Hobson is cross because he didn’t know it was for his daughters’ marriages, but it was to pay for falling into the Beenstock’s cellar, where he breaks open some bags and has to pay a fee of trespass. The money goes to Alice and Vicky. This shows that Maggie is supportive to her sisters and wants Alice and Vicky to have a good future, even though her sisters are always complaining about things Maggie does, for example, marrying a lower class boot maker. I think that Maggie has become more supportive of her sisters now that she has got married herself.
Maggie has always helped her father look after himself and she always took care of his business while he was having fun drinking at the Moonraker’s Inn. This shows that she is more helpful than her sisters. Maggie is always busy while her father and her sisters don’t do anything. “she crosses and takes her place at desk”,”she busies herself with an account book”. She finds it important to look after the business because she knows if she doesn’t help out her family would be moneyless and Hobson’s business would close down. Hobson is unkind to Maggie even after all the work and jobs that Maggie does for him. Hobson always turns to Maggie for help, for example, after he fell into the Beenstock cellar, he knows that he will get prosecuted. Maggie gives her father help only after being ironic to him because he said he would only let men run the business after Maggie ran off with Willy. She reminds him, “why yes, I’m going and you can discuss it man to man with no fools of women about”. She is pretending to her father that she is going to go and leave Willy to sort Hobson’s problems out. Maggie then suggests that Hobson settles it out of court (privately) so he doesn’t receive bad publicity and lose customers over it.
She then calls in Albert and the others; Hobson does not suspect anything because he is still a little drunk from being in the Moonraker’s. Albert asks Hobson for one thousand pounds to settle it, but Maggie stops him, “Eh Albert Prosser I can see that you are going to get on in the world, but you needn’t be greedy here. That one thousand’s too much.” So she persuades her father to pay five hundred instead. I think that she is helping him, even though the money for Alice and Vicky, Hobson would have to have had to have paid for all the damages so in a way it is helping the family because the money is staying in the family, instead of paying for a court case.
Hobson becomes ill in Act Four, Tubby wants to get Maggie, but Hobson is too stubborn. Dr. MacFarlane comes round and tells Hobson that he has chronic alcoholism, and tells him that he needs to get Maggie back so that she can help him. “You will get Maggie back. At any price. At all costs to your pride, as your medical man I order to get Maggie back, I don’t know Maggie, but I prescribe her and damn ye, sir, are ye going to defy me again!” According to the doctor, Maggie is Hobson’s cure, the doctor know that it is Maggie who did all the work round the house. I think that Dr. MacFarlane knows that there is no cure for alcoholism apart from giving up alcohol and he knows that Maggie will not let him have alcohol.
Maggie then walks in and is bought in by Tubby. The doctor asks Maggie if she will live with Hobson again and look after him; to stop him drinking. Maggie considers it straight away, but wants to check with Willy first. She would give up her business to help out, and she does a lot for him which she doesn’t want to do, “I don’t want to come, father, I expect no holiday existence here, with you to keep in health, but if Will tells me it’s my duty, I shall come.” Maggie is thinking of other people before herself. I think that she is quite a kind lady, even though Hobson always criticises her. Alice and Vicky are also asked if they would help, but they don’t give it a moment’s thought. Alice is too grand and Vicky is pregnant. This shows that Maggie is the kindest sister out of the three. After asking Will if it is okay to move in with her father, he accepts. Hobson makes an offer to Will, “now you’re coming here, to this house, both of you, and you can have the back bedroom for your own and the use of this room split along with me. Maggie’ll keep house, and if she’s time to spare she can lend a hand in the shop. I’m finding Will a job. You can come back to your old bench in the cellar, Will, and I’ll pay you the old wage of eighteen shillings a week and you and me’ll go equal whacks in the cost of housekeeping, and if that’s not handsome, I dunno what is. I’m finding you a house rent free and paying half the keep of your wife.” Hobson thinks that he’s giving them a good deal, but now Will and Maggie have got their own business, they get a lot more than that. I think that Hobson is being mean giving Will a small amount of money when he is the one who gets all the customers in.
At the beginning of the book Maggie behaves in a terrible way to Will Mossop, Mrs. Hepworth came round to see the person who made the boots because they are so comfortable and she gives him her card, “you’ll keep that card Mossop, and if you’ll dare leave here to go to another shop without letting me know where you are.” She gives him a great compliment and tells Hobson that he gets underpaid. At that point, Hobson gets Will to go down and carry on with his work. Maggie has seen how Mrs. Hepworth has responded to Will Mossop, and Maggie has thoughts and plans to get her and Will some money.
Will Mossop, who isn’t described very positively, “he is a lanky fellow about thirty, not naturally stupid, but stunted mentally by a brutalised childhood. He is a raw material of a charming man, but, at present, it requires a very keen eye to detect his potentialities. His dark clothes are an even poorer addition of Tubbies. He comes half way up the trap.” This tells us that he doesn’t have much respect and is not very clever. Maggie calls Will up when the others are not around. Maggie begins by telling Will that he has very considerable skill in making boots, but she isn’t very polite to him. ”And needed none. You’re a natural born genius at making boots. It’s a pity that you’re a natural fool at all else.” Maggie tends to say what she really thinks all through the play and doesn’t waste time pretending. Maggie tells Will how he could get on in life and be successful, “don’t you want to get on, Will Mossop? You heard what Mrs. Hepworth said. You know the wages you get and you know the wages a boot maker like you could get.” This is another of Maggie’s persuasive speeches, Maggie is trying to make Will aware of all the possibilities he could do with his life before she asks him to marry her. She then tells him very firmly to marry her, “you’ll go back when I’ve done with you. I’ve watched you for a long time and everything I’ve seen, I’ve liked. I think you’ll do for me.” Will doesn’t know what to think and gets worried. She isn’t giving him any choices. She is telling him to marry her. Maggie says that she is practical and not romantic, “I’ll tell you something, Will. It’s a poor sort of woman what’ll stay lazy when she sees her best chance slipping from her. A salfonds life so near the bone to lose things from fear of speaking out.” This is another way of persuading him. He tells her, he doesn’t love her, but Maggie says that she’s got the love alright. I don’t think that she does love him, she thinks that he is her best chance and if she doesn’t take the opportunity, then she will be stuck with her father all her life. Maggie wants to run her own life, and make decisions for herself, she doesn’t want her father bossing her around. So by telling Will to marry her, she can get away from her father and live her life with Will. Will isn’t the kind of person to speak out and make his own decisions. Will wants Maggie to leave him alone, and hopes she will if he tells her he already tokened in marriage to Ada Figgins. Maggie doesn’t think much of it, and isn’t prepared to let this stand in her way. Maggie tells Will that Ada is weak and useless at organising, and that he needs better. This is a way of saying she would be the best wife for him. Maggie is rude to Will, but also she speaks the truth, “and that gives the weight of her, she’s born to meekness, Ada is. You wed her, and you’ll be an eighteen shilling a week boot maker all your life. You’ll be a slave, and a contented slave.” This is another of Maggie’s persuasive speeches, she is being unkind about Will’s fiancé and compares Will to a slave. He isn’t really a slave, but a lower class boot maker. Ada comes into the shop and tries to defend Will against Maggie, but she is no match against Maggie who always has to get her own way. All she can do is threaten Will with Mrs. Figgins, Ada’s mother. Maggie can see it’s Mrs. Figgins making Will marry Ada, not Will’s decision. Will doesn’t really care for Ada and doesn’t put up a fight for Ada. Maggie tells Will that she doesn’t have a mother for him to worry about. She is trying to make herself seem better than Ada by comparing then both. Maggie tells Will she will protect him from Mrs. Figgins by sending him back to the lodge with Tubby Wadlow, who will go and get Will’s belongings from Mrs. Figgins house where Will lodges. Maggie didn’t ask Tubby if it is fine with him. This is another example of her being bossy and expecting to have her own way. Will is now safe away from Mrs. Figgins. Will is happy about this and is starting to appreciate Maggie’s help, “it’s like an ‘appy dream. Eh, Maggie, you do manage things.” He is giving her a compliment. He is extremely happy over not marrying Ada. I think that he prefers Maggie over Ada.
She organises her and Will’s future with her father. “You will pay my man, Will Mossop, the same wages as before, and as for me, I’ve given the better part of twenty years of work without wages. I’ll work eight hours a day in future and you’ll pay me fifteen shillings by the week.” Hobson refuses and tells Maggie she isn’t allowed to marry Will. The reader starts to feel sorry for Maggie because she works all the time and doesn’t get paid and is expected to do this all her life. Hobson now expects to be able to frighten Will into not marrying Maggie. Hobson believes that he can’t persuade Maggie into not marrying Will, but thinks that because he has more of a weaker personality he can get will not to marry Maggie. He calls him up from the workshop and tries to beat him into submission. Surprisingly because Hobson hit him, Will gets really angry. He kisses Maggie when he was too shy to do it before. He then threatens Hobson, “And I’ve nobbut one answer back. Maggie, I’ve none kissed you yet I’ve shrinked before. But, by gum, I’ll kiss you now and take you and hold you. And if Mr Hobson raises up that strap again, I’ll do more I’ll walk straight out of shop with thee and us two `ull set up for ourselves.” Will surprises himself, Will has never stuck up for himself before so it is unusual for him to say this. Maggie is so impressed with the way in which he stands up to her father. It seems that Maggie is making a man of Will already.
Maggie is proud of her husband and will not allow her sisters to criticise him. “That’s the man you’re privileged to call by his Christian name. Aye, and I’ll do more than you than let you call him his name. You can both of you kiss him for your brother in law to be.” Maggie is doing her best to make every one get along well but she is finding it difficult.
Maggie is confident she and Will are going to be successful in business. In the end she feels they will be richer than either the Beenstocks or the Prossers. “It suits me fine. And when me and Will are richer than the lot of you together it’ll be a grand satisfaction to look back and think about who we were when we began.” People thought that Will and Maggie wouldn’t go far in life, so when they get rich, people would respect them more and they will feel they have achieved more
Maggie went to a great amount of effort to get Will to marry her, including making Ada, Wills fiancée, not marry him, and leaving her family to live in a cellar with Will. Before she gets married, Maggie makes sure Will, will go through with the wedding. “The person’s going to ask you will you have me and you’ll either answer truthfully or not at all. If you’re not willing, just say so now.” She is giving Will a choice, so she can’t be all bad. But she keeps the ring so Will can’t lose it. I think that this shows that she is not that trustful over Will.
Maggie helps Will become more academic. When Will makes his speech after the wedding and forgets his words, Maggie quietly reminds him. Maggie tells them that she has been teaching Will. She tells them that he will be worth a lot more at the bank in the future than Albert and Freddy. She is feeling very confident over him.
Will is scared of Maggie, and when Maggie goes to bed, she expects to follow. Will does not follow and so Maggie “takes him by the ear and returns with him to the bedroom”. I think that Maggie is being a bit selfish because she knows that he is anxious at being alone with her, and isn’t ready for a sexual relationship with her yet.
When Hobson becomes ill, he asks if Maggie will come and look after him. Will tells Alice that he is only going to let Maggie look after Hobson on his terms only. I think that Will is becoming more like Maggie with an assertive personality. Will tells Hobson to be quick as he is busy. This shows that he understands business and doesn’t want time wasted when he could be making money. Will is no longer afraid of Hobson. He says to Maggie, “You told me to take a high hand.” We see that he is still guided by Maggie in what to do. Hobson makes a bad proposal. Will rejects the offer which is a great surprise to Hobson, because he has always known Will to be weak and go along with what other people say. Will then explains why he is insulted by Hobson’s ‘offer’. He tells Hobson that in a year he has worked so hard that he has paid off Mrs. Hepworth’s loan to them and made a profit. He has got Hobson’s high trade away from him and Hobson’s business is ruined. Very generously Will offers his terms to Hobson. Will and Maggie will come and live in Hobson’s house and Will will run the business. Hobson will be Will’s partner (not the other way round), and will not be allowed to interfere in the business, but get half the profits for doing nothing. Maggie and Will argue about the name of the shop when Hobson hasn’t agreed to Will’s proposal. Will for the first time sticks up in front of Maggie and tells her if she won’t agree to ‘Mossop and Hobson’ instead of ‘Hobson and Mossop’, then they would go back to Oldfield Road, and so Maggie accepts Will’s decision. This is the only time that anyone has beaten her in an argument and got their own way.
Maggie is pleased with Will’s progress of becoming more high class and when he asks her if he did the right thing, she replies, “Don’t spoil it Will. You’re the man I’ve made you and I’m proud.” This shows that she feels Will has become a better man. Will also thinks very highly of Maggie for what she has helped him to do. He say, “Thy pride is not in same street, lass, with the pride I have in you.” I think that this is good because they respect each other and all the time that they have spent with each other they have grown to love each other.
Maggie is not liked at the start of the play because she is extremely bossy and has to have her own way. But when we get to know Maggie more, we realise that she does it for other people’s good.
She is not expected to take the head of house role, but to be the servant of her father or husband. This shows that Maggie is more of a modern woman and expects to be as good as a man. Maggie isn’t the sort of lady who would get bossed around, and therefore doesn’t seem like a woman of the 1880’s. When Hobson comes round and wants to talk with Maggie about the trouble with the Beenstocks, Maggie is ironic and jokes it’s a man’s job. I think that Maggie has a good personality, she is only bossy so that everything is organised quickly and without any fuss. Maggie helped and worked hard all her life which makes her seem quite ‘businesslike’ and unkind.
Really she is kind. She helped her sisters to get husbands when they were unkind to her. This shows that she doesn’t hold grudges against anyone. If it wasn’t for her, Will would be still working for her father earning little money and without knowledge to read and write. I feel that if you think that Maggie has a bad personality then your view Maggie needs to be revised because she is always a force for good.
