Themes – WJECWhat is education for Hector and Irwin?
You will notice that many of these themes appear in the form of questions. The History Boys seems to be more interested in making you think than in providing easy answers.
He says the reason for education is to pass it on, to preserve the learning. To become educated in his way means being able to recite large chunks of literature by heart. Hector regards exams as the enemy of education. It can be seen as an approach which values the really important things that education offers rather than turning them into tools to pass exams. Hector sees himself as giving the boys something to protect them against the education that they receive from the Head and Mrs Lintott and he tells her so, but not in a way which suggests any tension between them.
For Irwin:
Education is all about getting the results you want. He doesn’t think that there is a truth, or if there is, it is nothing to do with examinations. He is accused of delivering journalism rather than history – something which is flashy rather than something which is serious. This is supported by his later jobs.