John Butterworth's 'The Ending Of Jerusalem'

To what extent does the ending of Jerusalem forcefully call into question the issues of happiness and forever after?

Comedy is often described as ‘a movement from one kind of society to another’; Conventionally, this transition results in an improvement to the initial society, in which the protagonist fights against a hindrance, and thus prevails, becoming the leader of this regeneration. This interpretation can be supported by Frye who stated that the story reaches its ‘happy ever after’ once the ‘new society crystallises around the protagonist’. Here, Butterworth uses the ending to deliberately call into question whether Johnny was a pioneer of the newfound society therefore achieving his ‘happy ever after’, or just a mere obstacle that
An example of this is when he describes his life in the forest, where he has ‘seen the air go still and all sound stop and a golden stag clear this clearing’. However, the reference to the ‘golden stag’ is seen within Catholicism as a symbol for Christ, therefore showing the spiritual fulfillment that the forest brings him, similarly to the spiritual fulfillment brought through religion. The use of this sudden fulfillment within Johnny’s life emphasizes the issues with ‘happiness’ and ‘forever after’. This is shown through Johnny and his happiness within the forest, and the apparent fact that society removes his ‘happy ever after’. This therefore portrays the solipsistic nature of society and their inability to allow others to reach their ‘happy ever after’. Furthermore, the fact that no one aids him furthers Butterworth’s critique of society as they are solipsistic and therefore oblivious to others needs. This is shown through the fact that Johnny is a mere obstacle to society that needs to be overcome. This can be seen through the authorative language used by Fawcett and Parsons when they address Johnny at the start of the play by saying; ‘reference 4.06.0001006’ as they are dehumanizing Johnny through their use of numerical language. This therefore calls into question whether our lives are fulfilled, and therefore the idea of ‘happiness’ and ‘forever after’ as Butterworth uses Johnny to illustrate that no one is truly