The Caretaker
Key Facts:
- Writer: Harold Pinter (1930-2008).
- Original Title: The Caretaker.
- Genre: Dark Comedy/Tragicomedy.
- Published date: 1960.
- The number of acts: Thee.
- Setting: Time Setting: 1950s
- Place Setting: A house in west London.
Themes:
- Power and Deception
- The Absurdity of Modern Society
- Alienation and Family
- Identity and Authenticity
- The Limitations of Language
Characters:
1. Aston: The older brother of Mick. He is almost 30 years old.
2. Mick: The younger brother of Aston. He is almost 20 years old.
3. Davies: The Caretaker. He is almost 60 years old.
English Summary
- So we can easily understand the complete summary of this drama in just 7 points.
1. Davies’s arrival at the two brothers’ home
The play begins in a house in West London in 1950. It was winter. The sound of the door opening and closing outside made Mick get up from the bed and he went outside. His older brother Aston and an elderly vagrant Davies enter the house. Davies worked a menial job in a cafe. There he fights and Aston helps him. Aston gives Davies clothes and shoes and allows him to stay at home for the night. Davies was very rude, stubborn, and greedy. He kept complaining about black people. On the other hand, Aston was somewhat calm and quiet. He rarely spoke. Davies happily agrees to his offer to spend the night at their house. And he said he has to go to Sidcup. There are his documents, through which he can confirm his identity.
2. Mick’s argument with Davies
The next morning Aston tells Davies that he made too many noises in his sleep last night. Davies flatly denies it. Aston tells Davies he has to leave now and Davies can stay if he wants. Davies said he now has to look for work. Aston leaves, and Mick enters the room. He sees Davies rummaging through the entire room looking for something. Then he had a fight with Mick. Mick asks Davies, what is actually the intention of Davies? What is he looking for and why is he here? Mick asks him all kinds of surprising questions and they argue about different things. As a result, old Davies feels uneasy. Finally, Mick says, Davies can rent this room if he wants.
3. Davies is offered to be the caretaker by Aston
Meanwhile, Aston returns home with Davies’s belongings. It was later revealed that it was not Davies’s bag. Davies was very upset by this. Aston tells Davies if he wants he can be the caretaker of this house. He has to decorate this house and turn it into a real flat for Aston’s brother. Davies was somewhat taken aback by this. Davies is reluctant at first. Because there is a lot of work to be done here. Later, however, he agreed.
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4. Davies is offered to be the caretaker by Mick
Mick then scares Davies with a vacuum cleaner in a dark room. Mick then unexpectedly asks Davies if he wants he can be the caretaker of the house. Davies is confused as to who is actually in charge of this house. When asked, Mick tells him that he owns the house. When Mick asks to see Davies’s papers, Davies promises to go to Sidcup and get his papers.
5. Telling Davies of Aston’s past
The next morning he did not want to go to Sidcup again citing the bad weather. Aston tells Davies how he used to have hallucinations and how he was forced to give him electric shocks for treatment in a mental hospital. He can’t think of anything fast now. Now Aston only wants to create a sitting area in the garden of this house and nothing else.
6. Davies tried to dominate the two brothers
Two weeks later, Davies complains to Mick about Aston. One night, when Aston was telling Davies to make noise in his sleep, Davies became angry and mocked Aston’s treatment with electric shocks. Aston calmly tells Davies that this can’t go on any longer and that Davies needs to leave the house. Davies was actually doing everything to create a rift between the two brothers. By doing this he can come here and stay permanently. Davies curses Aston and says he’ll talk to Mick about it. Davies talks to Mick. He tells Mick to throw Aston out of here. Mick pretends to agree with him somewhat at first and later begins to question Davies about his claim to be an experienced interior decorator (conspirator). Davies can’t understand anything that Mick is saying. Mick tells Davies to leave when Davies calls Aston crazy during the conversation. Mick gives him some money as wages for all the work done so far.
7. Farewell to Davies
Aston entered the room and the two brothers laughed for a while. When Mick leaves the house, Davies returns and pleads with Aston to keep him. He begged better. He says he will do better for their two brothers in the future. Aston here only says, “You make a lot of noise”. The play ended after repeated pleas from Davies.
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