The popular play 'Educating Rita follows the changes that Rita goes through in an approximately 6 month period in her life. It shows a naive, unsatisfied hairdresser; unsure of herself and her ambitions transform into a dignified independent woman; finally satisfied with herself, with a little help from her 'teacher', Frank.
             Frank and Rita share a special bond, evident from the very beginning of the play. In the first instance where they meet, Frank is charmed by her witty brashness. He finds her blunt-but-friendly manner refreshing and warms to her a great deal over the period of the play.
             Rita starts off displeased with her life. She craves education and longs to be respected like other women she sees. She tends to idolise people who are seen to be educated, for example Rita Mae Brown who wrote her favourite book 'Rubyfruit Jungle' and this is shown perfectly by how Rita decides to make Rita her namesake. Rita also shows this idolising 'cool, or together' people with Trish, her new roommate. Rita would often talk to Frank about Trish, saying things such as 'She's great. Y'know she's dead classy. Y'know like, she's got taste...Y'know..she's just got it'. The 'idolisation' of these people, show Rita's eagerness to be seen as a stylish, educated, upper-class woman.
             At the start of the play, Rita was very conscious of what people thought of her and their opinions about what she looked like, wore or how she spoke. She felt that people were 'sizing her up'. She did not like this because she felt that people thought of her as being unintelligent and 'just a hairdresser'. This makes her feel even more determined to be educated so that she can discover herself, as she is unsatisfied with going 'down the pub' each weekend when she is aware that she can achieve so much more with her life.
             Rita's st...