This question is based on John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. The reason why Jimmy easily gets along with Cliff is because

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks why Jimmy Porter and Cliff Lewis get along so easily in Look Back in Anger.

Step 2: Recall the concept (the play's background)

• Jimmy Porter is an educated man from a working-class background. He runs a sweet stall with Cliff, despite having a university education.
• Cliff Lewis is a Welsh working-class lodger who shares the flat with Jimmy and Alison. He is gentle, easygoing, and acts as a peacemaker.
• Alison comes from an upper-middle-class family. Jimmy is hostile to her and her family because of class differences.
• The central tension of the play is class conflict. Jimmy resents the privileged, while he feels kinship with those from his own social level.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. They both belong to the working class. This fits. Their shared class background gives them common ground and an easy rapport. Cliff also tolerates Jimmy's tirades with good humour.
• B. Alison speaks well of Cliff. Alison's opinion is not what drives Jimmy's bond with Cliff, and Jimmy is often scornful of Alison.
• C. The relatives of Jimmy's mother are rich. This is irrelevant. Jimmy actually criticises his mother's relatives for their indifference and hypocrisy.
• D. They are both from affluent backgrounds. This is false. Neither is affluent. Affluence is associated with Alison's family, whom Jimmy despises.

Step 4: Answer

Exam tip: In Look Back in Anger, always link character relationships to class. Jimmy bonds with those from the working class (Cliff, Ma Tanner) and clashes with the upper-middle-class (Alison, Colonel Redfern, Mrs Redfern). Questions on this play often reward you for spotting the class theme.