He eventually asks the price Maggie replies normally a pound, which shocks Albert because this is a lot of money, Willie gets eighteen shillings a week which is a lot less and he makes the boots. Maggie tries to sell more saying “if you want leather ones, you being a strong in the arm and breaking so many pairs, you can have them, only tuppence more.” This shows that she is always thinking of selling things her mind never rests she just wants to make as much money as possible of one customer. She was also being sarcastic saying how strong he was, if I were the director I would cast Albert as a very frail man in the play to make the sarcasm even more demeaning. Maggie later says “you’d better have the old pair mended and I’ll send them home to you with the bill.” Maggie has just had a double sale selling a very expensive pair of shoes and also mending another, this shows how good a saleswoman she really is. Maggie opens the door expecting Albert to leave, which could be interpreted as quite rude considering that he has just spent a lot of money when he didn’t want to.
Maggie said, “he has too much time on his hands.” (He meaning Albert.) This could show Maggie doesn’t like idle people or Maggie is so active she thinks normal people are idle and she has become more of a full time worker than a shop owner’s daughter. After Alice said about how courting has to come first Maggie said, “see that slipper with a fancy buckle on to make it pretty? Courting’s like that, my lass. All glitter and no use to nobody.” Courting is like dating and Maggie, completely devoid of romance, thinks it is unneeded. It could also show that she doesn’t care about fashion because she didn’t like the buckle like the girls may like so she has a very practical mind: a mind of a hard worker and not a woman.
After Hobson enters the house Maggie commands him not to be late for dinner. Hobson doesn’t like Maggie trying to order him about because she is female, but Maggie doesn’t back down. Maggie and Hobson have a battle for dominance because neither one will take orders from the other this shows how strong and stubborn Maggie and her father can be, they have a very similar character but Hobson is sometimes a bit of a snob unlike Maggie. Later on Maggie asks here father how much a week does he give her. Her father answers, “That’s neither here nor there.” This means it doesn’t really matter you still get money, but really they get very little except when they get new cloths every year which Hobson pays ten pounds for each of them which is a lot of money, food and a shelter over their head. Maggie took control of this situation making sure her father would think that he doesn’t give them any money which is very wise but also very cunning.
Later on in the passage Hobson decides to try and find a wife for Alice and Vicky, but completely excludes Maggie. Even though Maggie is very strong willed and minded this is still very hurtful because she is getting excluded by her own father, this shows how horrible Hobson can be. Even though Maggie is assertive and asks were she comes into this. Hobson is astonished by this and laughs at her, thinking Maggie will never get married. Hobson tells Maggie the “brutal truth” saying she is a proper old maid, this is saying she is too old to marry.
After Mrs. Hepworth enters the shop, she asks who made these boots. Hobson is made a fool when he can’t give Mrs. Hepworth a direct answer, but Maggie gives her a direct answer as recognised by Mrs. Hepworth. This shows how Maggie works in logic Mr. Hobson doesn’t want to say who because he is proud of how he makes the boots on the premises buy he doesn’t make them. Maggie realises how much of a “Treasure” Willie is, this is the turning point of the play were Maggie thinks of her plan to make a business and move away from her father. Hobson said that Maggie is useful to part with, he recognises her qualities as a business woman but he doesn’t treat her with that respect. This shows Maggie is very useful if Hobson can say this because his is a greedy man only looking to make as much money as possible.
Maggie tells Willie, “You’re a natural born Genius at making boots.” Maggie is telling him about how talented he is which shows her nice side but in the same sentence she said “You’re a natural fool at all else.” Maggie can be nice to him and insult him with no thinking, she doesn’t even notice that she insulted him. This may be because she speaks her mind and she just thought it was true. Willies life is ruled by fear because he won’t move to a better shoe shop because he fears the fine places, Maggie wants to help him to give him the confidence to be able to go into a better shop, and she is the liberator that wants to help all including her. Willie tells Maggie that she is a wonder in the shop, this may be because Maggie complimented him earlier or he was telling the truth and thinking on the same wavelength as Maggie for a second. As Willie dives to the trap Maggie stops him, this could be symbolic that Maggie is getting him out of Hobson’s trap but he is now trapped with Maggie, this is worse because Maggie is a lot cleverer than Hobson and also a lot more demanding.
Maggie steps out of the stereotype of women when she asks Willie to marry her. This shows how Maggie is a woman out of her time she is too demanding and can’t wait until someone else does it so she has to do it, this shows she is very brave and can do things without thinking of the consequences. Maggie knows this is her last chance to get out because life is so scarce she needs this chance. Willie is worried about what Hobson will say, he is too frightened to hurt someone. This also shows how again he is living in fear, Maggie has brought back the fear because she has put him in an strange situation. Maggie tells him “When I make arrangements, my lad, they’re not made for upsetting.” This is telling him I wont take no for an answer you are marrying me I have made plans for the future with you and I am going to make them true whatever the cost. This shows hoe determined Maggie can be and also how vicious she can be because she if forcing him to harry her even though he is very reluctant about marrying someone. Later when Ada is mentioned Maggie calls her the sandy haired girl, this could be because sand is easy to find saying she is one of thousands not an individual like Maggie, but straight away Willie said “Golden haired is Ada.” Gold is a lot less common than sand which makes her to look like an individual and not someone who follows everyone else’s tastes. These two comparisons show how they both see this woman Willie sees her in the eyes of a lover but Maggie sees her in the eyes of someone who is maybe jealous at his moment. Maggie later says “I’ve seen her and I know the breed.” The one word that stands out in the sentence is breed, Maggie is comparing Ada to an animal which has with no feelings, this is very cruel and aggressive, this is Maggie’s aggressive side which is very really seen in the play but when it is seen it is not meant to be liked.
Maggie said to Willie “it’s a desperate woman that’ll look for protection to the likes of you.” This is insulting both Ada and Willie which Maggie found quite easy to do. Maggie is being very cruel to Ada which many people who are watching the play with think is wrong thinking Maggie is a bully like her father. The sympathy for Maggie is shifted to Ada because of Maggie abusive attitude towards her, Maggie doesn’t even treat her like a normal human being. Maggie later says “she’s born to meekness.” This is continuing to be abusive to Ada maybe trying to have an argument with her, but Maggie knows that she will walk all over her. Maggie tells Willie that he will be an eighteen shilling bookmaker for the rest of his life, this is to tell him if you marry Ada you will be poor forever but if you marry me I will be able to help you. This is very cunning of Maggie knowing that Willie wants to make the most in his life and he knows he will be stuck in Hobson’s for the rest of his life without Maggie, on a wage so low he can’t afford the things that he makes. Maggie also tells Willie “You’ll be a slave, and a contented slave.” This is telling him you’ll be stuck her forever owned by Hobson and if you try to escape you’ll have to come back just to earn money, you are trapped here without my help. This is showing Maggie hurting someone to help someone and herself which is how her. The play is showing how she is a liberator breaking the chains off Willie and setting him free in the world with her.
Maggie said “I’ve got my work cut out.” This shows how she isn’t giving up saying I will convince you sooner or later which shows her character as being very strong willed and what she said goes without a question. When Willie wants to be left alone Maggie said “So does the fly when the spider catches him.” This could be interpreted as Maggie catching him so he is not a free man Maggie has just took him in as a trap like Hobson had him, Maggie may do it with a lot more lenience but still not enough for him to be a freed man. Maggie also says “You are my man.” This is indicating that she owns him like a slave which is just what her father done but in a worse way, it could be very demining as well because Willie could think that he isn’t worth anything being tossed about from Hobson to Maggie like an item of trade. When Maggie tells Willie to “hold your hush.” This is telling him to shut up using an imperative, many men those days would not allow women to command them to shut up but because Willie is feeble he has no choice so he just goes on with it.
Maggie tells Ada “Not much for two women to fall out over.” This is again an insult to Willie saying he is close to nothing, which Maggie knows is a lie because of his amazing boot making which Ada just thinks is a job. After Ada said that she loves Willie Maggie said the same, this may be to compete with her saying we both want him but only one can have him, and we know who that’s going to be. After Ada said she is tokened with Willie Maggie said “That’s the past.” Saying anything can happen in the future, she is ignoring Ada, to get rid of things in her way of getting Willie on her side. Maggie said “I’ve asked for your idea of Willie’s future. If it’s a likelier one than mine, I’ll give you the best and you can have the lad.” This is Maggie being fair, so she doesn’t just take Willie without listening to see if Ada had a plan for the future she asks but with no success Ada was trusting Willie to make the future right, which is stupid due to Willies fear and stupidity not to move out of Hobson’s. Maggie orders Willie to marry her saying “Willie, you wed me.” She used the imperatives to command him to do it, like there is no backing out. After Willie Asks Ada to put up a better fight Maggie said “Willie Mossop, you take orders from me in this shop.” This is telling him again to shut up, Maggie has told Willie what he is doing and he is going to do it no questions asked.
Ada later said “I’ll set my mother on you.” This threat was to Willie, but Maggie doesn’t care because she knows that she can dominate anyone she comes across without lifting a finger. Also Ada makes out her mother to be a beast setting her mother on Willie a bit like a dog. If I were the director and If Ada’s mother was in the play I would cast a very large woman to play her to show that she can pack a puck if she needs to. Maggie orders Ada out of the shop saying she had no business there which is very harsh considering she has just robbed her soon to be husband. Maggie asks Willie is he afraid of Ada’s mother, fear is the key emotion in the play and Maggie is trying to help Willie over come him fears which is hard but Maggie is a very hard person, Willie’s fear stops him fulfilling his potential. Willie also says “It’s like an ‘appy dream.” Willie says this because he now realises that this is his chance to escape through Maggie, which she has been trying to tell him, he will be getting away of Hobson and Ada’s mum which will help him move closer to work in a place worthy of him.
Alice acts very snobbish saying she won’t have Willie as a brother in law which Maggie ignores, nothing will stop Maggie now unless she dropped dead she has all the things she wanted so she is going to craft something ideal out of them. Later in the play Maggie thinks Albert is very vain because he used hair cream and he always worries about what he looks like, Maggie hates this because she is a person that likes to be plain and down to earth. This also tells us that Maggie is judgemental over people because of how quick he judged him on using hair cream and not getting to know him better.
To my conclusion I think that Maggie is a woman out of her time, a woman with great power and mind. If Maggie was any different in the play there would be no play. Maggie is a character that is one of a kind she is determined to so anything she wants without fail and no one can convince her not to do what she wants. She is the most important character of the play she brings all the characters together using her own cunning mind to plan out a way to help everyone she wants to help and also herself. She is a woman that has no fear, which she uses to do anything she wants. She is a woman of stone, she is nearly untouchable, the only time when I think she was genuinely hurt was when her own father said she wasn’t able to marry because she was too old, I think she was hurt but it doesn’t mean she was because she didn’t show any signs of being hurt.
