The Birthday Party - Herold Pinter

 

 

 

 

 

 

The birthday party is about Stanley Webber, piano player in his 30s., who resides in rundown boarding house, run by Meg and Petey boles. Their lives are rather dull and repetitive until two unknown strangers, Goldberg and McCann enter in the plot. They arrives on Stanley’s birthday and turn his birthday party into a absolute nightmare. They verbally abuse Stanley. Sexually abuse Lulu, and destroyed the house. The next morning they escort Stanley out of the house and lives of Meg, Petey and Lulu go back to being dull and repetitive.  

 

“The Birthday Party” is an full of absurd drama. The Birthday Party has been described Martin Esslin as an example of the Theater of Absurd. It includes such features as the fluidity and ambiguity of time, place, and identity and the disintegration of language.  “The Birthday Party” is a child of the theater of the Theater of Absurd, which explain why it feels like a plot less wonder. Like the rest of its ambiguous brethren, But it does make for a bumpy ride.

So, Pinter in his play uses the theme of identity and absurdity that makes the characters ambiguous and their identity are unclear.  The theme of identity makes the play ambiguous. For example Goldberg is called Nat but in his stories of the past Simey and Banney. It is also McCann is called as a Dermot in talking to Petey and Seamus in talking to McCann.

 Harold Pinter also uses a contradiction as we see in Act 1 when Stanley says “I have played the piano all over the world” then he says “ All over the country”. Then, after a pause he says “I once gave a concert”. It is also in Stanley’s birthday, Meg decided to celebrate but he tries to deny by saying “It is not my birthday no; it is not until next month”.

 

“The Birthday Party” is full of violence, both physical and emotional, overall suggesting that violence is a fact of life. Violence is doubly affecting because the setting seems so pleasant and ordinary. Most of the men show their potential for violence, especially when provoked. Stanley is cruel and vicious towards Meg, but much more cowardly against other men. Both Goldberg and McCann have violent outbursts no matter how hard they try to contain themselves. Their entire operation, which boasts an outward civility, has an insidious purpose, most violent for the way it tortures Stanley slowly to force him to nervous breakdown. In both acts II and III, they reveal how language itself can be violent in the interrogation scenes. Much of the violence in the play concerns woman. Stanley not only intimidates Meg verbally, but he also prepares to assault Lulu. Goldberg in fact does assault Lulu. So, threat of violence is ever – present in the play. 

 

These play showcased that what would later become known as “Picturesque.”Harold Pinter’s play is a unbounded by many facts. Any sort of single interpretation of Pinter’s play is not possible. He shows us in the play blindness, society’s treatment of an artist and growing up to adulthood from childhood. One can think of nothingness in every single possibilities. He is greatly respected in his field and the respect he’s earned shows just how affecting his plays. So, the play is the destruction of an individual the independent voice of an individual.