By Maisie Lund
If you’ve seen Peaky Blinders, you’ll almost definitely have an affection for one of its main characters: Thomas Shelby, portrayed by Cillian Murphy. Throughout the series the actions of this character mark a thinly veiled line between self-interest and altruism. Which brings the audience to the difficult moral dilemma of how we decide between what is good, and what is evil?
Who are the Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders is a BBC series that tells the story of a 1920’s street gang based in Birmingham. Though fictional, the series gives an unapologetic and often brutal depiction of the reality’s young working-class men, returning home in 1918, would have been up against after the devastation of World War I. Head of the Shelby family and leader of the Peaky Blinders is the second eldest brother, Thomas Shelby.
Nature vs Nurture
It’s clear from the beginning of the series that Thomas Shelby is struggling. He has constant flash backs and trouble sleeping. In order to, cope with what we would now refer to as PTSD, Thomas Shelby self-medicates with brown opium. This behaviour continues throughout the series and gradually intensifies.
Aside from the obvious detrimental impact the War has had on his mental health, the audience is also exposed to ruthless acts of violence. The second episode opens with Thomas and his brothers using razors sown into their flat caps to slash the eyes of members of the Lee family. All because one of them laughed at the eldest brother Arthur (played by Paul Anderson). Hence how the show got its name.
This fight ignites a War between the two Gypsy families and from there the bloodiness escalates. This begs the question, were the Shelby brothers always violent, or were they made that way?
The youngest of the Shelby brothers, Finn (portrayed first by Alfie Evans-Meese, then Harry Kirton), is unaffected by the traumas of War. Although we see Finn’s character grow over time, his attitude when compared to the older brothers remains innocent in many ways. In one episode, when referring to Finn, Arthur says, “that kid needs an education,” implying Finn needs to learn how to be bad.
The Good?
With all that being said, the audience does witness another side to the Shelby men, especially Thomas. His gentler nature and instinct to help the less fortunate members of his community. By the end of the 4th series he’s opened an orphanage and is elected Labour MP for Birmingham. As he befriends socialist activist Jessie Eden (Charlie Murphy), the audience learns that before going to War Thomas was a completely different person, that he believed real change could happen.
Sadly, the War spoiled that hope for him and as such he holds the upper ruling class of society in contempt, for allowing such an atrocity to occur and for using the lives of poorer men like himself. At one point saying “the corridors of Westminster are very dimly lit. And for those who make the rules, there are no rules.”
Despite his apparent feelings for Jessie Eden, Thomas ends up marrying his secretary, Lizzie Stark (Natasha O’Keeffe) after she falls pregnant. It’s not clear whether this is a principled decision, made out of respect for Lizzie and his unborn child in spite of his feelings for Jessie. Or whether he was simply using Jessie all along in order to win favour from socialists when running for parliament.
The Bad?
We should also consider the fact that Thomas becoming an MP makes it easier for the gang to conduct criminal activities. As an audience, we’re made to sympathise with Thomas and the gang. As we view events from their perspective, it’s hard to pin point a specific time in the show when we could clearly judge that an action was purely “bad”. Violence is what Thomas knows from the War, but things become interesting when his actual morals are brought into question.
Back in series one we saw Thomas make a deal with another gangster, Billy Kimber (Charlie Creed-Miles). Tommy unfairly agrees that as part of the deal, Mr Kimber can sleep with Grace (Annabelle Wallis). Grace would later become Thomas’s love interest. However, Thomas changes his mind and intervenes before Billy Kimber can make the agreement a reality. Was this out of the kindness of his heart? Or was it more of a selfish act as he wanted Grace for himself? A prime example of how the show blurs the lines once again.
Grey area
An ambitious character, but also a tortured soul; after losing his wife Grace, Tommy blames himself and in the most recent series he begins having hallucinations of her. He wants to be with her, and as his suicidal tendencies increase, we learn his grandfather and mother both took their own lives.
Due to his ill mental health, his motives start becoming less and less clear to the audience. This is problematic as an important part of deciding between good and evil is not necessarily the action itself, but the reasoning for that action and the overall effect it will have.
As Thomas is wrestling with his inner demons he also becomes a double agent in an attempt to take down Oswald Moseley (Sam Calflin) and the British Union of Fascists. Thomas’s sister Ada (Sophie Rundle) believes this is because Thomas believes it’s the right thing to do, however during a conversation with Lizzie, Thomas is reluctant to admit this.
Proving the lines between good or evil are blurred in Tommy’s mind. Is he really trying to ruin Moseley because he believes it’s the right thing to do, or is it all for self gain?
Reflection
Thomas Shelby is no doubt a product of his environment. He won gallantry medals in the War, yet through them in the cut. Tommy is complex, you cannot simply write him off as a heartless criminal gangster.
Peaky Blinders is not a black and white series, which is what makes it so intriguing to watch. Pushing those boundaries has been part of the shows success. In my opinion, Thomas Shelby lives somewhere between good and bad, having his own kind of justice and moral reasoning. But never the less living by those morals, so even though at times he could be considered selfish, he remains extremely likeable. An unlawful, yet principled gangster, challenging societies idea of what is right and wrong, and we can’t wait to see how far he is willing to go.
Comments