets. In the beginning you were given the description of the characters Una and Ray, but nothing else. You don’t know how they know each other or if they even do know each other or even where they are. It’s all very mysterious. I think the main secret is being kept from the audience and it’s the past relationship between Una and Ray. The secret is already known by the two characters and the play consists of their secret and the way it unravels before our eyes and slowly lets us in on the details.
The way the secret was being held in and slowly released reminded me of Carried Away and the secret relationship between Louisa and Jack and how you slowly learn more and more about who each one of them are and their relationship seems to be slowly unfolding in front of the readers eyes. I mean they do differ in many ways, Louisa and Jack never knew each other before the story started. And while the story continues on Louisa is learning everything as we learn everything. This is very different from Blackbird, in how the audience doesn’t know what the two characters know. But the two stories remind me of one another because of the relationships remind me of one another. They’re very secretive and nobody else knows much about either of their relationships.
I think that knowing the secret in Blackbird is imperative to the story, the secret is the plot of the play. The slow revealing of the secret and details is what the story consists of and is what keeps your attention. So I do think that the secret plays a huge part and is very important to the play. I don't think the [;ay would be much without it.
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I definitly agree with Morgan that knowing the secret of the story is very important. It is hard to know at first what the secret really is because you are just thrown into the dialogue of Ray and Una and you know nothing about their relationship at first. But I think that not knowing these secrets of their relationship and who they are and why they are having the conversation, make it all the more interesting to read and definitly keeps your attention. I think that knowing that some secrets are being kept through-out the whole story and that others are very slowly and subtly revealed is what makes this story interesting and while it can be frustrating not knowing exactly whats going on or why things are happening through-out the course of the dialogue it is better that way. If the author had just said, here's Una and Ray, this is what happened a long time ago, and now Una is visting him, the story would have been very blah. Leaving things unanswered is important to this play.
I also agree that this story is similiar to the story of "Carried Away" in that the relationship between Louisa and Jack was very mysterious to not only the reader at times but also the other characters. Louisa and Jack kept their relationship a secret to others through their letters which were never spoken of to anyone except the reader until later on when Louisa revealed them to a friend, although she never revealed Jack's name. This is similiar to "Blackbird" because the reader slowing learns of the relationship between Una and Ray that was in the past and like in "Carried Away" no other characters know of their secret or the conversation taking place at Ray's place of work.
Knowing the secret i agree is very important. But knowing what the relationship meant for Ray is much more important in understanding the narrative content. This secret is not necessarily known by both characters with the reader left out. We are not given an explanation as to his real feelings for Una until the middle/end of the play, and neither is Una herself. I believe this is the answer or closure her visit is all about. She wonders if he is a sicko and never really loved her (or at least had feelings for her), maybe he was just a pervert.
On page 18 Una asks -
Una-How many other twelve year old girls have you had sex with?
(Pause)
Ray-None.
...Una speaks a few lines later...
None? We change, twelve year-olds.
We grow up to be older, so think.
Ray-None.
This is important for her to figure out since she loved him so much in her naiivity; and didnt get 'answers' for years yet had to deal with the reprocussions of being caught. On page 57 her anguish over losing him shows.
Una- You left me alone.
Bleeding.
You left me.
You left me in love.
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