The start of Willie’s success was when Mrs Hepworth comes in and instructs that her shoes are only going to be made by Willie. She then instructs further that she wants Willie to tell her if he is to ever move shops. During this episode Hobson manages to make a fool out of himself on numerous occasions. Firstly he tries to take the credit on himself, and then thinking the shoes were faulty made a further idiot out of himself. She then turns to Maggie ignoring Hobson and succeeds in getting an answer out of her. From this we see Mrs Hepworth as an upper class women and a well-respected customer in the Hobson shop.
VICKEY: And that’s the way you’re going to live! With cast-off furniture.
MAGGIE: Aye. In two cellars in Oakfield Road.
VICKEY and ALICE: A cellar!
MAGGIE: Two of ’em, Alice. One to live and work in and the other to sleep in.
ALICE: Well, it’ud not suit me.
VICKEY: Nor me.
MAGGIE: It suits me fine. And when Will and me are richer than the lot of you together, it’ll be a grand satisfaction to look back and think about how we were when we began.
We see here the attitude of the upper class to the less fortunate. Maggie who was born in a middle class society had the potential to marry into a wealthy family, yet she decided to marry Willie Mossop who was among the working class as she says that he has the potential to become wealthy. He then goes on to fulfill Maggie’s expectations.
…WILLIE: You’ve worn a brass one long enough.
MAGGIE: I’ll wear that ring forever, Will.
WILLIE: I was for getting you a proper one, Maggie.
MAGGIE: I’m not preventing you. I’ll wear your gold for show, but that brass stays where you put it, Will, and if we get too rich and proud we’ll just sit down together quiet and take a long look at it, so as we’ll not forget the truth about ourselves…
It is interesting to note that contrary to the belief of the times (that the husband was supposed to be in charge) Brighouse shows Maggie to champion the female sex and have total control over her husband. He cleverly reverses the commanding role from Willie to Maggie and represents her as the master of the house. Right from the beginning we see that Maggie has a very commanding and persuasive personality and as we move through the play we see Maggie’s persuasive nature winning. As she moves from minor things such as convincing Albert Prosser that he needed a new pair of boots to the outrageous act of marrying Willie and dismissing Ada Figgins whilst he was tokened to her.
MAGGIE: Will Mossop, you take orders from me in this shop. I’ve told you you’ll wed me.
WILLIE: Seems like there’s no escape.
This was an innovative concept for those ages, for the daughter of a middle class bootmaker to marry a working class craftsman employed by her father. The social tradition was to marry into your own class or higher but certainly not into a lower class.
Another matter equally radical was her betrothal conflicting with her father’s views. It was particularly unusual in that period to marry without the consent and approval of one’s parents. Here however Maggie exercises her views and would like to marry Willie Mossop ignoring all the social customs concerning class distinctions and dating.
ALICE: I know, and if you’re afraid to speak your thoughts, I’m not. Look here, Maggie, what you do touches us and you’re mistaken if you think I’ll own Willie Mossop for my brother-in-law.
MAGGIE: Is there supposed to be some disgrace in him?
ALICE: You ask father if there’s disgrace. And look at me I had hopes of Albert Prosser till this happened.
MAGGIE: You’ll marry Albert Prosser when he’s able and that will be when he starts spending less on laundry bills and hair cream.
Here we see her strong views concerning the elitists of the upper class. She strongly believes that they shouldn’t be treated especially well because they have money, power and influence, unlike her sisters who grow into and marry upper class members. Maggie has clearly displayed her view on the stupidity of spending large sums of money on hair cream and laundry bills. The lower classes were unaccustomed to spending extensive amounts on these luxuries. She displays the honesty of her opinion by marring Willie, to the disgust of her relatives and succeeding to succeed over her father.
ALICE: You know why he comes.
MAGGIE: I know it’s time he paid a rent for coming. A pair of laces a day’s not half enough. Coming here to make sheep’s eyes at you. I’m sick of the site of him.
ALICE: It’s all very well for an old maid like you to talk, but if father wont have us go courting, where else can Albert meet me except here when fathers out?
MAGGIE: If he wants to marry you why doesn’t he do it.
ALICE: Courting must come first.
MAGGIE: It needn’t. (She picks up slipper.) See that slipper with a fancy buckle on it to make it look pretty. Courting’s like that, my lass. All glitter and no use to anybody. (She replaces slipper and sits at her desk.)
During the episode after Mrs Hepworth’s departure with Maggie we see how the lower class are afraid and respect the superiority of a higher class.
MAGGIE: When are you going to leave Hobson’s?
WILLIE: Leave Hobson’s? I – I thought I gave satisfaction.
MAGGIE: Don’t you want to leave?
WILLIE: Not me. I’ve been at Hobson’s all my life, and I’m not leaving till I’m made.
MAGGIE: I said you were a fool.
WILLIE: Then I’m a loyal fool
MAGGIE: 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 bootmaker like you could in one of the big places in Manchester.
WILLIE: Nay, I’d be feared to go in them fine places.
Hobson represents the Middle class and in his self-important manner looks down at both his superiors and inferiors. In his definition of the English Constitution he claims to ‘stand for common sense and sincerity’ and places importance on the middle class calling them the brains of the lower class. According to his logic the Upper class is just a waste of space providing no benefit to society at large.
HOBSON: … You forget the unparalleled virtues of the British constitution which are all based on the sanity of the middle class combined with the diligence of the working classes…
VICKEY: Do you want us to dress like mill girls?
HOBSON: No, nor like French Madams neither it’s un-English, I say.
Here we can see two of Hobson’s views. Firstly, that he believes his division to be the only one that has the brains to run the country. He calls it the ‘sanity of the middle classes combined with the diligence of the working classes’ i.e. that it is his brains with the usefulness and loyalty of his workers and all those in that category who run the country. Secondly we see concerning his opposition to his daughters wearing bustles that he does not want them to dress to fashionably, like ‘French Madams’. On the other hand he doesn’t want them to dress in the manner of mill girls, poor working class girls who worked. He wants them to dress, as he believes the true English should without having to resort to French fashion.
Maggie however believes that there should be no distinction between classes. She shows this by marrying into a lower class and then she has the wedding with no pomp or ceremony, and a brass ring and then moving into a cellar in a lower class area. This is very clear in the following extract:
ALICE: I’m a bit too astonished at you to think about accounts. A ring out of stock!
MAGGIE: They’re always out of someone’s stock.
VICKEY: Well, I’d think shame to myself to be married with a ring like that.
MAGGIE: When folks can’t do with the best they’ve got to do without.
VICKEY: I’ll take care I never go without.
MAGIE: Semi-detached for you I suppose, and a houseful of new furniture.
ALICE: Haven’t you furnished?
MAGGIE: Partly what. We’ve made a start at the Flat Iron Market.
ALICE: I’d stay single sooner than have other people’s cast-off sticks in my house. Where’s your pride gone to, Maggie?
It is very interesting to note that this was produced in the form of a play and no a novel, poem or a short story. This is because the author is trying to show the dramatic devices properly, which would not be possible in any other form. Maggie plays a big part in this play. It is argued that this play is based around Maggie and not Willie but I believe that this play was based around Willie Mossop.
Maggie was a lady who was far ahead of the time. She did not believe in class and she did what ‘she’ felt was right. In those days it was unheard of for a woman to propose to a man, yet she goes and proposes to Willie because she felt that it was the right thing to do.
Willie on his own is a skilled person with great potential, but little ambition. Maggie on the other hand has confidence and ambition. Maggie knew that all Willie needed was someone to show him that he has got the potential to become great and so she decided to marry him to do this, even though she could have married out into a rich family.
The Moonraker is another dramatic device. Hobson is a middle class man who lowers himself down by going to the pub with the lower working class. The first point of his downfall is when he gets drunk and falls into the cellar; this is all through the pub.
At the beginning of the play we see Willie underneath the floor in the basement working. Then as he grows we see him graphically move upwards. Then in the last act we see him on a ladder looking down at Alice and Vicky. He then goes to speak to Hobson and he insists that his name goes before Hobson, but then Maggie insists that he changes his mind and he refuses. That is the climax of the play.
It is interesting to note that Hobson and Willie are not both able to successful together. It is a bit like a seesaw; when one is up the other is down and vice versa.
Harold Brighouse uses a plain blunt Northern accent to show how simple the working class were, and it adds to the bluntness of its development.
Hobson’s choice is a treasure house of historical and cultural issues as it is a story, which reflects life in the time period in which it was written.
Shloimi - - Werjuka
English Coursework
