Harold Brighouses Hobsons Choice Essay -- Brighouse Hobsons Choic

Harold Brighouse's "Hobson's Choice" In Act two, Alice tells Maggie â€Å"I don’t know what you’re aiming at.† She replies, â€Å"The difference between us is I do, I always did.† Explain the differences between Maggie and her sisters. ‘Hobson’s Choice’ is set in Salford in 1880, at a time when women tended to occupy largely domestic roles. However, the leading character, Maggie Hobson, is a woman way ahead of her time. Unlike her sisters, she is a demanding and domineering character. She knows what she wants in life and is not afraid to strive for it. Alice and Vicky stand up to Hobson, their father, about small and trivial matters. After Hobson has complained about the bustles the girls wear, Alice says to her father: â€Å"We shall continue to dress fashionably, Father.† However, Alice and Vicky are very intimidated by Hobson and so when it comes to bigger and more important matters the talking is left to Maggie. Jim Heeler calls on Hobson to take him to the ‘Moonrakers’. This is a bar where he spends most of his time drinking a lot of alcohol. Whilst Jim is around, Hobson seeks some advice from him. He requires advice on how to manage the girls. In the end he decides to get Alice and Vicky ‘wed’. After Hobson has told Alice and Vicky that he will be choosing husbands for them, the girls are extremely unhappy. They wish to choose their own partners: â€Å"Can we not choose husbands for ourselves?† But are told: â€Å"I’ve been telling you for the last five minutes, you’re not even fit to pick dresses for yourselves† Because this is an important matter Maggie takes centre stage: â€Å"If you’re dealing husbands around, don’t I get one?† To which he replies: â€Å"Well that’s a good one, (laugh) you, with a husband† Wi... ...w â€Å"brother in law†. The girls were not happy but still they were overruled by Maggie’s domineering character. To conclude, Maggie is different to her sisters in the way that she knows how to achieve the good things in life, she tries to bring out the good in every person. She makes her future good and she does it on her own. She stands up for what is right and for what she believes in. Maggie is not influenced at all by men and their opinions, she gains things by her own determination and will power. She is a person who values the fact that starting off small can lead to great success. Her sisters keep themselves to themselves and are too cowardly to stand up for themselves, therefore due to remaining passive characters, their future will be what the future makes it, not what they make for themselves as they do not intervene in order to make it better.