The play the caretaker

Q.1.     The play the caretaker pertains to the fears and insecurities of an ordinary man who is losing his grip over reality. discuss in detail.

            Post-war era created a big deal of insecurities and fears and identity crisis with in a common man. People did not have any control over reality. They were made to suffer from different psychological disorders. The Caretaker discusses the critical condition of characters in the play and it deals with the human responses that are basic to the all humanity and that express a darker aspect of man’s insecurity, hypocrisy and aggressiveness.

            The play Caretaker through different themes depicts the condition of common man who is losing his grip over reality. From the beginning of the text writer has shown that outside world has become violent for a common man. Man has no refuge in this post-war world. Davies is cut off from the society and he is outcast. He lives his life in dirt and nearly all dislike him. It is Aston who shows some kind of kindness to Davies.  Davies always uses to talk ill about the Blacks, Browns and Russians "All the Greeks had it, Poles, Greeks, Blacks, the lot of them, all them aliens had it".  But he was beaten by an English man and Aston gives him refuge. At that time he was hunted by the outside world but when he came into the Aston’s room he gradually started becoming a hunter.

            Davies represents the outside violent world. The room, in which Aston takes him, is like a womb and Davies is like an intruder who later on proves him to be a destructive agent. Davies wants to take hold of reality by asserting his superiority over Aston. While talking to Aston about his work he says about a man "He's not my boss. He's nothing superior to me". He so many times tries to prove himself as a man of respect “I said to him, I got my rights". He even tries to make alliances with Mick to have a control over room, but Davies does not succeed.

            We see a lack of communication and failure of language in this absurdist play. There are so many language flaws in Davies speeches he says this while talking to Aston" that was after the guvnor give me the bullet". There is a huge deal of contradictions in his conversation and he also uses abusive language in his discourse," those bastards at the monastery let me down again". Pauses are the proof of failure of communication and silences shows lack of communication which indicates their inner fears, uncertainty, and meaninglessness of life. The play The Caretaker is full of pauses, Silences, and incomplete sentences. Every character is locked up in his own shell. We have to understand unsaid factors in the absurdist writings.

            Characters are not sincere with one another, and if they are sincere the other one is deceiving them. Even Aston's closest relation, his mother, signs the documents seeking permission to give him electric treatment. No one save him from the severe treatment. Davies is beaten by his country man. Aston tells Davies about the electric shock treatment which he got in hospital and Davies tries to get advantage of Aston's mental condition. He also satirizes Aston's mental condition.

            As a post-war play, its characters are suffering from a kind of Electro phobia. Davies says," Don't tell me the lights gone now". The absence of light and desperation in trying to turn on the lights creates a tension in Davies of being alone in the darkness. He tries to light the matches but it goes out. Pinter creates a false sense of security through matches which is soon faded. The match box falls and it is kicked by an unknown person in the room, it increases his fears. We see the climax of the scene when Electrolux vacuum machine's sound is heard in the dark. It sounds like a monster that is attacking him. Here Pinter uses sounds and darkness as Davies' biggest fears. He is afraid of the Electrolux because he is of old generation and this machine is like an alien for him as he does not know how to operate him.

            The Caretaker is an absurdist play which is an example of existential dilemma. Religion is like a discarded entity in this contemporary world which is a chaotic place to live. In this era modern man's life tragedy is equal to that of a king. Post-war world is world of uncertainty and absurdity where an ordinary man is not safe and feels him insecure.