Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse.

GCSE English

Richard Tandy June 2003

Buile Hill High School

Centre Number 33321

English Coursework

Post 1914

Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse

Assignment:

With close reference to the text, explain how audiences past and present would react to the comedy in the play. Examine the cultural and historical contexts. Refer to the film version to further support your comments on the drama.

Introduction

Harold Brighouse

Although a prolific and popular playwright and novelist during his lifetime, the reputation of Harold Brighouse today rests almost entirely on his play Hobson’s Choice.
Born in Eccles near Salford on 26 July 1882, his mother was a teacher and his father was in the cotton business. Despite gaining a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School, Harold was not a keen student; at seventeen he left school to start work in the textile industry. However, during his lunch breaks at work, Brighouse discovered no fewer than ten music halls and theatres near his workplace. They provided a form of escape from his job, and he soon became obsessed with the theatre. Theatre-going had made Harold dissatisfied with his work and, following a visit to London to see a play that he later described as 'outrageously bad', he was determined to write a better one and he soon became involved in writing plays. Following an initial rejection, he took advice and wrote a one-act play called Lonesome-Like, one-act plays were very common at this time. Brighouse devoted his spare time to writing, and after the success of another one-act play, The Doorway, and his first full-length play, Dealing in Futures, he never looked back. After the First World War he was able to give up working in textiles and concentrate on his writing. His output eventually in totalled fifty one-act plays and fifteen full-length plays.

Manchester School of Dramatists

Much of Brighouse’s success was paralleled by the rise of what was known as the "repertory movement" which, from 1907 onwards, saw the spread of serious drama to the major British cities outside London and the formation of professional theatre companies there. Repertory had been brought to Manchester by Miss A E Horniman, whose sponsorship of Lancashire drama helped set up the Manchester School of Dramatists between 1909 and 1914. The three most outstanding members of the Manchester School were Stanley Houghton, (author of Hindole Wakes), Allan Monkhouse and Brighouse himself. Notably their work depicted a way of life foreign to the upper and upper-middle classes of polite London society; their plays were set in Lancashire and used working-class and middle-class characters, speaking in the Lancashire dialect.

The play

In 1913, Brighouse’s friend and fellow playwright, Stanley Houghton, fell ill in Venice and died on his return to Manchester. Brighouse put together a memorial edition of Houghton’s plays and, while compiling the book, had discovered a notebook in which Houghton had listed the titles of projected plays. One of these was Hobson’s Choice.
Following the outbreak of war in 1914, Brighouse, at that time in France, made his way to the Channel. The emotional reactions of the other passengers to the impending historical tragedy combined in Brighouse’s mind with the memory of his dead friend and provided the impetus for a new play. It was to take place in the year 1880 because that had been the year in which his parents had decided upon their marriage. It was to be set in the very cobbler’s shop in Eccles to which his mother had taken him as a child to buy his boots. Even the cellar trapdoor of the place would be duplicated exactly. The character of Maggie was to be drawn from that of his sister Hilda. It was as if, in the face of massive hostilities and destruction, Brighouse wished to write a play which would represent all that was most admirable and humane in the Lancashire character. Finally, the title of the play itself would represent a tribute to his late friend.

In 1914 he wrote the story of Hobson’s Choice, set in Salford it depicts local life with an outstanding contribution to the expressiveness of local speech. Brighouse’s play is set around 1818 in and centers on Oldfield Road and Chapel Street, in both Salford and Manchester respectively, in Lancashire.

In terms of the story itself it is a rich Lancashire comedy in which a timid and backward lad is married, somewhat against his will, to his boss’s efficient and determined daughter. Under her influence he develops in ability, confidence and authority until he takes over the business from the old tyrant, Henry Hobson, and that strange marriage matures into an affectionate partnership. The saying "Hobson’s Choice" is proverbial, having passed into common usage from the practices of one Thomas Hobson, a Cambridge livery stables owner and Wagoner. At his stable the customers had no choice of horse but the next one available, and hence no choice at all.

The story was first performed in America in 1915 before it was brought back home to England where it was performed at the Apollo Theatre in London in 1916. The story was later performed in the capital a further two hundred and forty six times.

I will now examine the play in accordance to the assignment question. To do this I will select various sections of the play.

Scene One

The first section of the play I will examine is Act one, pages 8-10.

This scene commences as Hobson is about to leave the shop. However, Mrs Hepworth, an upper class lady enters the shop and upon her arrival, Hobson decides to stay. This would illustrate to audiences past and present that Mrs Hepworth was an important customer. This is reinforced when Hobson says in a cheerful manner “Good morning, Mrs Hepworth. What a lovely day!” and he places a chair for her.

An audience of the past would further realise that she was an upper class lady and an important customer because she says “I’ve come about those boots you sent me home”. In those days only the upper class and wealthy citizens would have had their boots delivered to their house. Furthermore, in Victorian times anybody who could afford it would always have their shoes made to measure by skilled shoemakers, this would have been the case with Mrs Hepworth. This was partly a conceit and a nod to luxury, but there was also the serious issue of comfort to bear in mind, nevertheless, it provided good trade for shoemakers/sellers, this is evident by the actions of Hobson. An audience of the past would further recognise that she was an upper class lady because of the way she was dressed and in the past, the social standing of every person within the community was demonstrated by their material possessions. Her expensive clothes are further evident by the reaction of Alice and Vickey, who glance at each other and smile at the expensive over-the-top clothes, which were typical of what wealthy women in those days would wear.

Upon her arrival, Hobson then ingratiates himself and tries to get in Mrs Hepworths favour when he kneels on the floor and starts fondling her boots, as if he was stroking a cat and says “Yes, Mrs Hepworth. They look very nice”. Here audiences of the past and present would find this amusing because Hobson is not only a big man in terms of body proportion, but more importantly an important man being a shopkeeper and yet he is down on his knees like a shop assistant. Audiences of the past and present would furthermore laugh at Mrs Hepworth’s ...

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Hobson makes more of a fool of himself when Mrs Hepworth asks, “Who made these boots?” and Hobson answers, “We did. Our own make”, not actually saying who made them but trying to take the credit nonetheless. Not content with his answer, Mrs Hepworth then ignores Hobson and turns to Maggie and says “Young woman, you seemed to have some sense when you served me. Can you answer me?” This would be amusing to audiences especially of the past, and of the present because she has turned away from the shopkeeper and is asking one of the workers. Moreover, during this part the roles are reversing and this would be humorous to audiences in the past because back then women had very little say in things.

In response to Mrs Hepworths question, Maggie then stamps on the floor and calls for Tubby, one of the boot hands, who appears from the trap door in the floor. Mrs Hepworth then inquires, “Man, did you make these boots?” This would be amusing to audiences past and present, especially audiences of the past because Mrs Hepworth has the total attention of the staff and is going all around the houses asking for who made her boots but is ignoring Hobson, the man in charge. This would furthermore, be amusing to audiences of the past because she is talking to lower class people, such as Tubby Wadlow who she would not usually give her time of day to. In those days, the real social divide existed between those who, in earning daily bread, dirtied their hands and face and those who did not.

When Tubby says “They’re Willie’s making, those”, Mrs Hepworth demands “Then tell Willie I want him”. Hobson then makes more of a fool of himself when he supplies an assurance to Mrs Hepworth by saying “If there is anything wrong I assure you I’m capable of making the man suffer for it. I’ll-”. Here Hobson is trying to reinstate his position of authority which he feels has been lost while Mrs Hepworth has been talking to his staff. However, unknown to him, Hobson has the wrong end of the stick and has misunderstood the situation, thus contradicting what is being said and making a fool of himself.

Responding to Mrs Hepworths command, Willie then reluctantly comes up trap, like a rabbit out of its burrow. This scene would be amusing to audiences of the present because a dirty man rising out of a hole in the floor to people awaiting him above would be an amusing setup as it is not really something that is observed in modern day society. However, an audience of the past would react to this scene with acknowledgement, as it was a usual setup with the workers underneath the floor. Furthermore, this scene may also have been amusing to an audience of the past because of the way the actors are stood. As illustrated in the film version, they are all stood at different heights – reflecting the class difference between them. Mrs Hepworth is sat down like the queen while Hobson is stood in front of her and was earlier kneeling down, like a servant to her, while Willie is coming up from the floor, which shows that he is even lower – the lowest of the low.

When Mrs Hepworth is greeted by Willie rising out of the trap door and she finds that it was him who made the boots, she gives him a visiting card and says, “Take that”. She then says “See what’s on it?” and he answers “Writing?” not totally sure if it was writing or what it read. Mrs Hepworth then asks Willie to read it. Holding the card upside down, his lips move as he tries to spell it out and he replies, “I’m trying”. To this, Mrs Hepworth says, “Bless the man. Can’t you read?” A lot of people from audiences in the past may have sympathized with Willie because not everybody could read. The literacy rate in those days was by far not as high as what it is today. Some members of the audience would be able to relate to him. However, audiences of the present may have found this humorous because most people can read and illiteracy within the population is not as common as what it was back then. A present audience would also have been amused that Willie was actually holding the card upside down, to an extent an audience of the past may have also found this amusing, but probably not as much.

Mrs Hepworth then continues and goes on to say “What I heard about this shop brought me here for these boots. I’m particular about what I put on my feet”. At this stage Hobson, trying to make himself heard, makes a fool of himself again by saying “I assure you it shall not occur again, Mrs Hepworth”, this would illustrate to the audience that Hobson has misunderstood the situation. To Hobson’s remark Mrs Hepworth asks “What shan’t” and Hobson, crestfallen is forced to reply, “I-I don’t know”. In a firm manner Mrs Hepworth replies to Hobson by saying, “Then hold your tongue”. This would have been amusing to audiences past and present because Hobson is trying to reassert his presence of being the master and the man in charge however, to his demise he has misunderstood the situation and therefore, ends up looking the fool again.

Scene Two

The next section of the play I will examine is Act One, pages 14 - 17.

This is the scene where Maggie confronts Willie and tells him that he is the man for her and that they will also form a partnership.

This section begins by Maggie raising up the trap door and shouting Willie to come up, which he does, reluctantly as he thinks he has done something wrong and he also feels awkward.

Once he has come up from the cellar, Maggie takes Willie into the living room, a room in which he has never been in before, because being the boot hand he wouldn’t ever have been invited in there. Watching the film version it is clear that Willie is uneasy as he stands, clutching his cap and looks around the room in an uncomfortable manner. Here an audience of the past would understand the apprehension in which Willie was feeling because in those days a man of Willies social stature, a working class person would not have mixed with people of the higher-class such as shopkeepers and their families.

Once in the room Maggie says, “Show me your hands, Willie”. He holds his hands out reluctantly because they are dirty and he feels ashamed showing his dirty hands, which would be covered in cuts and blisters, to the master’s daughter, who would be comparatively spotless. Here an audience of the past would understand this situation of Willie’s uneasiness and they would be anticipant, wondering why she wanted to see his hands. Maggie then holds Willies hands and whilst doing this she says, “yes, they’re dirty, but they’re clever”. Here Maggie is showing affection but she is also praising him. However, as soon as he gets the opportunity Willie drops his hands because he feels uncomfortable because in those days workers and mistresses would not have been intimate. An audience of the past would have known this and therefore there reaction would have been of understanding.

Maggie then goes on to say “do you know what keeps this business on its legs? Two things: one’s good boots you make that sell themselves, the other’s the bad boots other people make and I sell”. Here Maggie is praising Willie. He then praises her back by saying “You’re a wonder in the shop, Miss Maggie”. Maggie then praises Willie by saying “And you’re a marvel in the workshop” and then says “Well?” expecting Willie to reply. It is then clear that Willie is not on a parallel with Maggie’s thoughts, as he is confused and says “Well, what?” It is then clear that Maggie is still controlling the conversation because she says, “You’re leaving me to do the work, my lad”. Willie then gets uncomfortable and says, “I’ll be getting back to my stool, Miss Maggie” and moves towards the trap door. However, Maggie stops him and says, “You’ll go back when I’ve done with you”. An audience of the past would have laughed at this because here the woman is telling the man what to do.

Looking into Willie’s eyes, Maggie then says, “I think you’ll do for me”. In a state of shock Willie sits down, mopping his brow and says, “I’m feeling queer-like. What dost want me for?” Audiences past and present would have laughed at this type of role reversal. However, when Maggie says, “My brain and your hands ‘ull make a working partnership”, Willie is very relieved and stands up, smiling. He then repeats the word “partnership!” in a more relieved voice and says in amusing style “Oh, that’s a different thing. I thought you were asking me to wed you”. However, Maggie replies, “I am”. An audience of the past would have laughed at this because the woman is asking the man and furthermore, the man is getting in a confused and disturbed state. An audience of the present would also have enjoyed this but instead because Willie is the labourer and Maggie is the masters daughter. A present audience would also be highly amused at the way Willie has got in a confused state.

Over these past few lines Willie has gone from shock to relief to shock. His joy at when he thought Maggie just wanted a partnership and not marriage was short lived, it wasn’t what he thought it was. Audiences of both past and present would have found this amusing because of the way the poor man has got confused.

Willie then says “Well, by gum!” in shock and amazement. This actual expression would have been humorous to audiences past and present because it is an expression, which illustrates how surprised and taken back he was. Also, the word itself sounds amusing and it is the sort of word that a person like Willie in that era would have used.

Scene Three

The next section I will examine is Act One, pages 23 – 25.

This is the scene in which the confrontation between Maggie and Hobson in takes place in the living room. Prior to this scene Maggie has informed Hobson that she is “Going to marry Willie”. Hobson does not want Maggie to get married but he doesn't mind Vickey and Alice getting married because they are of less use around the shop and home. Hobson does not want Maggie to get a husband because he is selfish. Maggie is the daughter that is the most businesslike and helps him with the shop regularly. If Maggie were to marry, Hobson would have to do some proper work in the shop.

This scene starts with Maggie speaking to Hobson saying “You and l’ull be straight with one another, father. I’m not a fool and you’re not a fool, and things may as well be put in their places as left untidy”. Here Maggie is very direct in speaking and this is signposting to the audience that there is going to be a confrontation.

Hobson replies with indignation by saying “You can’t have Willie Mossop. Why, lass, his father was a workhouse brat”. This is an example of the class differences again as Hobson is a shopkeeper and Willie is one of the working class. Willie had come from a poor background and the penniless poor like his father were taken to these workhouses and put to 'use'. To this Maggie replies “It’s news to me we’re snobs in Salford. This line would have been humorous to audiences of the past and present because Salford has always been a working town. Hobson is here concerned about his image within the community and about what his friends will think of him in the Moonrakers. Hobson illustrates these thoughts when he says “I’d be the laughing-stock of the place if I allowed it. I won’t have it, Maggie”. Hobson then tries to justify his stance by adding “It’s hardly decent at your time of life”.

One aspect in which audiences of the past would react differently to audiences of the present is when Hobson says “It’s hardly decent at your time of life” (Maggie is only 30). However, at the time this book was written people married an awful lot younger, mainly because the average life expectancy back then was a lot younger. Whereas in our days people marry at this age and older still. Therefore, audiences of past and present would react differently. An audience of the past may have thought this comment was amusing, however, an audience of the present may not think it was such a big deal and may also look on it from Maggie’s point of view as a demoralizing comment. However, Hobson’s selfish snobbish ways would make audiences of both past and present want Maggie to marry Willie just to spite Hobson for his pathetic behaviour.

An audience of the past would have found Maggie’s next line “And now I’ll tell you my terms” amusing because it is an example of role reversal because in those days the man was the master and was in charge and he was the one who laid down the terms and rules.

Maggie then goes on to state her terms, telling her father how much she believes her and Willie should be paid. To this Hobson replies, “Do you think I’m made of brass?” – brass is colloquialism for money. This line would have been amusing to an audience of the past because this is how the people in the streets in that area spoke like and they would be able to associate to it. A present audience may also have found this line amusing, however, some may not have understood it.

Hobson tries to reassert his authority by shouting “I’ll show you what I propose, Maggie”. He then lifts up the trap door and shouts “Will Mossop!” He then unbuckles his belt and says to Maggie “I cannot leather you, my lass. You’re female, and exempt, but I can leather him”. Audiences of the present would be quite shocked by this behaviour as it is not a part of modern, civilized society any more. Such violence is frowned upon in our day. However, in the past, audiences would have been familiar with the term a good leathering, it would have been a regular occurrence. Therefore, they may have found this amusing rather than shocking.

Hobson continues to try to assert his authority when he says to Willie “You’ve fallen on misfortune. Love’s led you astray”. He then says, “I don’t bear Malice, but we must beat the love from your body”. However, this backfires on Hobson when Willie says “You’ll not beat love in me”. Audiences of the past would have enjoyed this repliance because it is the little man against the boss and in those days the boss had all authority.

Willie goes on to aggravate Hobson even more when he says “I’m none wanting thy Maggie, it’s her that’s after me, but I’ll tell you this, Mr Hobson: If you touch me with that belt, I’ll take her quick, aye, and stick to her like glue”. Again, audiences of the past would have enjoyed this because it is the little man against the all-powerful boss. Present audiences would have enjoyed this too because it would have illustrated Willies determination and independence.

After being struck with the belt by Hobson for his remarks, Willie then says to Maggie out of rage “I’ve none kissed you yet. I shirked before. But, by gum, I’ll kiss you now”. He then kisses Maggie, not with passion but with temper. Audiences of past and present would have enjoyed this part because it is a bit of romantic comedy and Willie is standing up to Hobson, who doesn’t know what to do next. Also, from this scene, audiences of past and present would have observed that Maggie and Willie are sensible, practical and have a mature way of thinking. These characters would make Hobson’s anti-social behaviour more noticeable to the audiences.

Finally, carrying on in his new found self-confidence, Willie adds “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. Audiences of the past and present would have enjoyed this scene because not only is Hobson shocked by what Willie has said (Hobson stands in amazed indecision) but Willie is also shocked by the confidence he showed when he stood up to Hobson.

Scene Four

The final section of the play I will examine is Act Three, pages 44 – 47.

This section follows on from a scene in which Hobson, drunk from a night in the Moonrakers, fell down a pub cellar and woke up to find he had received a fine for trespassing. Upon this charge Hobson goes to Maggie’s house on her wedding day, in the hope of some help from her.

In this section the roles of Maggie and Hobson are totally reversed. In this scene, Maggie is instead the one who is in charge, while Hobson has to take a more reserved, subservient stance; as he feels that his future is in her hands.

This scene begins with a knock on the door and Hobson shouting “Are you in, Maggie?” Vickey, Maggie’s sister proclaims, “It’s father!” in a terrified voice. Albert, who is Vickey’s fiancé, then adds “Oh, Lord”, whereas Maggie simply says, “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of him?” This would inform the audience that there may be a confrontational moment ahead.

Maggie soon takes charge of the situation by telling everybody, except Willie to go into the bedroom and that she’ll shout them before he’s gone. To this order Vickey then says “But we don’t want-”, to which Maggie interrupts “Is this your house or mine?” and Vickey answers, “It’s your cellar”. Maggie then replies by saying “And I’m in charge of it”. Both audiences of the past and of the present would have found Vickey’s line amusing where she gets back at Maggie by illustrating the stark contrast of a house to a cellar. They also would have been amused by the fact that Maggie reasserts herself (I’m in charge of it) although she says to Willie you’re gaffer here whilst ordering him to sit down.

Hobson is then invited in by Willie, who is now in the role of the master of the house. Audiences of the past and the present would have found it amusing when Maggie says, “You can sit down for five minutes, father. That sofa ‘ull bear your weight”. This line would also illustrate to audiences that Maggie is not threatened by Hobson and makes light of his arrival.

Maggie again shows that she is in charge when Willie says to Hobson “A piece of pork pie” and Hobson replies groaningly “Pork pie!” To this reply, Maggie pulls Hobson up sharply by saying “You’ll be sociable now you’re here, I hope”. Audiences of the past would have appreciated this amusing line because Maggie is pulling her father up sharp and she is in control in a commanding authority.

Maggie’s authority is further displayed when she says to Hobson “Happen a piece of wedding cake ‘ull do you good”. Eating the cake Hobson shudders saying “It’s sweet” to which Maggie replies “That’s natural in cake”. Audiences of the past and present would have found this humorous because Hobson enjoys a drink, and being an alcoholic he cannot tolerate sweet things. This is made even more amusing when Maggie pushes the cake towards him and says, “Then there’s your cake, and you can eat it”, to which Hobson pushes the cake away but Maggie pushes it back again, giving Hobson no choice but to eat it, to which Hobson replies “You’re a hard woman” as he eats the cake and, as illustrated in the film Maggie watches over him as he eats it.

This scene where Maggie forces Hobson to eat the cake would have been amusing to audiences past and present as well as viewed as something significant to all audiences as Maggie has already said “I’ve a wish to see my father sitting at my table eating my wedding cake on my wedding-day.

Conclusion

Harold Brighouse's play Hobson’s Choice is a valuable document of what English society was like in 1915 (when it was written) and 1880 (when it takes place). I believe the play provides us with an important and useful insight to what society was like in those days in Britain as it provides us with an insight into the varying classes of people, how they were treated and their attitudes towards others.

In Hobson’s Choice, Maggie, the daughter of Hobson, marries against her fathers wishes much to Hobson’s discomfort and dismay. There are similar themes such as this in modern society today, which are in some ways related to this theme illustrated in Hobson’s Choice. For example, members of families sometimes run away from home in the hope of being with someone who they would otherwise not be able to be with under their parents influence, or to simply escape from a home in which they feel much discomfort in. Also, just like in Hobson’s Choice, children in modern society today marry against their parent’s wishes in order to be with someone.

I think audiences of the past and the present would have reacted similar and would have found the play humorous as it shows the underdog or the person who had nothing, Willie winning against someone who had everything, a shop owner and a pillar of society, Hobson. In Hobson’s Choice, Willie was a member of the poorer people and it was obvious that there was a barrier between him, who worked in a cellar, and those such as Hobson who owned the shop. However, today this barrier between the rich and the poor still exists more than ever, so it is clear that some things haven’t changed.

I personally enjoyed Hobson’s Choice as I found it amusing throughout and it was an interesting and enjoyable story the way it illustrated what Salford was like in those days and how people were treated according to their class. My favourite parts of the story were probably when Willie stood up to Hobson under Maggie’s watchful eye and walked out of the shop with her, much to Hobson’s amazement, and when Maggie told Willie that he was the man for her and he sat down complete shock and amazement. If I was in the audience I would have enjoyed these parts because they are some of the most amusing parts of the play, mainly because of the way Willie acts. For example, it is amusing when Willie is shocked by the prospect of marriage and he sits down mopping his brow and says in a shocked voice, “I’m feeling queer-like” – this is highly amusing as the poor man is taken back.

In the play Maggie comes across as the strongest character and somebody whom feminists within today’s society would be able to identify. Although in the era when the play set Maggie would have been a very unusual character. The character I would be most sympathetic with in the play would be Willie. This is because he is controlled throughout the play and he was the one who seemed to receive the most punishment, such as when Hobson tries to strike him with a belt for taking up with Maggie, even though he did not do the taking up. However, he would be the character I admire the most because of the way he didn’t give under the pressure of Hobson and stuck by Maggie.