Reflection on The Caretaker

My Reaction to The Caretaker
Now that you've finished reading this play, what is your reaction to it? Explain what you like about it and what you dislike. Be specific. Does it deserve the critical and popular reception that it has receive over the years? Why or why not?

I wasn't too excited about reading The Caretaker after hearing everyone's complaints and critisism. Fortunately, i thought it was ok, maybe becuase of the expectations i had, and i did enjoy it generally . I did see, however, why many didnt. THere was alot of repitition in conversations, too many details in stage directions, and no identifiable plot. And even though it is a tragicomedy, the comical aspects are nto preavalent, or at least not as direct as they are in other Theatre of the Absurd plays like THe Bald Soprano. Those aspects, which many described as negative, did not bother me as much. FI found that the stage directions enhanced my depiction of the play- i was able to picture the scenes very clearly, as if watching a movie (as opposed to the bald soprano, where i could only visualize the characters). THe conversations, which where at times choppy and at others long and in stream of consiousness form(like aston's monologue on page 39), helped convey and shape the characters' personalities and their relationships with each other. Aston, for example is generally, monologue being an exeption, very concise and unelaborate in his speech, which suggests that he isi nsecurite (probably due to his past experiences in the mental institution), whereas Davies, who is always very negative and critical, is a short-tempred, tough, and closed minded. So Generally, i liked how Pinter vividly shapes the whole play a dn charachters language elements. The language was simple, yet the play was not an easy read becuase of the hidden messages and the connections to the real world. Understanding what goes on in the play is simple, but seeing the bigger picture is not, which can get frustrating.