Trace the development of William mossop's character in the play 'Hobson's choice'

Sean Jones 10A

Trace the development of William Mossop’s character in the play ‘Hobson’s choice’

William Mossop started off as a lodger lodging with Ada Figgins. He was shy and had no ambitions working at Hobson’s shoe shop at the bottom of the chain. At the end of the play he was ambitious, married and the joint owner of Hobsons shop.

The audience sympathises with Willie the first time he appears on stage because he ‘only comes half way up the trap door’. This is because of his social standing and he feels that he is not worthy to speak to Hobson and the ‘upper class people’. As the play progresses Willie acquires a greater sense of confidence. This is shown when Willie begins to speak more and is further educated and more self-assured. Willie also gets more confident after he gets married to Maggie. Willie gradually works his way up the ladder and begins to take over Hobson’s shop. During the play, Hobson is unable to watch over the shoe shop and his daughters have all matured, moved out, and got married, including Maggie, who is married to Willie. Willie now has ambitions and these are to create something of his life. He later fulfils his aspirations and becomes the owner of Hobson’s shoe shop.

Furthermore, in the middle of the play Hobson accepts Willie and Maggie’s marriage. He exclaimed accepts the fact that Maggie and Willie are married but then goes on to say, ‘Maggie, you’ve had your way and done what you wanted, I’m none the prouder of your choice and I wont lie and pretend I am’. To this point it seems that Hobson is not content and has no intentions of speaking to them again. However, proceeds to say, ‘but I’ve shaken your husbands hand and that’s a sign for you, the milks split and ill not cry’. Willie has now ...

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Later on in the play Hobson has a word with Willie with and pronounces ‘you’re the best of the bunch, a backward lad but you no your trade and it’s an honest one. This gives Willie additional confidence. Willie visits the local pub, ‘The Moonrakers’ on a daily basis with his friends even though the doctor has told him that he has ‘drunk himself within six months of an early grave’. The doctors’ advice to Hobson is to ‘stay out of the pub and to get a woman back into the house and to take the doctors prescription’. Hobson replies by saying ‘I’m particular to what I put into my stomach’ and ‘you ask me to give up my reasonable refreshment’.

After the doctor has spoken to Hobson about getting Maggie back she walks in. She came because Tubby told her that Hobson is ‘seriously ill’. The doctor notifies Maggie about Hobson drinking himself into an early grave and all of his additional problems. Maggie decides to move back in. She was to look after Hobson and Willie and attend to the business. Willie refuses Hobson’s offer to ‘return to his old bench’ this shows that Willie now has a higher personal opinion than in previous scenes.

Willie now demonstrates his success, he can prove Hobson wrong because in a year they have paid off the loan from Mrs Hepworth and also obtained a profit and increased Hobson’s trade. Now Willie makes Hobson a proposal, which is for him and Hobson to go into partnership with Hobson. Hobson is referred to as being a ‘sleeping partner’ meaning that Hobson is only used for his money and Willie runs the shop. Willie now says that his ambitions are to have shop in ‘Saint Ann’s square, Manchester’ this proves that Willie has become a lot more ambitious than at the beginning of the play when he was afraid to go upstairs in the shop.

At the start of the play Willie Mossop was a shy shoe maker working at the bottom of the chain at Hobson’s shoe shop. By the end of the play Willie Mossop is an ambitious joint owner of ‘Mossop and Hobson’s shoe shop’