Introduction:
“The Caretaker” is a
three-act modern play written by Harold Pinter in 1960. This play is an
accurate representation of the contemporary movement and the life of modern man
and highlights certain major themes to reflect contemporary society. The plot
revolves around two brothers; Aston and Mick, and a trap; Mac Davies (Bernard
Jenkins) who is brought home by Aston? Pinter in this play very beautifully
points out certain features of the life of a modern man through dialogues,
actions, and symbols with his main focus on representing the contemporary
movement and the psychological effects it on the human mind. The most
significant themes highlighted by the playwright in presenting the contemporary
movement is the representation of complex human relations, absurdity, and the uncertainty which predominated the life of a modern man, isolation of human
beings from each other, the class difference, racial prejudices which dominated
the age, superstitious beliefs, the inhuman medical treatment, and
existentialism.
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Themes of the play
“The Caretaker”:
- Complex human relations:
Modern life is characterized
by the complexities of human relationships. Human relationships are not simple
rather are complex just like the human mind. In the play, this complexity of
human relations is also depicted by Pinter. Pinter through the course of the
drama introduces certain human relationships. For instance the relationship
between the brothers; Aston and Mick, the relationship between Aston and
Davies, the relationship between Mick and Davies, the relationship between Mick
and his family, and the relationship between Aston and his family. Firstly, the
relationship between the brothers is quite significant and complex. Aston and
Mick like modern man lack communication between them. Though they lack basic
human communication they deeply care for each other. For instance, Mick at many
times in the play criticizes Aston for being lazy but when Davies finds fault
with him he denounces Davies for overstepping his boundaries: “You get
a bit out of your depth sometimes don’t you? (Pinter, 1960)”. Similarly,
when Mick tells Davies about his dream to build a penthouse he tells Davies
that both he and Aston will be living there which upsets Davies. Just like
Mick, Aston also cares for his brother which can be observed by analyzing the
play. For instance, in Act 3 Davies tries to gain Aston’s favor and begs him to
let him stay at their place. He says that he will sleep on the other bed but
Aston remains adamant and says that “that one’s my brother’s bed”. The
bed holds a symbolic significance and represents the individual. For Aston,
Mick’s bed is a metaphor for Mick and their relationship which he cannot give
away to anyone.
Secondly, the
relationship of the brothers with their mother is also quite significant and
complex. For Aston, his mother was a person who deceived him and sent him to
the mental hospital as he points out in his speech at the end of Act 2whereas
Mick holds respect for his mother and in Act 2 criticizes Davies for sleeping
in his mother’s bed and warns him: “Don’t get out of your depth, friend”
(Pinter, 1960).
Lastly, the
relationship the brothers have with Davies. Aston has a relationship of empathy
and sympathy with Davies who was a tramp being beaten by many people in the
café. He brings him to his house and provides him with basic necessities and
offers him a job as a caretaker but Davies neglects his duties and the favors
of Aston and later after siding up with Mick calls him a lunatic. Whereas the
relationship between Mick and Davies is that of giving and take. Mick mistakes
him to be an interior decorator and thinks that he will help him with the
penthouse and offers him the job of the caretaker. The relationship between
Mick and Davies was based on doubt and illusion. Both the brother after getting
to know about the real colors of Davies throws him out of their house.
- Absurdity:
The main characteristic of modern man’s life is an absurdity that firms the core theme of the play. The modern man’s life revolves around the absurdity of his being and his actions. Similarly, this absurdity is also shown in the play at numerous times. Firstly, the use to repetition used in the play marks the absurdity of human actions. The characters in the play often repeat their actions and dialogues with no significant meaning behind these actions. For instance at the starting of the play in Act 1 Davies emphasizes how he did not have a proper rest and says: “I haven’t had a good sit down!... I haven’t had a proper sit-down! (Pinter, 1960).
Secondly, the lack of
coherence in the dialogues and actions of the characters also presents the
absurdity of modern life. For instance, when Davies is given a pair of shoes by
Aston he declares to Aston that these shoes “Don’t fit” and “They’d
cripple me in a week” but in the same dialogue he comments how “at
least they’re comfortable”. Thirdly, the inconsistency of time and the
element of forgetfulness also contribute to the absurdity of human existence.
The effects of this modernization according to Pinter and the technological
advancements have made man a slave. His thoughts, ability, and mind are now
being controlled by these modern inventions. For instance, in Act 3 the
inconsistency of time and human dependency on modern inventions is depicted
when Davies complains that how he does not have a “foggiest idea what
time is” and is dependent on his clock to point at the right time.
Similarly, these modern inventions have an adverse psychological effect on the
thought process as pointed out by the speech of Aston at the end of Act
2: “my thoughts… had become very slow… I couldn’t think at all … I
couldn’t… get…my thoughts… together…” (Pinter, 1960).
- Uncertainty
Modern life is
dominated by uncertainty and disillusionment. This uncertainty is also observed
in the drama by Pinter in different ways. Each character in the play is
uncertain in his approach. The lives of these characters because of their
uncertainty are dominated by chaos. For instance, Aston wants to build a shed
in the garden but his lack of practicality hinders his dream. Mick, the brother
of Aston is a worldly-wise man but his uncertainty in his behavior i.e. his
switching between harshness and politeness marks the complexity of his
character. The character of Davies marks the height of uncertainty in the play.
His indecisiveness regarding the shoes, his work of a caretaker and everything
around him; his going to Sidcup, his forgetfulness, his siding with Aston, and
sometimes with Mick marks the hypocrisy and lack of practicality of his nature.
- Racial Prejudices:
The theme of racism
was also highlighted by the playwright in this play. After the two great World
Wars, discrimination based on race and religion drastically increased all over
the world. Many writers of contemporary society highlighted this issue in their
writing. Pinter in this play through the character of Mac Davies also
highlighted this evil. In Act 1, of the play Davies, many times shows his
prejudices against the Scotts, the Greeks, and the Blacks and even called them
“aliens”. . Similarly, when he gets to know that a family of Indians is
living next door he tries to blame them for everything even the noises he uses
to make during his sleep: “I tell you, maybe it was them blacks”. In
another instance, while narrating about his experience in the café, Davies
tells Aston that how the people in the café wanted an “Englishmen to
pour” their tea, and Davies being a Welsh often use to lie about his
identity.
- Inhuman medical practices:
One of the most
significant themes highlighted in this play is the inhuman medical practices of
the time. Pinter very artistically criticizes these inhuman medical practices
which aim at controlling the human mind and thought. Pinter through the speech
of Aston points out how the medical practices at that time did harm rather than
doing any good to mankind. Aston, one of the main characters of the play was
sent to a mental hospital where he was given shock treatment. As pointed out by
Aston in his speech the reason because of which he was given the electric
shocks was that he “talked too much” (Pinter, 1960). His talks
regarding his hallucination and his passing out were treated by giving ECT
(Electroconvulsive Therapy). According to him, many people in the hospital were
given these shocks which resulted in hindering their thought process and lack
of desire to interact and work.
- Isolation:
Isolation is one of
the most significant aspects of the life of a modern man. Modern man has
alienated himself from his surroundings and even from the closest relations.
Pinter presents this notion that how this alienation and isolation has led to
the lack of communication. Through the dialogues, the playwright points out
certain flaws in the language of these characters. For instance, the speech of
Davies is full of abusive and incoherent sentences which are proof of the
failure of communication. The silences and long pauses in the play are also
significant as they highlight the inner fears of these characters due to their
isolation from the world. The use of long silences, pauses, incoherent and
incomplete sentences point out the main theme of isolation of human beings from
their environment which is in fact one of the major features of the life of a
modern man.
- Insincerity:
The modern man is not
sincere with his fellow human beings and is deceiving himself and others by
neglecting reality. For instance, in the play, as highlighted by the
playwright, Aston was deceived by his mother. She signs the document and gives
the profession to the mental hospital for giving the severe treatment of electric
shocks. Similarly, when Aston tells Davies about the electric shock treatment
which he got in a mental hospital, Davies tries to get the advantage of Aston's
mental condition. He neglects the fact that it was Aston who was his real
benefactor. The racial prejudices also highlight the insincerity of modern man
who judges his fellow human being. The character of Davies highlighted this
bitter aspect of modern man’s life who claims to be just but is in fact full of
hatred. For instance, Davies refers to the Indian family who was the neighbor
of Aston as “Blacks” and accuses them wrongly for making noises “I tell
you what, maybe it were them Blacks” (Pinter, 1960).
- Existentialism:
Existentialism is one
of the most significant features of the modernist movement and an important
aspect of the life of a modern man. Existentialism is a form of philosophical
inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on the lived
experience of the thinking, feeling, and acting individual (Existentialism,
n.d.). In this play, existentialism is presented in the form of an identity
crisis. For instance, the real name of Mac Davies, the tramp is Bernard
Jenkins. And as highlighted by him only the documents in modern life hold
importance rather than the individual himself as they are proof of the
individuality of person: “They prove who I am! I can’t move without
them papers. They tell you who I am” (Pinter, 1960). Pinter
points out how the focus in modern life is not the feelings of an individual
but the factual information.
- Illusions:
The modern man through
the advancement in the field of science and technologies through claims to be
revolutionized but is trapped in the net of different illusions. These
illusions also are an important part of the drama. Every character is trapped
in his imaginary world created by these illusions.
For instance, Aston is
entrapped in his world of fantasy where he dreams to build a shed but is unable
to shape that dream into practical form till the end. Similarly, Mick wants to
convert the house into a penthouse having a luxurious aesthetic sense but is
unable to find an interior decorator to bring his dream into shape. Similarly,
Davies is living under the illusion that the brothers will endlessly provide
him with the necessities and he will live all his life with them without doing
much hard work. The dialogues o the characters and their experiences are
described in a vague manner confusing the reader if that was the actual reality
or an illusion itself.
- Poverty and thirst for
power:
Poverty is also a significant aspect of modern life. Due to the world wars which were followed by a great period of depression, poverty became one of the significant features of the contemporary movement and a significant aspect of the life of a modern man. In this play, this aspect of poverty and the class difference arising from the unequal distribution of wealth is also prominent. For instance in the play Mac Davies, the tramp is a representation of the degrading effects caused by these wars on people especially the lower class. Davies tries to leech off Aston and Mick by playing a hypocrite; sometimes siding with Aston and sometimes siding with Mick.
The proof of his poor living conditions is his shabby appearance:
“Davies wears a worn brown overcoat, shapeless trousers, a waistcoat, vest, no
shirt, and sandals” (Pinter, 1960). Similarly, Aston one of the main
characters of this play was also shown as a shabbily dressed person but with
empathy and care for others. The living conditions of Aston and the depiction
of his house are quite significant. On the contrary, Mick is shown as a
landlord dressed in a leather jacket representing the upper class which longs
for control and power. The thirst for power of these three main characters is
significant as they all try to control each other’s lives.
- Identity Crisis:
The theme of identity crisis was also presented by the writer in this play. Mac Davies, a tramp who was brought home by Aston in the play had a dual identity. He was known as Mac Davies but his real name was the letter revealed to be Bernard Jenkins in the papers. The writer implicitly through the remark of Davies about his identity points out the identity crisis of a modern man who is forced to live with a dual identity in the modern world: “They prove who I am! I cannot move without them papers. They tell you who I am!”
Conclusion:
In conclusion, one may say that this play by Harold Pinter is one of the greatest plays written in the twentieth-century as it not only reflects contemporary society but also highlights certain themes such as absurdity, alienation, ingratitude, racial prejudices, lack of practicality, and many more. Pinter very beautifully represented the life and struggles of modern man which was later appreciated and pointed out by Michael Belington that how he presented life as: “a series of negotiations for advantage in which everything comes into play”.
This Theme is produced by, Syeda Areeba Fatima, a permanent contributor to the SOL Community.
Read Also, The Caretaker by Harold Pinter is the Representation of Modern Period
