The Homecoming

The Homecoming by Harold Pinter deals with a family of men. In this family of men, there are several dynamics of power in their relationships. The ultimate form of power is seen in the character of Max. Max is the patriarch of the family and considers himself to be one of the most powerful men in England. At the beginning of act one, he tells his son how he used to run around town with a man named MacGregors and how they received respect from everyone at the local bar. Max continues to show that he is the dominant male throughout the play by constantly putting everyone else down.

In spite of the fact that his brother Sam is a very successful chauffeur and earns good money, Max continuously makes fun of him for being "less than a man" in his opinion. He calls Sam gay because he doesn't have a woman and has never produced any sons. He also makes fun of Sam's job of being a driver. In Max's mind, the only job for a real man is the one he inherited from his father: running a butcher shop. Because his brother was not cut out for the job, Max sees him as less of a man and therefore as someone with less power.

Sam, for the most part, puts up with his older brother's abuse. I think he does this out of respect for Max. He sees Max as his ideal. In Sam's mind, Max had it all. He was a powerful and respected man who ran the family business and was married to a beautiful woman. Sam wants to be like his older brother, so he puts up with the insults because he secretly believes it is true. However, at the end of act two, we see that Sam has had enough of Max. I believe that the talk of setting Ruth up as a prostitute is what acts as a catalyst for this. Sam saw Max abuse his own wife and is appalled that this is happening again to Ruth. In a last, desperate act of defiance to get out of Max's power, Sam reveals his ultimate secret: Max's wife cheated on him with MacGregors. This final revelation causes Sam to collapse and we are unsure whether or not he is dead. Max does not seem concerned by this "secret" (the way Max talked about MacGregors, he probably told him to sleep with her) and is merely annoyed at the thought of having his brother's "corpse" on his floor.