Compare and contrast the presentation of dissatisfaction and the desire to gain fulfilment in The Homecoming and Notes

On A Scandal In the texts Notes On A Scandal and The Homecoming one of the most prominent themes which is explored is the theme of dissatisfaction particularly in relation to marriage and also age. Both texts contain characters who find themselves dissatisfied with their present condition so embark upon different methods in order to regain some sense of fulfilment which has been lost over time. Marriage in both texts has a close relation to age and is generally presented as a sign of lost youth and of a mundane existence. In Notes On A Scandal it is clear that Sheba is dissatisfied with married life and in particular is frustrated with her relationship with Richard who is portrayed to be pompous and patronising. For instance Richard once declares, Sheba doesnt know a thing about money. Her caution stems from ignorance. For Sheba Richard is only part of the trap of married life and she appears to resent her family for taking away her opportunity for success; Shebas remark raising kids is not the same it cant possibly offer the same satisfactions as doing things in the outside world demonstrates her opinion of family. This statement appears to be influenced by feminist theorists such as Germaine Greer who believes that the husband and wife relationship is not an equal one and the expectation of women to become mothers is st unreasonable. Despite progression in the 21 century it is still believed that women should become mothers which may not necessarily be good for them or what they actually want. Similarly in The Homecoming the association between a loss of fulfilment and marriage is a prominent feature in the plays narrative. Teddy in The Homecoming plays a role similar to that of Richard, in that Teddy does not give Ruth fulfilment and is oblivious to his wifes unhappiness. Teddy is an example of a typical 1960s attitude towards women in the family as wives and mothers but little else. Theorists such as George Peter Murdoch shared Teddys simplistic view of families and marriage claiming that the nuclear family was a universal and ideal construct. Pinter uses him as a medium to show the adverse effects that can occur as a result of this stance. In both texts the authors explore the concept of the nuclear family and both show that this kind of family unit is not necessarily ideal especially for women. For instance Teddy expects Ruths position in their nuclear family to entail that she is content with her life shes a very popular woman. Shes got lots of friends. Its a great life at the university. Statements such as these give an indication of Teddys ignorance about Ruth when the audience learns very quickly of her dissatisfaction and Teddys insistence that Ruth is ill may even suggest that Ruth has become mentally ill due to her unhappy marriage. The audience learns from Ruths recollection of her career as a model that she was much happier before she met Teddy who evidently ended her career and independence. In her life before Teddy Ruth recalls we used to pass by a large white tower which is a strongly phallic symbol, this would imply that in her previous younger life she was not controlled by males unlike in her present situation in which she has been designated as matriarch of a nuclear family. This is comparable to Shebas position whose career ended for years after she became married to Richard but unlike Ruth Shebas career never really started and so Sheba feels that all her youthful potential has been destroyed by her marriage. Both Heller and Pinter appear to take feminist positions when portraying the roles of women in marriage and in families by the lengths which both authors go to show female dissatisfaction that can arise due to an unhappy marriage a common concern of feminists such as Greer. The relationship between dissatisfaction and sex is present in both texts. Sheba and Ruth both use sex as a form of escapism from their mundane married lives which have already destroyed much of their independence and many opportunities. In the case of Sheba she uses the affair with Connolly as a measure to regain some of her youth and as an alternative to the vulgar Richard. Sheba throughout the novel attempts to connect with Connolly as someone his own age, for instance when she replies to Connolly youre right. It does do your brain in it is clear that this is vastly different from Shebas usual manner of speaking and the only conclusion that can be drawn from it is that Sheba changed her lexis in order to make herself more accessible to Connolly. Sheba by having sex with a teenage boy attempts to take the role of a teenage girl for instance Sheba for instance early on in the affair, Sheba started buying underwearintended for girls of Pollys age. This could be a demonstration of two things; it could be a demonstration of

the modern sexualisation of the young which would fit in with the feminist concerns which Heller addresses such as the inequality in marriage. But it also demonstrates Sheba using the affair as a diversion from her marriage and so offering herself a sense of fulfilment which Richard does not offer. Sex is also used as a form of escape in The Homecoming but in a completely different manner. Remarkably Ruth agrees to become a prostitute in order to leave her marriage but remains in control of the negotiations demanding at least three rooms and a bathroom alongside other things such as a personal maid. Ruth unlike Sheba has a large degree of control over the male gender and is able to practically extort the family to get more out of the deal. The fact that Ruth is willing to become a prostitute is testament to her unhappy marriage and the ineptitude of Teddy to satisfy his wife. The fact that the family agree to the terms is a demonstration of the male desire for a maternal figure and for sex and it could be argued that Ruth is aware of her sexual authority and uses it in order to gain a new life with a greater sense of fulfilment. Within both texts there appears to be a link between sex and satisfaction and not in any puerile manner but as an important tool used to gain fulfilment though not necessarily in a romantic way. Another instance in which the relation of sex and fulfilment is explored is through the two older characters in the texts most notably Max and Barbara. Max throughout the play is determined to regain some form of power over the family in particular Lenny who constantly undermines him. Max is a classic example of a trumped alpha male and he constantly attempts to boost his credibility through threats and fantastical anecdotes. More specifically Max attempts to boost his sexual credibility for example his anecdote about the Fillies it was a kind of hypnotismit was a gift. I had a gift. He seems to be fond of his recollections when he had control over females and his family. However in his old age he has lost all of his former masculinity. Pinter expresses this in many ways such as his inability to hold up the phallic walking stick to Lenny before simply collapsing in a chair. Max has also taken a maternal role in the family preparing meals and nagging characters which is demonstration of how ageing alters status and writes off any form of sexual prowess especially in the pre Viagra era in which healthcare was much more limited and older people were often written off. The term ageism hadnt even been coined by Robert Butler when Pinter wrote the play and so we can infer that there was little concern for the discrimination of the aged. Because of his weak position and his impotence both physically and symbolically Max constantly attempts to regain control of his family through aggression to others especially Lenny, who plays the role of his usurper. Barbara is highly comparable to Max in the aspects that they are old, lonely and far past any point of sexual activity. In Barbaras case we learn that she has had no experience of sex at all. Sheba in a fit of rage yells at her youre nothing. A bitter old virgin from Eastbourne. Barbaras often obsessive relationship with Sheba contains some sexual elements for instance the log in which she describes Shebas day to day actions in detail may have some sexual connotations and the log being kept under Barbaras mattress validates this interpretation as beds have very obvious sexual associations. So despite Barbara spending a lifetime with labels such as spinster she still attempts to gain some form of fulfilment albeit slightly sinister. Max similarly does not completely give up on the concept of sexual gratification despite his age which leaves him incapable of even lifting his walking stick. In the plays final scene when Ruth has agreed to stay with the family, Max spirals into a hysterical state in which he asks Ruth to kiss me but collapses out of exhaustion which is a simple illustration of the limitations of Maxs age. The plays conclusion implies that Max still has some kind of sexual interest in Ruth despite his age and physical handicaps. Pinter through Max shows that the male mentality which is so obsessed with masculinity does not necessarily deteriorate as the body inevitably does and so there will always be a constant attempt to gain fulfilment and that like Sheba and Ruth, men also attempts to gain fulfilment through sexual means. However sex is not the only method in which characters use as a method of fulfilment in the texts. Both texts explore the importance of maternal figures and ironically characters become maternal figures to regain fulfilment. For instance Barbara in her relationship with Sheba eventually appears to have taken the role of Shebas mother. Barbara as narrator constantly informs the reader as her social status as a spinster which still has very negative connotations which is demonstrated by quotes such as I cried because I was the sort of woman at whom girls in the hairdressers giggle. A sense of Barbaras detachment from society can be inferred from

statements such as these and Laura M. Purdy argues that society views women who have not formed a family as somewhat selfish. Perhaps this is why Heller has Barbara attempting to become a maternal figure to Sheba as a demonstration of the odd social imperative that women must marry and have a family. In The Homecoming Ruth also takes up the role of a matriarchal figure but in a very different manner and for different reasons. Pinter uses Ruth as a sort of walking example of the mother whore- dichotomy; in one way she is expected to act as the family whore expected to satisfy them and also pay her keep through prostitution. At the same, time Ruth is expected to fill the void left by Jessie by acting as the familys maternal figure. Max and Lenny briefly describe this role: you could do a bit of cooking here if you wanted to...make the bedsscrub the place a bit. This kind of set up seems at odds with modern feminism as most rd modern 3 wave feminist hypotheses which propose that a womans identity does not need to be associated with motherhood let alone being viewed as sexual objects. But the fact that Ruth is willing to act as the maternal figure and whore is testament to her completely unfulfilled and mundane marriage to Teddy. Ruth understands that despite the conditions she would have a much more fulfilled existence if she were to take up the familys offer which does in fact include features such as her own flat which would give her independence. Both Heller and Pinter explore the possible reactions to the problems which living a dissatisfied life can cause and the basic human desire to gain some form of fulfilment in life. Characters such as Sheba, Max and Barbara find ageing to be unpleasant in comparison to youth and use different methods in an attempt to regain a sense of fulfilment which has been eroded over time. Both texts show marriage to be a drain on fulfilment particularly adverse to the female gender and both texts also imply marriage as a sign of age. In the case of Sheba and Ruth unhappy marriages led them to extreme actions in order to gain a sense of fulfilment which they held in their youth. The main point being that from the two texts it is possible to infer that processes which lead to a loss of fulfilment are accepted as inevitable facets of life and humans will go to great lengths to gain satisfaction.

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