Sunday, 22 March 2009
The Caretaker
The Caretaker was a relaxing read for me because I never really got emotionally involved with the characters. At first read the play seems bland and pointless but after discussing it in class, I have changed my mind about its lack of point or purpose. The way that Harold Pinter sets the scene with the different characters and scenery is all symbolic for England after the World War II. Personally, I do not think that it deserved all the praise and international recognition it got simply because there are other plays for Harold Pinter. Even though all if not many of Harold Pinter's plays have underlying political messages, there are other plays that are more entertaining. Pinter's The Birthday Party is much more absurdist in nature but manages to get the reader more emotionally evolved and the political messages are sugar-coated for the average reader. For example, the only part you might feel any kind of emotion is when Aston is giving his monologue (which can be considered the climax of the play). When Aston talks of he's early days and being sent to electroshock therapy with the consent of his mother, the reader cannot help but feel sympathetic. The act closes however, and act three begins with the same boring tone as the first act.
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2 comments:
David I agree with what you said completely. I also found The Caretaker pointless, and maybe it's because I'm comparing it to the Bold Soprano which I loved. I found the three characters dull and boring. I do agree that the scene with the different characters and scenery is all symbolic for England (after the World War II), and that it might have a political message. However, just like you said, there are more entertaining plays written by Harold Pinter such as The Birthday Party.
It’s interesting how you pointed out the emotional involvement with the characters. The characters lacking emotion is probably one of the main reasons which made the play a relatively boring read. However, I think that almost every play, absurd or not, has a purpose or point because there is usually a reason behind writing it. The message that the playwright wants to send to the audience could be portrayed in different ways. Most of the time, the reader was to read between the lines to discover the true meaning of a work, in this case, as you mentioned, the political message hidden in the characters.
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