ABSTRACT
The content of the Philadelphia, Here I Come is at one level straightforward–the central character Gareth O’Donnell (Gar) is anticipating his new life when he emigrates to America, but one of the central themes of the play is the tension he feels as a result of his decision to leave, expressed though the two voices of private and public Gar. The extract and the other quotations from the play indicate that B. Friel is using the convention of giving voice to unspoken thoughts in a more subtle way than the phrase might suggest. The events depicted in the flashback are actually conjured up by private Gar because public Gar wants to suppress the memory which is humiliating to him. In each case the public and private manifestations of the first character are dramatised with serious or humorous possibilities. Sub-text is not just expression of private thoughts but can also refer to communication of intended meaning.
