We are influenced by the actions of our parents, our friends, our peers, and our teachers. We look to those around us to fill the gaps in our knowledge, and to steady our wavering hands. As children, this need is exacerbated; the exploration of life and love and truth is innate and is fueled by our surroundings. Mojo Mickybo illustrates the depth of this need for others while adding in the role of imagination and the ideologies of temporal society.
The imaginations of Mojo and Mickybo are fascinating. It is even more interesting, however, that the extent to which they align is ten-fold. The question becomes, then, is this alignment innate? Or was it formed out of a need for companionship? For Mojo, it is no secret that his family is in a different situation than that of Mickybo. Even so, he continues to go to Mickybo’s home, speak to his parents, and join forces with him against the bigger, meaner kids in town. If Mojo were presented with the choice to divorce the comfort that his family has to salvage his friendship with Mickybo, I believe that he would. This belief stems from the importance of imagination, and of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid within the play.
Cowboys aren’t really portrayed as having families and religions. In a sense, they’re bachelors living on the land and on the adrenaline of appearing as a “hero”. But since Mojo and Mickybo are still dependent on their parents and are being taught by their actions, the parents are intertwined in their thoughts and imaginations. This is seen when they discuss going to Australia with each of their sets of parents. They would prefer to go as a group. However, when the going gets tough, they go to “Bolivia” alone, truly living out their fantasies of being Butch and Sundance.
I would argue that the need for companionship, and the friendship between Mojo and Mickybo, is stronger than the ideologies of their families because of the extent to which their imaginations run wild. This is further shown when Mickybo describes Mojo as childish when he wants to roll down the hills at the park. Mickybo has “grown up” and his sense of imagination has faltered due to the death of his father; he then becomes committed to the ideology and religion of his family, because those ideas are the connection to the love of his father. Imagination was the link between Mojo and Mickybo.
Your insight on the role of their imagination was very interesting to me, and, in my opinion, very accurate as well. When I initially read the play, I strictly saw their imaginations as a form of escapism that they felt comfortable sharing and which eventually allowed them to grow closer due to the comradery they had in their fantasies. Your assessment of the ideologies of Butch and Sundance and how that may reflect on the loyalties of the children themselves was an interesting take. Eventually, the loyalties connected to family won out for Mickybo, but as you said this was a direct result of the tragic death of his father. In general, do you believe that their loyalties were a part of their childhood innocence, or do you believe that they may have found a way to maintain their friendship as they got older if Mickybo’s father had not been killed?
I like your point that imagination, specifically the role-play as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, is what bands Mojo and Mickybo together in spite of their violent and divided world. To your question about whether their alignment of imagination is innate or out of a need for friendship, I think their shared imagination is a natural defense or coping mechanism, allowing the two boys to escape from their violent realities. The glorification of lawlessness and violence in Western movies presents an imaginative framework that helps the boys understand their environment without truly engaging in it. In this way they can witness the violence around them through rose-colored glasses. This imagination holding together their friendship is shattered, however, when Mickybo’s Da is shot and Mickybo can no longer ignore the reality of Protestant/Catholic hatred. That traumatic event shows him that death is not, in fact, glorious. Without that imaginative bond, Mickybo turns to ideology to find a new community with his fellow Catholics, and Mojo is left on his own. Their relationship blurred the lines between imagination and reality, and it makes me wonder what McCafferty thought of imagination. Was their friendship destined to fail from the start because it wasn’t based in reality, or is imagination powerful enough to transcend the issues that divide us?
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I think that you explained the role of imagination very well. Mojo and Mickybo utilize their imaginations in order to not only escape from their violent reality but also to strengthen their friendship. From the point of view of the children, it is them against the world – Butch and Sundance running wild. Imagination is definitely an aspect of our lives that I think diminishes over time. As we grow up, society tells us that we need to stop pretending and face the real world.
You argue that the friendship between Mickybo and Mojo is stronger than the conflict between Protestants and Catholics. I think that may not necessarily be the case. Instead, the conflict between the Protestants and Catholics is what ultimately breaks their friendship. When the two boys are close friends, I am not sure that they are able to completely understand why the groups dislike each other so much. They do understand that there are differences between them, but they are not aware of the extent of those differences. When Mickybo’s dad is killed, however, I think that Mickybo is struck with the realization that the conflict between Catholics and Protestants is real. The conflict has entered his home and affected him personally. The traumatic event changes him, and causes him to grow up, as you have stated. Mickybo now associates Catholics with the murder of his father. Since Mojo is Catholic, it is nearly impossible for their friendship to last.