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The Homecoming Analysis

"The Homecoming" is a play by Harold Pinter. The play explores the roles of female,

power, and sex in an obscure but fascinating way. The play is set in north London in an old

house which is the home of an all-male household. An abusive patriarch named Max heads the

family. Max is a former butcher while his brother, Sam, is a chauffeur. Lenny and Joey (Max's

sons) add up to the unpredictable family whereby every man tries to be supreme. Max's eldest

son, Teddy, is a Professor of Philosophy living with his wife, Ruth, in America. In the play, the

homecoming of Ruth is more symbolic than that of Teddy. At first, Max presumes that Ruth is a

prostitute but later accepts that she is Teddy's wife thus welcoming her openly. After sometimes,

Ruth discovers the competitive relationship that exists between Max and his sons. She thus starts

a sexual game with her in-laws, teasing and provoking them, making them taunt of their sexual

prowess. Max and Lenny consequently decide to keep Ruth in London with them while Teddy

returns to America with their sons but without his wife. Afterward, it is clear who currently holds

the supremacy within the household although the future is still unclear. This paper will look into

the analysis of the play "The Homecoming."

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Power is the primary theme in the play. Each character tries to exert control over the

others in several ways. They verbally compete with each other in an attempt to outshine one

another. The excerpt below shows an instance in which Lenny tries to outsmart Ruth:

Lenny: “Give me the glass.”

Ruth: “No.”

Lenny: “I'll take it!”

Ruth: “If you take the glass, I'll take you.”

Lenny: “How about me taking the glass without you taking me?”

Ruth: “Why don't I just take you?”

Lenny: “You've consumed quite enough in my opinion.” (p. 42)

The above conversation sparks after Lenny meets Ruth for the first time. Lenny tries to

get Ruth to follow his commands by ordering her to give back the glass she is holding. However,

Ruth refuses to give him the glass and instead proposes that Lenny sit on her lap and take a sip

from the glass. Ruth shows her strength over dominant men after she laughs at Lenny's reaction

to her proposal. The men in the house are abusive toward women. They treat women as objects

that can be possessed. For instance, after Lenny meets Ruth, he tries to exert his control by

narrating to Ruth how he hit an old woman on the stomach for wasting his time. Lenny feels

threatened by Ruth's feminine power and thus feels the need to scare her through telling her

about his past encounters with women. However, Ruth is not frightened by Lenny's stories and

using her sexual intrigues she dominates over Lenny at the end.
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The title "The Homecoming" for sure is relevant to the context of the play. Teddy

unexpectedly returns home (London) from America after focusing on his career for a long time.

Teddy brings his wife to London to introduce her to his family members and show her his

birthplace. Teddy is the only Max's son to have left the family to live in a faraway land. He

married and had children without the knowledge of his family members. He, therefore, returns to

North London to receive blessings from his father. Apart from the homecoming of Teddy to

North London, his return to America is another instance of homecoming. He goes back to his

own home in America away from his family's home back in London. The play thus suggests the

homecoming of Teddy to London at the beginning and America at the ending.

Similarly, the play is also about Ruth's homecoming. After Teddy returns to America,

Ruth remains at Max's house. The homecoming by Ruth is thus somewhat symbolic in that going

to London frees her from an indifferent husband making her assume supremacy at Max's home.

Her homecoming is in terms of freedom, her dominance, and sexual awakening. Ruth's

homecoming is in a unique way that enables her to take over the position previously held by

Jessie. The title "The Homecoming" is thus significant in pushing and laying out the theme of the

play.

Ruth is one of the most outstanding characters in the play which is partly from the fact

that she is the only female character. Ruth is in her early thirties and is married to Teddy. In the

play, Ruth plays the role of a manipulator, and at times she is a victim of exploitation. After the

introduction of Ruth to the play, the act of dominance even thrives more than before. This is

especially so as the men characters perceive her as something they can possess. Her presence in

Max's house sparks a kind of competition between Max and his sons as they feel that whoever

wins her get to control the family.

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As an exploiter, Ruth uses her sexuality to takeover Lenny's supremacy. Lenny tries hard

to be dominant but is unable to catch up with Ruth. Lenny results in shouting at Ruth which does

not make him dominate over her. Lenny sees Ruth as a reincarnation of his mother. Her blatant

sexual behaviors remind Lenny of his mother and her sexual involvements. The way through

which Ruth earns power over the male characters is not necessarily a struggle considering that

she is calm throughout the play. Ruth portrays power and strength by gaining control without the

use of violence. Although she gains power over Max's house, Ruth is exploited by the male

characters in that they make her a prostitute. The character of Ruth plays an essential role in

questioning the dynamics of a family and showing how kinfolks treat each other.

Stories are essential in ensuring the continuity of a play. They also create memories and

identity of the characters to both the play's characters and the readers. At the beginning of act

two of "The Homecoming," Ruth and Max engage in a conversation together with the other

members of the family. Max's narrates the story of her wife and his past as a butcher. Similarly,

Ruth shares her past encounters with Max's family members. The two conversation enables the

characters, especially Max and Ruth, to familiarize and relate with each other in a better manner

as they all get to know the identity of each other. It is through the same conversations that the

readers get to see the past of the characters and a form a strong foundation of their identity. After

Ruth narrates her story, Teddy feels discomfort and decides to leave London for America.

Therefore, the narration of her story is necessary for completing the theme of the play. The story

leads to Teddy deciding to return to America leaving his wife behind to reign over the house of

Max.

"The Homecoming" is a play that presents a complex and confrontational human nature.

The play is also somewhat contradicting as the homecoming may seem to be centered on Teddy
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but is instead about Ruth. Although the identity of dominance by the characters is defined, the

full personality of each character as an individual is not developed. The characters are not

realistic, and they fail to identify themselves as individuals. However, the play succeeds to

incorporate a high level of personal and social criticism to portray the complexities that exist

between family members.

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Works Cited

Pinter, Harold. The homecoming. Grove Press, 1967.