Paper No. 9 The modernist literature

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Alpa Ponda

Sem 3

Roll no : 2

Batch 2016-2018

Paper No. 10

The modernist literature

Topic :Various interpretations of the play,

 “The Birthday Party”

Submitted to  :smt. S B Gardi department of English

Enrollment no: 2069108420170025

                    Mail ID: alpaponda.7@gamil.com

 Introduction 

The Birthday party, the play is written by Harold Pinter. It is the representation of the Theater of Absurd, the meaninglessness of time, place and identity.

According to Michael Billington, The Birthday Party is a deeply political play about the individual’s imperative need for resistance.

Billington, he “doubts whether this was conscious on Pinter’s part “it is also private, obsessive work about time past; about some vanished world, either real or idealized into which all but one of the characters readily escapes.

“there are no hard dictions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.”

-        Harold Pinter

ABSURDITY

The Birthday Party is like misguiding as it has no connectivity of particular incidents, facts or story. One can not distinguish between reality and illusion.

The characters, Stanley and the newly come two remains mystery.

The title and the dialogue refer to Meg’s planning party to celebrate Stanley’s birthday: “it is your birthday, Stan. I was going to keep it a secret, until tonight.”  Even that fact is dubious, as Stanley denies that it is his birthday. “this isn’t my birthday ,Meg”.

SUFFERING IDENTITIES

Goldberg is called ‘ Nat but he, is also called ‘Simey’ and ‘Benny’. McCann is also called ‘Dermot ’,their identities remains unclear.

Although Stanley before the lights go out during party begins to strangle Meg, she has no mercy of threat the next morning.

THEME OF BLINDNESS

Men are forced to go in darkness by other people.here it is a game of Blind man’s buff. The characters play in the party.

McCann also breaks glasses of Stanley. Stanley can not see without it.

SOCIETY’S TREATMENT OF AN ARTIST

Stanley is an artist.  He is living in a house and we can say, he is afraid of society as his art is rejected by the society. So he is not surrounded by many people.

In the last scene, he is clean, shaven, neatly dressed with collar. So we can say, he is now accepting the traits and rules of society.

PROCESS OF DEATH

Stanley is drawn towards death of inner side. His speech, broken glasses are giving signs that he is about to die. He then dressed up as dead body when he accepts the society.

There is also a statement that Goldberg says,

You’re dead, you can’t

Live, you can’t think,

You can’t love,

You’re dead.

THEME OF GROWING UP TO ADULTERY FROM CHILDHOOD

Here we find the Oedipus complex between Meg and Stanley. Stanley has strong attachment with Meg. Lulu is also developing relationship with Meg.

In the last scene, Stanley’s dress up is also symbolic as he is moving towards adulthood.

THEME OF POWER PLAY AND PERSONALITY CLASH

There is a difference of personality that a man shows to society and his real personality. Stanley who is a pianist and now he is living in boarding room, when he listens that two men are coming he is afraid of them.

Conclusion:

‘The Birthday Party’ is mainly a political satire and it has many interpretation by critics.

Work cited

The birthday party spark notes