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Julia
A woman who spends her time drinking in pubs with people like Denny. When Rita has second thoughts about her academic pursuits one night, she decides to go out to a pub with her mother and Denny, who both start singing along to the jukebox. At one point, Rita’s mother dissolves into tears, complaining that they could be singing “better songs” than the ones they’re currently singing. Although Denny quickly cheers her up and gets her to start singing again, her comment resonates with Rita, inspiring her to continue her journey to educate herself and thus find a better “song” to sing.
Rita’s Mother Quotes in Educating Rita
The Educating Rita quotes below are all either spoken by Rita’s Mother or refer to Rita’s Mother. 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:
).
Act One, Scene Six Quotes
I’m all right with you, here in this room; but when I saw those people you were with I couldn’t come in. I would have seized up. Because I’m a freak. I can’t talk to the people I live with any more. An’ I can’t talk to the likes of them on Saturday, or them out there, because I can’t learn the language. I’m an alien. I went back to the pub where Denny was, an’ me mother, an’ our Sandra, an’ her mates. I’d decided I wasn’t comin’ here again. I went into the pub an’ they were singin’, all of them singin’ some song they’d learnt from the jukebox. An’ I stood in that pub an’ thought, just what in the name of Christ am I trying to do? Why don’t I just pack it in, stay with them, an’ join in with the singin’?
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In this passage, Rita explains to Frank why she didn’t end up coming to his dinner party. As she explains her reasoning, it becomes clear that she’s uncomfortable with the division between working-class people and intellectuals. Despite the fact that Frank genuinely likes her and thinks she’s intelligent, Rita couldn’t bring herself to go inside when she went to his house, fearing that she would “seize up” and not know what to talk about. Unfortunately, though, her newfound education has also rendered her nearly incapable of talking to the people she has grown up with, too. “I can’t talk to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimu
Well, I did join in with the singin’, I didn’t ask any questions, I just went along with it. But when I looked round, my mother had stopped singin’, an’ she was cryin’. Everyone just said she was pissed an’ we should get her home. So we did, an’ on the way I asked her why. I said, ‘Why are y’ cryin’, Mother?’ She said, ‘Because—because we could sing better songs than those.’ Ten minutes later, Denny had her laughing and singing again, pretending she hadn’t said it. But she had. And that’s why I came back. And that’s why I’m staying.
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Here, Rita tells Frank what she did after deciding to not attend his dinner party. Intimidating by the prospect of fitting in at Frank’s dinner party, Rita went to the pub, where she found Denny and her mother singing drunkenly. Feeling caught between two worlds—her blue-collar background and the academic sphere she wants to join—she decided to rejoin the people with whom she lives, “join[ing] in with the singin’.” She adds that she “didn’t ask any questions,” making it clear that in order to return to her old life, she can’t let herself think too much—otherwise, she’ll realize she’s unhappy. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur.
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Rita’s Mother Character Timeline in Educating Rita
The timeline below shows where the character Rita’s Mother appears in Educating Rita. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One, Scene Six
...alien.” Feeling this way, she explains, she went to the pub and found Denny and her mother singing jukebox songs and getting drunk.
(full context)
...an education. She wondered why she won’t just quit and rejoin people like Denny and her mother , spending her time singing in pubs and getting drunk. “And why don’t you?” asks...
(full context)
Act One, Scene Seven
...holding a suitcase. Apparently, Rita broke up with Denny, so now she’s moving in with her mother . “He said either I stop comin’ here an’ come off the pill or I...
(full context)
Act Two, Scene Seven
...she now recognizes is “a bit of a wanker”—wants her to come to France, and her mother wants her to come home for Christmas.
(full context)
