Cliff is presented as the kindest, most sensitive character in the play. In many ways, he is Jimmy's foil. Where Jimmy is loud and aggressive, Cliff is quiet and gentle. Where Jimmy is misogynistic, Cliff treats women tenderly and with respect.
The difference between the two men is most aptly illustrated when it comes to Alison, Jimmy's long-suffering wife. Jimmy treats Alison with contempt, mocking her constantly and seeking to provoke her any way he can. Cliff is close friends with Alison and tries to defend her from Jimmy's callous behavior and insults. When Alison burns herself, Cliff helps her bandage the injury, showing his concern for her. However, Cliff never crosses the line when it comes to Alison by trying to turn their relationship into a sexual one due to his respect for Jimmy.
Overall, Cliff is the most opposite to Jimmy in his contentment with his lot. He...
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does not rage at the unjust system as Jimmy does. Perhaps this is because unlike Jimmy, he never attended a university and so keenly felt the injustice of the English class system, but regardless, he is an easygoing, gentle man who provides the play with a voice of conscience, most exemplified when Alison leaves Jimmy and Jimmy proceeds to take up with Helena instead. Cliff may not have Jimmy's wit or passion, but he does have more empathy.
Cliff is very much a foil to Jimmy Porter. This means that he provides a contrast to the main character, highlighting certain qualities and character traits in the protagonist. Cliff is a much more likable character than his friend. For one thing, he lacks Jimmy's bitter rage. He also seems much more comfortable in his own skin and in his surroundings. His generally easygoing nature and acceptance of life contrast sharply with Jimmy's hard-bitten cynicism.
But perhaps this is due to a subtle difference in their respective class backgrounds. Although Jimmy Porter is often presented in the relevant critical literature as a working-class character, it should be noted that very few working-class people in 1950s Britain actually went to university as he did.
Furthermore, Jimmy refers to Cliff as a "ruffian," hardly a word one associates with working-class Britons then or now, and which savors of a certain snobbery on Jimmy's part. Perhaps his bitterness is largely derived from his reduced circumstances. At any rate, the character of Cliff is deeply symbolic of the vast majority of the working classes in 1950s Britain, who were largely happy with their lot. This cozy contentment presents Jimmy with a convenient target for his pent-up frustrations.