‘Nay, I’d be feared to go in them fine places’
Will is intimidated by big shops in Manchester where there are lots of rich people, I think that he is scared that the people will look down their noses at him and the fact that he doesn’t have a very good education. This could also show that he doesn’t like change and has no ambitions, or he doesn’t have the confidence on his own to do anything bold. Will has low self-belief, when Maggie questions whether he wants to leave he says;
“I’ve been at Hobson’s all my life and I’m not leaving till I’m made.”
He is saying that he isn’t going to leave Hobson’s until he dies, this could be because of low self-confidence and he doesn’t believe he could actually do it. On the other hand he could not want to be mocked for having plans and dreams.
Another impression of Will is that he is not very well educated (maybe illiterate) this is shown in all of his conversations in the first act, especially in his conversation with Mrs Hepworth. Will is trying to read the visiting card but can’t because “it’s such a funny print”. Another sign is as he speaks he repeats phrases a lot, such as “well, by gum”. He has a poor vocabulary, when he does speak it is only to answer a direct question and even then he doesn’t say much.
A good characteristic that Will possesses is honesty. He tells Maggie straight out that he doesn’t love her and she doesn’t love him;
“…when it comes to marrying, I’m bound to tell you that I’m none in love with you”
I think that Will is honest to Maggie because he has respect for her, when he tells Maggie that the reason that he can’t marry her is because he is betrothed to Ada Figgins is another example of what I think is Will being honest out of respect for Maggie.
It is shown in his first appearance that he is an excellent boot maker but under appreciated, when Mrs Hepworth says;
“The man’s a treasure, and I expect you underpay him.”
Everyone can see how talented Will is and that Hobson is taking advantage of him by paying him very low wages. Until the end of the first act Will is very easily intimidated and he is pushed around by just about everyone.
At the end of the act Will’s character changes, He is no longer shy and always holding his tongue. Hobson had been told about the marriage between Maggie and Will and Hobson believes that Will is to blame. Will doesn’t think it’s fair that he is being blamed for something that is not his fault;
“I’m none wanting thy Maggie, it’ her that’s after me, but I’ll tell you this, Mr Hobson: If you touch me with that belt, I’ll take her quick, aye, and stick to her like glue.”
Will feels that it is wrong for Hobson to be beating him, Will has a good sense of right and wrong. I think that he also feels that he hasn’t encouraged it to happen, Maggie initiated the idea so why should he get punished? This is a good example of when Will is being unpredictable, he can stand up for himself despite what people think. He knows his place in society and doesn’t want to cause any problems by stepping out of place, he is a ‘yes sir, no sir’ kind of guy.
In Act Four Will has become ambitious, educated and assertive. The most obvious change in his character is his growth in confidence, Will appears a lot more confident and doesn’t need to be threatened with violence to stand up for himself. This is shown in the stage directions when Maggie and Will enter Hobson’s living room;
‘Will enters. Maggie follows him. He is not aggressive, but he is prosperous and has self-confidence. Against Alice and Vickey he is consciously on his mettle’
Maggie is following Will now, not the other way around. Even though he appears to be full of confidence, he is on guard when it comes to Alice and Vickey. Also he still seems to be leaning on Maggie a lot, he is, in my opinion, in constant need of reassurance.
Will has also become a lot more educated, thanks to Maggie. He is no longer saying phrases like “well, by gum” all the time, he can hold a conversation and he speaks with greater length and convolution;
“Don’t let us be too long about this. You’ve kept me waiting now a good while and my time’s valuable. I’m busy at my shop.”
Will addresses Hobson with much more confidence than he would have done the year before. This quote also shows how proud Will is that he owns his own shop and now seems to show more self-belief, he knows his time is valuable.
Will now knows what he wants and how he is going to get there, he has aspirations and dreams. One of these dreams is to own a shop in Manchester one day, he believes that that is the next step after he has moved into partnership with Hobson;
“It’s no farther from Chapel Street to Saint Ann’s Square than it is from Oldfield Road to Chapel Street. I’ve done one jump in a year and if I wait a bit I’ll do the other.”
Will wanted to take Hobson into partnership on the condition that Hobson was a ‘sleeping partner’ so he couldn’t interfere, also he was determined that his name would be first on the sign board and he knew how to go about it. After a lot of discussion Will got what he wanted and also told Hobson that the shop was in need of a refurbishment;
“I’ll make some alterations in this shop, and all. I will so”
Until the end of the fourth act Will appeared to speak with so much confidence, at the end of Act Four it became apparent that he isn’t as bold as he was making out;
“But I weren’t by half so certain as I sounded. Words came from my mouth that made me jump at my own boldness.”
And at the very end when everyone else has left Will simply says “ Well, by gum!” this shows that he hasn’t changed much and will always be the same lad under the façade.
The techniques used by the playwright to show the changes in the character of Will Mossop are the stage directions, the language, the positions on stage and the length and complexity of his speech.
The most obvious technique that Harold Brighouse, the playwright, uses is the language. In the first act Will speaks mostly with local dialect, he says “well, by gum” a lot. Repeated phrases are another technique, it shows that he doesn’t know much else and has a very limited vocabulary, Brighouse has Will saying very simple sentences and never initiating conversation. In the fourth act Brighouse manages to convey the impression that Will is learning to use longer, more complex sentences because when he is talking just to Maggie he reverts back to using simple words.
Another technique that Brighouse uses to show the change in Will’s character is the position of him on the stage , Will spends most of the first act down in the cellar. This is subtly showing that Will is socially below the Hobsons’ as well as physically. Will appears to be more comfortable down in the cellar, when he is up in the shop he is desperate to be get back;
“I’ll be getting back to my stool, Miss Maggie. (Moves to trap)”
In the fourth act when he returns to the shop Will is positioned up a ladder looking at stock this shows that now he is actually above the Hobsons’ socially because his shop has got most of Hobson’s trade, he has a better business and prospects.
In conclusion I am in slight agreement with the opening statement, Willie is still the likeable lad he was at the beginning underneath the harsh man he seems to be now in front of everyone except Maggie. I don’t think that Will’s character has changed deep down because all along he has just done what people have told him to do. At the beginning he was told he was going to marry Ada and that he was working class and there was nothing he could do about it. Then Maggie told him he is not going to marry Ada, Will is to marry her and he is going to have a successful business. Will is very good at doing what people tell him to, Maggie told him to be confident when speaking to Hobson, so he was. William Mossop has been consistent all the way through the play, doing what he is told.
