Non‐verbal communication and the overlooked action in Pinter's the caretaker

Abstract

Critics commonly misinterpret Pinter's plays, particularly The Caretaker, because they concentrate on the rich dialogue and verbal acrobatics to the exclusion of much important non‐verbal communication. Davies is not a usurper who attempts to victimize Aston, nor is he equally, with Mick and Aston, a victim of a repressive “system.” Mick and Aston consciously and maliciously destroy Davies’ psyche in a gratuitously cruel game. The usually overlooked stage directions that specify the essential non‐verbal communication between Mick and Aston validate this interpretation.