Willie Mossop is a fundamental character in the play, “Hobson‘s choice,” as he, similarly to another character, conveys the negative points about society in the Victorian era such as the working conditions that employees had to tolerate, and how being at a lower social status effects the way your treated. In relation to Willie Mossop, Mrs Hepworth is also another vital character within the play due to the fact that she displays disparity and imbalance. Inequality is also shown as a result of Mrs Hepworth. Although she is a minor character, she plays a very major and significant role. This role being that she is the catalyst that drives the plot forward as she initially, is the first person to see the great potential in Willie. As Mrs Hepworth wants to see the person who made her boots, Hobson instantly assumes that Willie has done something wrong resulting in Hobson looking like a fool. (As Willie didn’t actually do anything wrong.) Mrs Hepworth see’s that Willie has great ability in making shoes. As Willie is called from is working place from underneath the shop floor, the stage directions are vital. Maggie opens the trapped door that Willie has to come up from. Metaphorically, when Maggie opens the trapped door, she opens up a life full of opportunity, higher class and a finer life. He instantly enters the 20th century as soon as the stage directions are stated. As a result of this, disagreement evolves as without Willie, Hobson again will fail as he will only be able to sell laces etc. Willie Mossop is Hobson’s greatest asset in terms of the business. It is really Willie that is allowing Hobson and his family to survive.
When Mrs Hepworth goes to present Willie with her card, he cowards back as he thinks that she is going to hit him. This demonstrates the severe brutality of what goes on within the workplace. Brighouse’s portrayal of this reveals the accepted practice between the employer and employee. “If there’s anything wrong I assure you I’m capable of making the man suffer for it”. Hobson holds no trust or more to the point, no belief in Willy, he is made to look a stupid and due to this, antagonism between Willy, Hobson and Maggie is shown. Maggie considers that Willy’s capability of making boots is high-quality and that is the point when Maggie concludes that she would aspires to set up her own business. Hostility between Maggie and Hobson emerges here as this is moment in the novel as this is when Maggie announces that she wants to break away from her father and become self-reliant. Here, she realises that with Willie’s gift and talent for making boots, and Maggie’s business like thinking, they will achieve and accomplish on their own. She has the confidence to achieve, unlike Willie who greatly lacks in his own self belief. Evidence of this is after speaking to Mrs Hepworth. “Just like a rabbit.” By saying this, Mrs Hepworth is conveying to the audience that Willie is in fact a man who lacks in self-belief. As a rabbit belongs underground, Harold Brighouse is trying to convey to the audience that Willie belongs under the shop. This quote symbolises that Willie should be constructing shoes as that is his skill. However, Willie is comfortable in the position that he currently endorses as his social class makes it intricate to find a new job. “I’ve been at Hobson’s all my life and I’m not leaving till I’m made.” This displays the fact that Willie is loyal to his “master,” and that she is scared to leave his specific social class that he was born into. During the Victorian era, there were explicit social “borders” or “barriers” that you were not allowed to cross. You were expected to stay in your social class, this is called social conditioning and Willie believes in this. He is happy to remain static and this is what frustrates Maggie. As she is a very empowering woman, she wants everything done her way. As she wishes to marry Willie and he doesn’t wish to marry her, conflict between the two of them is displayed. The trapped door signifies the fact that Willie feels safe and secure down there. He doesn’t want to change his work life as he is comfortable in the position that he currently embraces. This causes conflict as Maggie is a dominant woman and she knows what she wants- this being Willie. As Willie doesn’t love Maggie and doesn’t want to marry her, she gets agitated as her plan to gain independence isn’t running as smoothly as she planned. This is an immense problem as Maggie likes the fact that she is thought of as an important figure and here, she isn’t that figure.
Jim and Hobson highlight the patriarchal views of all men during the early 29th century. These two men give the audience an insight into the roles that men used to take on. Throughout their conversation with each other, the audience receives an inclination of their criticism of women. For example, we realise that they both, but especially Hobson take women for granted as he states this to Jim. “A wife’s a handy thing……I felt grateful for the quiet when my Mary fell on rest.” This not only portrays Hobson as a cold hearted, ruthless human being but also as a selfish, uncaring figure to his daughters. This causes his daughter to question his authority and that is why Hobson keeps reminding them that he is superior to them. The deliberate representation of these characters allow the audience to see just how old fashioned their views are, certainly when contrasted with the daughters. It is a vast difference between the daughters and the fathers. Maggie is the voice for the new woman, the more modern woman. Hobson on the other hand, is the voice for the older generation, the generation who lived a different life to the ones that do now. Hobson states in this scene that after his wife died, he started missing her. Here, this establishes that Hobson only has a selfish outlook on life as the person who was his life had died. However, there was a good factor of Hobson going through the ordeal of losing someone so dear to him. He became more grateful for the wealth that he had but this can also be depicted as a negative factor. By being more grateful for his wealth he dismisses any attention to his daughter causing a further conflict between them, and also a reason for his lack of authority within his family.
Overall, the play, “Hobson’s choice,” produces both a pleasantry and disagreeing factors between all of the characters. By using distinctive techniques, such as stage directions, Harold Brighouse allows the audience to see the patriarchal views that men used to have and how the women of their society used to follow them. He displays the inequality that used to be in their civilization which therefore caused divergence and humour. Throughout the play we have witnessed women taking control over the men, taking charge of society. The Victorian audience would perceive most of the play as too controversial as women were seen as the inferior sex. The conflict has basically established a positive change in society through the way women were treated. By the time the curtain goes down, the characters have a positive outlook in their society which then causes the audience to similarly, have a positive attitude in their society. Ironically, the name “Hobson’s choice” has no significance to the actual play as the only person who doesn’t have any choice is Hobson himself. Maggie modifies this by dictating her own life instead of abiding by her fathers wishes. Hobson’s choice is a contradiction to itself as there is in fact no choice at all.