The Kitchen by
In this essay I will
analyse, Wesker’s ‘The Kitchen’(1959) I believe that although it features the
frustrations of life, is also about dreams for a better life. Wesker refused
catergorisation in his work; he purposefully went against what the audience or
society expected of him. Wesker despite refusing to be pigeonholed as a
advocate of the genre, was a
respected artist of kitchen-sink drama. The expression “kitchen-sink drama” was
coined to describe those new plays which had qualities of vivid, raw
authenticity presented in a more or less working-class setting. In this
theatrical setting, people lived lives on stage which were recognisble to the
way that many members of their audience lived their lives at home, therefore
making the theatre more accessible and not, as in the past, mainly for the
elite of society.
As a prelude to the
start of the play, Wesker, although he apologises for it, provided a long in
depth character study and description of his idea of the play for the producer.
The amount of detail and description shows that Wesker has a clear vision of
how he wants his play to be.
We are introduced to the
character Peter, by the gossip that surrounds him,
Raymond: ‘Now he’s a
silly boy, eh?’
Anne: ‘Ah the boy’s in
love’
Peter, the protagonist
in the play is described in the stage directions as, ‘boisterous,
aggressive…living on his nerves’. Throughout the play we see conflict bubbling
between the characters,
Peter: Hey Gaston, I’m
sorry-your black eye, I’m sorry about it
Gaston…You sorry because
half a dozen Cypriot boys make you feel sorry-but we not finished yet!
In the play we see the
contrast between Peter, who creates problems between the staff, with hints of
violent and, the Peter who has strong feelings for Monique, which also creates
tension and an uncomfortable atmosphere,
Peter: (following her
like the pathetic, jealous lover) And remember you’re hostess today, I can see
you in the glass. No flirting, do you hear? (Grips her arm)No flirting.
As his obsessive
behaviour increases, the kitchen, usually a hive of chaos becomes unbearable
for the characters, and uncomfortable for the audience. The tense atmosphere is
emphasized by the fast pace of the script when, the characters shout orders at
each other, hurriedly and anxiously, creating a frenzied atmosphere;
Daphne (To Anne): Two
coffees.
Peter: Three cod, four
cod.
Jackie ( To Anne) Three
coffees.
Violet: Oh God, God,
God, I can’t, I can’t.
There are lots of
pointed remarks about the differences between the staff’s nationalities,
creating a disharmonious atmosphere,
Peter: ‘Hey Irishman, I
thought you didn’t like this place. Why don’t you go home and sleep?’
…Violet: ‘You Boche you.
You bloody German bastard!’
Yet despite the
overwrought atmosphere, there is still hope in the play, reflected in the
characters dreams and aspirations,
Paul: ‘So that’s what I
dream. I dream of a friend’
However dreams in the
play also have sinister undertones, when Monica dreams of splattered blood it
is ominous, as having enough of not having his love returned, despite the fact a
baby might be involved, Peter transforms into a mad man, destroying the
kitchen, his life, his base as he could not have his love.
The
play ends with distressed questioning, ‘What is there more?. Peter’s actions
have shattered the world of the others and this perhaps is also a question
concerning the meaning of life; what
more is there to life than work, money and food? Yet it seems, for Peter and
perhaps Wesker is showing, the kitchen of life, contains more than that, it
contains distrust, hatred, love, obsession, fear, hope and dreams.