Characterisation of Teddy in THE HOMECOMING
Explore the characterisation of Teddy and his significance in the play as a whole, starting from a close examination of his words and behaviour on p.86 to p.89 (‘I think we’ll go back…” to “You just rest. I’ll go pack”).We see straight away that Teddy, who ostensibly should be relaxed in his home, is tense. He talks incessantly, posing questions and seeking reassurance, while Ruth speaks and acts with confidence. When Teddy announces: “I think we’ll go back” and asks Ruth if she agrees that they should return home, she simply answers with a contrasting self-assurance: “Why?”(III.86). Teddy’s insecurity is apparent in every line, as his rhythms and tone of speech contradict the apparent meaning of his words. For example, responding snappily to Ruth’s accusation that he does not like his family he says, “Of course I like them. What are you talking about?” but he is unable to continue the speech by producing some evidence to support this statement and there is a telling silence (III, 87). This episode reinforces the fact that the power in this relationship seems to belong to Ruth. For instance, Teddy rambles: “Look. I’ll go and pack. You rest for a while. Will you? They won’t be back for at least an hour. You can sle
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Ruth Teddy, Teddy Ruth, Harold Pinter, Ruth Rest, WhyIII86 Teddys, , Nevertheless Teddy, Rest PleaseIII, America Teddy, III89 Teddy, animalistic family, ill pack, normal human, family unit, 89 ruth, rest ill, family lacks, teddy ruth, family ruth,
Approximate Word count = 1684
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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