Pinter’s Enigmatic World: Portrayal of Trapped Souls in his Selected Plays

Abstract

The world of Harold Pinter is a world of menace confusion uncertainty and mystery He has examined complex human relationships communication breakdowns and post war frustrations as a playwright of 20th century In his plays The Room The Dumb Waiter and The Caretaker he has explored the concept of trapped souls These plays reflect the existential crisis of the characters who are imprisoned in different types of physical social and psychological conditions The character Rose is portrayed as a dedicated wife in the play The Room Her life signifies her confinement as a partner of Bert in that shabby place She is trapped in her existential condition She treats the outside world as a threat and is satisfied in her situation But finally the room becomes a violent brutal place for her The Dumb Waiter delves into the psychological captivity of its protagonists Ben and Gus who operate as hit-men in a basement In addition to being physically imprisoned they are also existentially constrained as they struggle with the ridiculousness of their assignments and the enigmatic messages that the dumbwaiter delivers