Analyzing Willie Mossop: Recent Research Findings

This sample paper on Willie Mossop offers a framework of relevant facts based on recent research in the field. Read the introductory part, body, and conclusion of the paper below.

‘Hobson’s Choice’ by Harold Brighouse is a play set in Salford, Manchester in the 1880’s. Throughout the play we see Willie Mossop’s constant development from a lowly shoehand in Hobson’s shop into its successful and confident owner. The title of this piece of coursework ‘Exploring the play from the perspective of Willie Mossop’s Development’ is very appropriate because it is evident that Willie Mossop does not change as a person.

He gradually develops and improves himself with the help of others though mostly through his own ambition.

Willie Mossop’s rise is of great importance and is actually the backbone of the play as all the characters can be measured against his actions and change. Will Mossop’s first appearance in the play is in Act 1 when Mrs.

Hepworth, an affluent high-class lady, comes to praise Willie for the boots he has made. Our introduction to him gives us an immediate impression of a poor and lowly worker, a somewhat “stunted” individual, which is hinted to us using the imagery of Willie coming up “like a rabbit” from a trapdoor in the floor.

We can also gather that he is uneducated in that he is unable to read and cannot talk properly. However, despite all this we see that Will Mossop has potential as Mrs. Hepworth points out that “The man’s a treasure”.

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Hobson’s 30 year old and eldest daughter Maggie then summons Will from the cellar and he nervously comes up. She tells him that she has been watching him for the last six months and that “everything I’ve seen I’ve liked”. She suggests that together they could make an excellent partnership. “My brain and your hands will make an excellent partnership”.

Will Mossop

Will is totally unresponsive to the message that Maggie is trying to convey to him. After a while Willie realizes that Maggie is proposing to him, and shocked at the progress of events he begins giving Maggie reasons why he is unable to marry her. The main reason being that he is “tokened” (engaged) to Ada Figgins, a girl from a similar background to Willie’s. Maggie’s persuasive character and Will’s lack of one combined easily manages to get Ada and her mother out of the picture. Will cannot find any more objections so Maggie considers that he agrees and sets the date for the wedding.

It is interesting to note that during the conversation Will calls Maggie by her real name as opposed to the respectful “Miss Maggie” he called her up until this point. In his anger at hearing the news of the engagement, Hobson removes his belt and threatens to “beat the love” out of Willie. Will’s response to this is the first major incident where he shows his hidden and strong self. He stands up for himself and tells Hobson that “it’s her that’s after me, but I’ll tell you one thing… if you touch me with that belt I’ll take her quick and stick to her like glue”.

Upon hearing Will’s audacity Hobson hits Willie who instantly kisses Maggie and threatens Hobson rashly that if the strap is raised once more they will move away and set up a shoe business elsewhere. At the end of Act 1 the audience and Hobson himself are amazed at the sudden transformation of this man, but Maggie who recognised his potential from the start responds with the words “I knew you had it in you”. In Act 2 Maggie and Will purchase a cellar in Oldfield Road which they set up as a shoe shop in competition with Hobson’s.

They furnish it with second hand furniture and use part of the cellar as a shop and part of it as living quarters. Brighouse is again using imagery to portray the fact that Willie and Maggie are poor but they are constantly improving. Willie has become his own master as written on his business card “Willie Mossop, master bootmaker’. We find out that his new shop has taken business away from Hobson and that Willie is becoming very successful. In Act 3 after the wedding there are some celebrations in Oldfield Road where Will makes a speech thanking his guests for coming.

Maggie’s influence and teaching has taken effect on Will. His vocabulary has become more extensive and he has begun to use more formal words. Although he is slightly anxious his confidence has been boosted and his shy side has almost disappeared. During the wedding celebrations a distraught Hobson comes to Maggie for advice about the trouble he has got himself into. In his drunken state he has fallen into Beenstock’s (Vickey’s suitor) cellar and is being sued for trespassing. At this point Willie’s educational progress is again visible. He converses with Hobson and tells him what comes into his mind.

We see some intellect and humour in the way Will responds to Hobson’s complaints especially when he suggests that this story may end up in the newspapers. Towards the end of the play Hobson is diagnosed with chronic alcoholism and his daughters attempt to decide who will take care of him. Alice and Vickey, Hobson’s middle and youngest spoilt daughters, do not even think about caring for their father or discussing the matter with their husbands, which is in sharp contrast with Willie and Maggie who respect each other and care for others.

Will is found on top of a ladder evaluating Hobson’s worthless stock, another piece of imagery indicating to us that Willie who started beneath their feet has risen so high that he is now on top of them. Will is obviously able to evaluate stock showing us that he has acquired business skills. He is sure and confident of himself and he feels himself to be on par with his sisters-in-law. This is understood by the manner in which he speaks to them using phrases such as “If we come here we come on my terms” and “I’ll do the arranging”.

The following scene is the climax of all Will’s recent achievements. Will negotiates with Hobson and stands his ground. He is firm and does not allow Hobson to walk all over him. Now that Willie is in charge of his own successful shop he laughs at Hobson’s proposal offering him 18 shillings a week and lodgings – “You’ve got no trade and me and Maggie’s got it all and now you’re on your bended knees to her to come and live with you, and all you think to offer me is my old job at 18 shillings a week”.

Willie rejects Hobson’s miserly offer and insists on taking over the shop with Hobson as his sleeping partner. Furthermore Will declares that the shop will be named “Mossop and Hobson” and without giving Hobson a chance to speak he goes on to tell Hobson of the many changes that he plans to do to the shop. Willie is not afraid to challenge his former master whom he feared at the beginning of the play as shown by his reply to Maggie’s marriage proposal “What ud your father say? “.

At the end of Act 4 we see that Willie’s feelings towards Maggie have also changed. At the beginning of the play it is evident that Willie does not actually love Maggie but is forced into marrying her as he says “We’d not get much without there’s love between us, lass”. At this stage of the play one cannot help but notice that Willie has grown to love Maggie as we see when he mentions to Hobson “I’m worried about your life because it worrits Maggie” and the play ends with him kissing her. Willie and Maggie are proud of each other and show each other affection.