The document discusses the play 'The Dumb Waiter' by Harold Pinter, highlighting the symbolism of the dumb waiter as a representation of disconnect in human communication between the characters Ben and Gus. It draws parallels between Pinter's work and the Theatre of the Absurd, particularly Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot', emphasizing themes of power dynamics and existential meaninglessness. Pinter's use of silence as a dramatic tool reveals the characters' true motivations, contrasting with Beckett's portrayal of alienation and boredom.

1. Themes, Symbols,
Images…

2.  Dumb waiter is a small lift for
carrying things, especially food,
between the floors of a
building.
 In The Dumb Waiter, the
dumb-waiter symbolizes a
disconnection in
human communication.

3.  Whenever Gus tries to
bring up something
emotional, Ben refuses
to speak with him.
 This disconnection is the
essence of their
relationship.
 They do not
speak with, but to each
other. They are like the
dumb waiter—mute
carriers of information,
not sharers of it.

5. DEATH
the rightt side>
exit
BIRTH
the left side >
food comes in
and goes out

6. The basement room
suggests human
existence lived mostly
without understanding
but under pressure,
especially
when the orders
come down from
above.

8.  Pi nt er 's l anguage,
usual l y l ow -cl ass
er
ver nacul ar (t he l anguage
or di al ect spoken by
 Pi nt er has spoken
t he or di nar y peopl e of
a count r y), has been
m
uch on t he subj ect ,
descr i bed as poet i c.
and has cat egor i zed
 H s com essed, r hyt hm c
i
pr
i
l i nes r el y heavi l y on
subt ext and hi nt at
dar ker m
eani ngs.
speech as t hat w ch
hi
at t em s t o cover t he
pt
nakedness of si l ence.

9.  Theatre of the Absurd is a
French dramatic movement
in the 1950s.
 It is express the belief that
human existence has no
meaning or purpose and
therefore all communication
breaks down.
 The Absurd in these plays
takes the form of man’s
reaction to a world apparently
without meaning, and man as
a puppet controlled or
menaced by invisible outside
forces.

10.  As with Godot, there are
two characters, one
dominant, one submissive.
 In Godot, the two men wait
• It is clear that Pinter was
heavily influenced by
Samuel Beckett.
 The similarities between
them are obvious. The
Dumb Waiter is quite similar
to Waiting for Godot.
around for a man named
Godot who never arrives,
yet who exercises great
power over them.
 In The Dumb Waiter, Ben
and Gus are at the back
and call of Wilson, a
mysterious character who
dominates the duo even
when he's not around, or
perhaps especially when
he's not around.

11.  Whereas Beckett's silences
hint at alienation,
boredom, and the slow
approach to death, Pinter's
are ominous and violent.
The true natures and
motivations of his
characters emerge in their
silences.