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Themes from Hobson's choice - Coggle Diagram
Themes from Hobson's choice
Parenting
Act 2
Vickey says: "I know as well as you do that it's father's fault. He ought to look after his business himself instead of wasting more time than ever in the 'Moonraker's".
This shows how we is not looking after his children and he was constantly going to the pub and having a good time there rather than at home with his family.
Alcoholism was a big thing at the time and often children didn't get the care they needed.
Act 3
Hobson says: "Aye, you may father me. But that's a piece of work I've finished with. I've done with fathering, and their beginning it."
This shows how Hobsons daughters have abandoned him and he just wants to look after himself and not look after his daughters any more.
It would of been rare for the daughters of a house to run away as they would normally expect them to respect their parents.
Act 1
Ada says: “Maybe he’s not much to look at, but you should hear him play.”
Parenting was probably quite a major thing in the lower classes as the parents wanted their children to climb up the social ladder
Shows how the lower-class people teach their children to care more about inner values and talents than men with looks or ambitions, in contrast with what upper class parents teach.
Act 4
The Doctor says: "Chronic Alcoholism... You'd a warning this morning that any sane man would listen to and you're going to listen to it, sir."
This shows how the doctor is parenting Hobson and telling him how he needs to change his ways so that he gets between.
Alcoholism was a major thing at the time and many people suffered mental problems due to far too much drinking.
Improvement
Alcoholism
Act 2
Act 3
Act 1
Act 4
Choice
Act 1
Maggie says: "I've watched you for a long time and everything I've seen, I've liked. I think you'll do for me"
Maggie chooses to marry William Mossop
This would not of been normal in those times because normally the man would ask the woman not the other way around. In wealthy families the parents may choose who there children marry.
Act 2
Willie says: "My minds made up"
This shows how Willie has come to it that he is going to marry Maggie
Back then it would of been very rare for a woman to ask a man to marry them
Act 4
'Much use your forbidding is. I've had my liquor for as long as i remember, and i'll have it to the end. If i'm to be beaten by beer i'll die fighting , and i'm none practicing unnatural for the sake of lengthening out my unalcoholic days.
Hobson is making the choice of not listening to the doctor and doesn't want to live longer.
Alcoholism was very prevalent in their day and many men would have died the same way. Doctors were only just realizing the cause.
Act 3
Hobson says: “I'm in sore trouble, Maggie.”
Hobson decided to go to Maggie when he fell into the cellar.
This would have been rare in those days for a parent to go to there kids for help when they are in trouble and especially a woman, normally they would go to a trusted friend.
Marriage / love
Act 1
"You're a proper old maid, Maggie, if there ever was one."
in this quote Hobson's is telling Maggie that she is to old to get married.
In Context of this play there would there normally be an average marriage age and anyone beyond the age bracket would be considered unmarriable but as we can see Maggie doesn't
Act 2
'He's in the family or going to be' - Maggie
Maggie is forcing the point that no matter what says she is going to marry him.
In the Context of the play in this time period it was not very normal at all to marry below your class. it could mean that either Will moves up unto middle class which is Maggie's class or that Maggie moves down into lower class.
Act 4
Act 3
Willie "That's a fact. I've not been married before, you see. I've not been left alone with her, either."
This was a big thing for Willie as he had never been forced to get married before.
In the Context of this play it wouldn't be very common to marry someone of a higher class and so it must have been quite a thing for him.
Ambition
Act 1
‘I'd like my daughters to wed temperance
young men, Jim.'
Hobsons ambition is to have his daughters marry good people.
At the time, having your daughters married was important but Hobson sounded like he wanted to get rid of them. However, when he says he wants them to wed temperance men, it shows he does care and wants his daughters to marry well as this was important socially
Act 2
I've got my name wrote up on the windows, but i dunno so much about being master.
Willie didn’t have much ambition in life. He was content to keep working in Hobsons and to marry Ada and seemed scared of moving up a class. This quote shows he is not very confident at being thought of as more than a worker.
Usually, most peoples aim in life at the time was to climb the social ladder. This had great importance. Furthermore, Willie being scared of the upper classes showed how he, as working class, was treated, or expected to be treated by them
Act 3
'Another 20 years and i know which of you three men 'ull be though most of at the Bank'
Maggie’s ambition in life was to marry Will and open their own successful shop and, without saying it, prove her father wrong. This quote shows that she thinks Will will have the most money out of them all.
At the time, Maggie marrying Will would have been incomprehensible to most women as she was marrying beneath her social class. Furthermore, she had a lot of ambition to open the shop whereas Willie had none. Usually the men took the initiative
Act 4
Ah, well, a fashionable solicitor's wife
doesn't rise so early as the wife of a working cobbler. You'd be up when Tubby came….I don't think I can be expected to come back to this after what I've been used to lately - Alice
This shows Alice's ambition to become a higher social class has been achieved and she is now embracing it and acting like she is better than Maggie.
The main ambition of women at the time was to marry and preferably climb the social ladder at the time. Now Alice has accomplished that, she is patronising towards Maggie, who married beneath her social class
Change
Social Conventions
Money
Social Class