Hobson’s Choice – Essay Free Essay Example

In Act One, Hobson decides that the behaviour of his two younger daughters is unacceptable and so he decides that he should find husbands for them to marry: “I’ll choose a pair of husbands for you, my girls” Hobson’s shows his authority over his two younger daughters here as he is going to get them married without them agreeing on it. However Maggie, characteristically, is not set to suffer the same fate as Hobson is not prepared to lose all three of his daughters, especially the most valuable one.

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This incident therefore is linked to Maggie’s proposal to Willie Mossop.

The reason being that Maggie feels that it is unjust for her younger sisters to be able to get married and she is unable to do so. Willie Mossop is first introduced in the play in the middle of Act One when Mrs Hepworth, an upper-class lady, comes to Hobson’s shop and asks about the person who makes her shoes: “Willie Mossop comes up trap.

He is a lanky fellow, about thirty, not mentally stupid but stunted mentally by a brutalized childhood. ” The author’s description of Willie is not a pleasant one and clearly shows that Willie is uneducated.

Willie might be uneducated, however, his determination enables him to produce excellent shoes: “These are the best-made pair of boots I’ve ever had. Now, you’ll make my boots in future” This line shows an upper-class lady, Mrs Hepworth praising a lower-class man, Willie on the boots which he makes for her. The encounter above between Willie and Mrs Hepworth is later illustrated to the reader how it proved to be an important scene of the play: “Mossop, you won’t dare leave here to go to another shop without letting me know where you are”.

This scene is important in the play as Willie and Maggie then go on to borrow money from Mrs Hepworth, which leads on to the success of Willie and Maggie and the downfall of Hobson. Maggie’s determination is clearly shown towards the end of Act One when she starts to arrange a marriage between herself and Willie: “You’re going to wed me, Will… when I make arrangements my lad, they’re not for upsetting” Maggie is shown here proposing to Willie. However, Willie rejects the offer but Maggie uses her willpower to force Willie to marry her.

In the latter stages of Act One, Maggie tells Hobson that she has plans of marrying Willie, though Hobson clearly shows his disapproval: “I’d be the laughing-stock of the place if I allowed it. I won’t have it, Maggie”. After Hobson states his disapproval, Maggie shows her determination and strength in character once again: “I’m thirty and I’m marrying Willie Mossop. And now I’ll tell you my terms”. Maggie is shown to be extremely courageous here as she is prepared to argue with Hobson and even demands to him complying with certain terms.

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