Past Memories
Andy, an ex-civil servant, is a dying man. He recollects his past from the recesses of his dark bedroom. He mourns his impending death and looks back on his life with anger and resentment. He remembers a past romance and insists on having his ex-flame at his deathbed.
Bel, Andy's serene wife, accepts his scorn with steely quietude. She adds her perspective to the events of the past, suggesting the fluidity of memory. Bridget, Andy's daughter, is visible only to the audience. She could be a spectral spirit or, she may be a memory. Her presence haunts the couple throughout the play.
Mortality
Pinter’s play is steeped with thoughts of mortality. Andy, the protagonist, feels the anguish of imminent death. He confronts it in a spirit of fear and uncertainty. His deathbed dialogues with his wife are humorous and melancholic. Andy endures his decline with no one but Bel and a visiting couple, Ralph and Maria.
The play is set against the memory of Bridget, the couple’s dead daughter. Her ghost-like spirit haunts the troubled marriage of her parents. Her floating presence and monologue on ‘moonlight’ suggest that there may be no peace in the grave too.
Marital Conflict
Bel, Andy’s calm and patient wife, sits by his bedside. Although she dutifully nurses him, there exists an awkwardness in their relationship. She finds it hard to forgive his infidelities. The discord between the couple is unmistakable as they exchange sarcastic jibes and describe their dalliance with Maria (who had affairs with both of them).
Parent-Child Estrangement
Pinter’s play laments the ruthlessness of family life. The estranged sons, Jake and Fred, refuse to return home to meet their dying father. They recount his dictatorial attitude and acknowledge his professional integrity. They remember their teenage escapades and exchange cryptic banter about him. But do they love him? When Bel makes the last call to reach out to them, they pretend that she has dialed the wrong number. Their claim to be a ‘Chinese laundry’ highlights the deep chasm in the parent-child relationship. It is indeed a coincidence that Pinter severed relations with his son Daniel, about the same time he wrote the play.
Communication
Harold Pinter’s touching play explores the desire for communication. Distance, disillusionment, and death keep the characters apart. Bel’s last call to her estranged sons, Jake and Fred, portrays the couple's aching desire to communicate with their children and grandchildren. Bridget, the spectral spirit, who tiptoes around the house, tries to bridge the chasm that separates her family. The conflicted characters use wit and irony to compensate for the repressed grief and unspoken anger.
