Read the following extract from Act I carefully and then answer the questions below.
EXTRACT FROM 'THE BIRTHDAY PARTY' BY HAROLD PINTER (Act I)
[She exits. Stanley stands. He then goes to the mirror and looks in it. He goes into the kitchen, takes off his glasses and begins to wash his face. A pause. Enter, by the backdoor, Goldberg and McCann. McCann carries two suitcases, Goldberg a briefcase. They halt inside the door, then walk downstage. Stanley, wiping his face, glimpses their backs through the hatch. Goldberg and McCann look round the room. Stanley slips on his glasses, idles through the kitchen door and out of the back door.]
McCANN: Is this it?
GOLDBERG: This is it.
McCANN: Are you sure?
GOLDBERG: Sure I'm sure.
[Pause.]
McCANN: What now?
GOLDBERG: Don't worry yourself. We'll make ourselves at home.
[He goes to the window.]
See a nice view there.
McCANN: It's not a very big room, is it?
GOLDBERG: What's the matter with it?
McCANN: Nothing.
GOLDBERG: It has a very nice atmosphere. Traditional. Like a boarding house of the future.
[Pause. McCann looks at Goldberg, then walks to the window.]
McCANN: (looking out) I was brought here against my wishes.
GOLDBERG: Against your wishes? My McCann! It was your suggestion.
McCANN: I know. But I was still brought here against my wishes.
[Pause.]
GOLDBERG: Against your very best wishes, eh? Very true. But when the job's a job, a job's a job. You know what I mean?
[Pause.]
McCANN: I suppose so.
GOLDBERG: That's right. What are you shaking for? Are you cold?
McCANN: No, I'm all right.
GOLDBERG: It's not the weather, is it?
McCANN: No, no.
GOLDBERG: Good. Because I want your mind clear. Nice and clear.
Guiding Question for Text
How does Pinter use dialogue and stage directions to create an atmosphere of menace and ambiguity in this extract?
Examine how Pinter creates a sense of threat and unease in this extract without explicitly revealing the characters' intentions. Refer closely to specific lines of dialogue and stage directions.
Analyse Pinter's use of pauses and silence as dramatic devices. What do they suggest about the relationship between McCann and Goldberg and about the broader situation?
Comment on the language register and conversational patterns in the extract. How does Pinter use everyday speech to mask or convey hidden meaning?
How does the staging — setting, movement, and props — contribute to the themes of power, control, and vulnerability as presented in this extract?