Many of their arguments are on how to raise the children. They clearly have different opinions and this becomes apparent when we find out Saleem is doing an art course when his father thinks he’s doing engineering. George wants him to study a traditional and academic subject as there is ‘always plenty job for engineer’ and he expects his sons to go further than he did – ‘you better chance than me see, go a college’. This is because George does not think much of his chip-shop business or how far he has established himself in Britain i.e. home, family etc. He admires respectable jobs such as engineers and bankers. These ambitions were never possible for him as he had come to Britain with nothing and no possibility of gaining a college education. But these ambitions are completely possible for his children. Therefore, he disapproves of subjects like art because they seem like they get you nowhere in terms of getting a successful, stable career. On the other hand, Ella knows that Saleem is actually doing an art course, and even encourages it by buying him felt-tips and giving him money for his sculptures and projects. She does this in secret, never revealing to George that their son Saleem is in fact an art student. Where Ella is concerned, the children ought to be free to pursue their own interests and career paths, which is different to George, who believes the children should be advised or even directed to certain courses/careers.
On many occasions, George does not deal with his problems with Ella well. This is shown when he ‘grabs Ella by the hair….he kicks and beats her’. This shows that George looks to violence as a way of fixing things and is not prepared to talk to her to solve his problems. His lack of co-operation shows that as the father and husband he thinks he is the head of the household and therefore exerts a tyrannous and oppressive nature with his family. This is also shown when Ella complains about him not listening to his children, he replies by saying ‘I no have to listen, I their father’. His attitude also means he thinks he has the right to who and when his children will marry without consulting them, as he thinks being the father gives him an ownership of them – ‘Is my decision no yours. Or bloody kid. I their bloody father, they do as I say’. His authoritarian manner and failure to compromise means that he is almost in constant conflict with his family.
An important theme in the play is the conflict of cultures and values between George and his children. Tariq and his siblings are all anglicised which means they find it difficult to accept the Pakistani culture that George is forcing upon them. For example, ‘It stinks of burnt bacon in here, me dad’ll smell it a mile off’. Eating pork is forbidden in Islam so George would not allow it in his house. This shows that even though George is using a lot of pressure to keep them within his culture and religion, it has only pushed them further away from him, as they are still doing activities which would be condemned in Islam but without him knowing.
There is also a lack of communication between George and his children. ‘He’s a right crafty old basterd, you can’t afford to let your guard down with him’ – This suggests a complete lack of trust that the children have in their father. Everything the children do seems to be in direct opposition to their father’s wishes, beliefs, and expectations.
There is a distinct lack of empathy within the house. This is shown when George is worried about his family living near the border in Pakistan, which is in a state of war, however, Ella shows no interest in his concerns. This makes George feel like no one understands the way he feels.
Sajit is also misunderstood as just being a messed up kid for keeping his parker on. Sajit’s parker is a way for him to escape the conflict at home as all the arguing and violence seems almost like a war zone to him at times:
‘Cause… when it’s all done up…I’m not there….I don’t have to listen to anyone arguing and shouting at me’
At this point the reader acknowledges that although Sajit is just a child he is fully aware of all the conflict and arguing at home and it really affects him. Also, because of the way he used the words ‘at me’ it suggested that he thinks the shouting is directed at him, and seeing the conflicts in general become too much for him. However his family don’t see that, his siblings talk to him in a demeaning manner, neither of his parents will come and talk to him about what he’s thinking, making Sajit feel invisible.
Despite George’s very harsh and unforgiving persona, there are moments, where the reader sees a weak and vulnerable side to his character, almost a man in despair:-
‘He’s upset….sobs against his hands’- this is the first time the reader has seen George emotional. This suggests that despite calling Nazir ‘dead’ in front of everyone, he still acknowledges that he is his son and he still cares about him. Always shown as a tyrant this is the first moment of weakness seen of George. He never gets emotional over his family, almost as if this will show him with his guard down and make him compromise the control he has over them.
His defensiveness in general is explained when he says ‘All world ‘gainst Pakistan’- he thinks that people will reject George because of his background and that his children will also be affected. This is why he always makes them aim high, and study well to make sure racial prejudice will not stop them from reaching their goals. He explains to Saleem that ‘In Islam, everyone equal’ which is why he wants everyone to be part of the Muslim community, however his oppressive manner makes him deeply misunderstood.
Despite George’s violent and tyrannical nature, it is shown that all George wants is what he thinks is the best for his children. This is shown when he says ‘I no want to bloody hurt you, I love my family.’ However, George is a man who is fundamentally flawed in his way of thinking given that he cannot see, for all his lecturing and espousal of Islamic values, he is himself contradicting much of what he preaches (most notably, having chosen to marry an English woman) which is the main reason for the conflict within the play.
