Saffron-topped Wagyu Beef Parmigiana with Beluga Caviar in a Cabernet-Sauvignon sauce. 1910 Pinot Noir with a delicate and subtle aftertaste of Mattake. Quinoa smoked salmon served with macerated White Truffle. These may be completely foreign phrases to you and me, but the more well-off connoisseur of exotic and expensive food would realize these dishes would taste quite atrocious. Who knew? This is a quaint example of a disconnect in communication between the common person and the considerably rich. In his brilliant and comedic one-Act play, British author Harold Pinter tackles the issue of communication and how it is often used ineffectively to vain ends between social classes. Known for his absurdist comedy and striking symbolism (2608), Pinter describes the frequent mistakes and misunderstandings the lower classes make in regard to idea understanding and expression, particularly to the upper echelons of British society. The play itself takes place in what appears to be a former café, now abandoned. Two hitmen, Ben and Gus, eagerly await their target in this location, as they argue about nothing and carry on mundane conversation. There is also a dumbwaiter in the room, which suddenly starts sending down orders of fancy dishes for Ben and Gus to receive. Befuddled, the two wonder who is writing these orders, and hilariously stumble over their own words. This greatly frustrates the two, increasing the tension in the room until the end, where one accidently takes the life of the other. Such a loaded play succinctly accomplishes Pinter’s purposes through myriad methods, including a hook that throws the reader directly into the action, near slapstick humor, and deep symbolism.
When the curtains part on this play, no introduction beyond a simple explanation of setting is given. Why? Pinter quite intentionally employs this device—by placing the reader directly in the narrative with no prior knowledge regarding the situation, Pinter simulates a real-life situation involving poor communication and confusion as a result. Observe this through the first few sentences of the play, after the brief setting description:
“BEN (slamming his paper down). Kaw!
GUS. What's that?
BEN. A child of eight killed a cat!
GUS. Get away.
BEN. It's a fact. What about that, eh? A child of eight killing a cat!”
(2609)
These lines scarcely seem a proper opening for a play that would tell the audience exactly what it is meant to say. In fact, Pinter is quite intentional with this introduction. By not explaining the scene thoroughly, Pinter causes the same confusion of communication he seeks to explain through the frivolous dialogue between Gus and Ben. This provides a practical example of failed conversation that frustrates the audience as they try understand the situation and assemble the missing pieces. Not only is Pinter giving examples of lack of communication through dialogue, but he is also including the audience in this same phenomenon.
Pinter was well-known for being quite the funny man in his writings, and he makes no exception here. Between the laughable, petty squabbles in which Gus and Ben engage to physical comedy throughout the piece, Pinter utilizes the edge of comedy to illustrate the unfortunate fact that communication often fails in today’s times, particularly with the less educated individual, anyone like Ben and Gus. One specific example is found through an argument the two characters have regarding a simple phrase. Gus believes that the proper phraseology for heating water on the stove is “light the gas”, while Ben strongly admits that it is “light the kettle”. They go back and forth for some time, believing the other is completely wrong. Finally, the conflict ends with both of them realizing they have no matches with which to “light the kettle” or “light the gas”, however you would have it. Simply put, communication is hindered by a mere disagreement of one word in an uncomplicated phrase. Yet this is not the only humorous example of misunderstanding found in this work.
The next example, which includes implicit symbolism, is found in an exchange between Ben and Gus and the silent individual sending down the orders from the upper level. This symbolism, strangely enough, comes in the form of fine, gourmet food and physical location. As odd as this may sound, the dishes represent a separate level of society, while the difference in the physical floors of the buildings indicates a difference in societal level between Gus and Ben and the unknown individual. The silent—or dumb—waiter above Ben and Gus sends down orders for dishes such as “Macaroni Pastitsio” and “Ormitha Macarounada”, dishes Gus and Ben are completely unfamiliar with. As the two become more and more confused with the orders, they yell up the communication tube, increasingly agitated, until Gus is fed up and shouts, “
WE'VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! NOTHING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" (2609).
This final exclamation—though somewhat humorous—exemplifies a stunning discrepancy in communication between the upper class and the lower. As Gus and Ben represent the common individual, their behaviors indicate a general tendency of the lower-class population. The orders originate from more of an affluent culture, then Ben and Gus encounter issues with understanding and thus become frustrated. Here, Pinter is implying that there is indeed a lack of effective communication in the lower classes with the upper, and vice versa. Suddenly it seems that Pinter’s hilarious comedy has produced a bitter undertone.
Therefore, Harold Pinter utilizes comedy to illustrate an unfortunate truth: the less educated and wealthy individual struggles to communicate with those of greater financial status, and the reverse is true. This gap in communication results in great consternation and is counterintuitive to understanding in British society. Through an abrupt hook, humor, and objective symbolism underneath the surface, Pinter cleverly demonstrates this phenomenon. Though the play may at first glance seem a lighthearted anecdote for the individual, it reveals a darker tone of English culture that is difficult—if not embarrassing—to discuss: the different levels of community are growing apart as communication grows impossible, and the people are becoming furious.
Works Cited:
Greenblatt, Stephen, and Meyer Howard. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English
Literature. Norton & Company, 2013.
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