Absurd Person Singular

by

Sir Alan Ayckbourn

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Absurd Person Singular makes teaching easy.
Alcohol Symbol Icon

Throughout the play, the characters drink alcohol and offer it to others. Alcohol is another example of something that’s supposed to bring its consumers happiness, but which often ends up making them sadder and lonelier. In this way, alcohol is an apt symbol for the tawdry, superficial pleasures the characters pursue, and the alienation they often feel as a result.

Alcohol Quotes in Absurd Person Singular

The Absurd Person Singular quotes below all refer to the symbol of Alcohol. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Middle Class Theme Icon
).
Act One Quotes

SIDNEY: What?
EVA: Did I put that glass in there?
SIDNEY: Er—yes.
EVA: My God, I knew it, I'm going mad. I am finally going mad.

Related Characters: Sidney Hopcroft (speaker), Eva Jackson (speaker)
Related Symbols: Alcohol
Page Number: 32
Explanation and Analysis:

MARION: Oh, that's lovely. Just that teeny bit stronger. You know what I mean. Not too much tonic . . .
SIDNEY: No, well . . .
MARION: Perfect.
SIDNEY: Actually, that's neat gin, that is.

Related Characters: Sidney Hopcroft (speaker), Marion Brewster-Wright (speaker)
Related Symbols: Alcohol
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Act Two Quotes

JANE: Shall I tell you something—Sidney would get so angry if he heard me saying this—but I'd far sooner be down here on the floor, on my knees in the oven—than out there, talking. Isn't that terrible. But I’m never at ease, really, at parties. I don't enjoy drinking, you see.

Related Characters: Jane Hopcroft (speaker), Sidney Hopcroft, Eva Jackson
Related Symbols: Alcohol
Page Number: 53
Explanation and Analysis:
Act Three Quotes

RONALD: Drink? No, I don't honestly think so. She's always liked a—I mean, the doctor did say she should lay off. But that was only because it was acting as a stimulant—She hasn't touched it lately.

Related Characters: Ronald Brewster-Wright (speaker), Marion Brewster-Wright
Related Symbols: Alcohol
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Absurd Person Singular LitChart as a printable PDF.
Absurd Person Singular PDF

Alcohol Symbol Timeline in Absurd Person Singular

The timeline below shows where the symbol Alcohol appears in Absurd Person Singular. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
Materialism Theme Icon
...to get home to her children, finds Dick Potter’s jokes horrible, and doesn’t like the drinks. Ronald complains that Jane spilled soda on his trousers while pouring him a drink. (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
...better now that it has a little tonic water—however, Sidney points out that it’s pure gin. Marion teases Sidney, “what are you trying to do to me?” Sidney points out that... (full context)
Act Two
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
...little bit of liquor in the flat. As he rummages through the drawers looking for alcohol, he reminds Eva that the people coming to the flat that night are really Eva’s... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
...asks, “How’s the invalid?” and Ronald replies, “Very groggy.” Marion shrugs and offers everyone a drink. She gives a drink to Eva, just as she’s used the screwdriver to open the... (full context)
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Marion offers Ronald a drink, and Ronald replies, in a strained voice, “I feel very peculiar.” Jane goes to wash... (full context)
Act Three
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Ronald offers Eva a drink, and she accepts after turning it down the first time. Just then, the bell rings,... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
Ronald enters the room, noting that there seems to be little alcohol left in the house, even though he bought some recently. He guesses that his maid... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
Ronald returns with the drinks, and the three of them toast and drink. Geoffrey notes, “Bit quieter than last Christmas,... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
...her that she needs to put on warmer clothing. After Marion asks him for a drink, Ronald starts to say, “The doctor said very plainly …” Marion cuts him off, saying,... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Ronald offers Sidney and Jane drinks, and Sidney mentions that he’s just come from Walter Harrison’s party. He turns to Geoffrey... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
...that the presents are a set of electrical screwdrivers for Ronald and a bottle of gin for Marion. Jane also gives Ronald two “rather ghastly woolly toys” for Ronald and Marion’s... (full context)
The Middle Class Theme Icon
Materialism Theme Icon
Fortune  Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
The game begins, and everyone but Jane and Sidney begins dancing. Marion dances in a shaky “classical ballet... (full context)