- Before we see Rafe his power is built up both by Daisy his wife and by his children. We feel that he has got strong power over the household. In this quote we see Daisy Crompton (wife of Rafe) scared because she has lent out some of the housekeeping money.
‘I wonder where it all goes! Florence, love, could you advise me a pound until after your dad’s given me the housekeeping money? Just to keep his mind at rest. Window-cleaner, eight and six. That’s took me out of the red and puts me a couple of bob to the good. Funny but I can get away with that touch nearly every week. It seems to be his one blind spot’. From these quotes we see that Daisy is worried about Rafe finding out about the house keeping money. We can also see that some people would think that Rafe is violent. We see Rafe for the first time when all the characters are in the scene. In the next quote we see the first signs of dominance within him. Harold has been smoking in his father’s chair, Wilf spots him and switched on the TV to distract him from the smell of smoke. Rafe then walks in and comments on the smell of cigarette smoke and turns off the television.
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During dinnertime the meals are served up and the Cromptons are having Herring for tea. However for some reason Hilda doesn’t feel like her Herring, so daisy suggests she should fry an egg. But Rafe doesn’t like it and makes a scene ‘ I don’t really want my herring if you don’t mind’
‘No of course not love! What would you like instead? I’ve got some nice fresh eggs.’
‘Aye, with some streaky rashes’
‘No, just an egg’
‘Sunny side up?’
‘Done on both sides. But wait till you’ve finished, mum’
‘Its all right love won’t take a minute (raising)’
Then Rafe speaks up.
‘Hold on a minute mother (To Hilda) is their something wrong with your herring?
‘No nothing wrong with it, only I don’t feel like it’
Rafe then goes on. Here is a few more quotes showing Rafes bad side.
‘I’ll fry myself an egg mum’
‘No, you wont’
‘Why not’
‘Because this is a home not a cafeteria.’
He then goes on to call Hilda some names which scares the audience because they can’t understand why he is making such a scene over the herring. But Hilda is as stubborn as her farther and won’t back down, so the argument goes on longer. Rafe insists to make her eat it so he puts it out everyday.
‘No, but there is one thing mother, (raising) you can do for me, have that herring of our Hildas put on one side and you serve it to her and nothing else, at every meal until she eats it, I’m not having any more sloppy living under my roof.’
Rafe sticks to his word and every mealtime the herring is served. Just when Hilda is about to give up, it gets worse. Wilf tries to do the family a favour by feeding the herring to the cat. After the family finds the herring missing, Rafe makes Wilf swear on the bible.
‘Dad don’t force that good book on him.’
‘Now say, I swore by almighty god…’
‘NO, NO, NO, DAD’
‘(With a cry) NO! NO! NO! I must tell you it wares…’
HE SWOOSHES
EVERYONE RISES.
- We find out later on in the story why Rafe is so obsessed about his money. We find out that his mother was in debt when he was younger. He mentions he must have been about ten years old when the debt collectors were sat in his living room playing cards while his mother is trying to gas herself over the gas stove.
‘Now you know why I’m so obsessed about the truth. I know it’s an obsession, but I can’t help it. I’ve never told you this before, but I came home from school one dinnertime and they were these two bailiff chaps sitting in our front room playing cards, and when I went into the back room there was my mother trying to commit suicide over the gas stove. The memory has never left me since.’
After viewing this scene of the play the audience has a total different view to Rafe and they now understand why he acts the way he does and why he is so obsessed about money.
- After confessing about his past and holding it in for so many years Rafe decides to give Daisy more control over the house keeping, money and finances. He even gives her the keys to his bureau and cash box.
‘Here you have the keys’
‘Id feel easier in mind if you had them, I would know for certain that you’ll never be short.’
- We have seen Rafe go from an obsessive loan shark to a kind and caring laid back man. He has finally found, what has been deep in his heart to do. He has also come to terms with Hilda being pregnant and stopped her from leaving home to go to London. He has become more relaxed with everybody and he even told Harold to pass the cigarettes around when he lit one up.
‘Forgetting your manners son? Pass them round, cant you?
But will it last?
By Paul Mcgarty
1140 words.
