HAROLD PINTER - Joshua Ruebl

internal struggle for both intimacy and aloneness. Psychologist Judith Bardwick speaks
of female sexuality and emotion as such:
“She will need to be reassured that she is precious and loved and that by loving
she is being good. Her lack of self-esteem will make affiliation very important
and sex an emotionally loaded useful tool for garnering love. But this will also be
a source of danger because if she uses sex in order to create love she may feel she
is prostituting and degrading herself. When sex is psychologically over
determined, reflecting one’s attitude toward oneself and the need for approval
from others, when sexual attitudes are an expression of needs that are not directly
sexual, romanticism will result. But if a woman accepts herself as loved, and if
the derivations of early fears are resolved, she can become very erotic.”
(Bardwick, pg 69.)
Sarah uses Richard’s role as “Max” to be sexually validated within the safe
confines of monogamous marriage. At the end of the play, when Richard affirms that he
does indeed love his wife, Sarah is willing to push the game even further. For Sarah, the
games exist to bring a level of eroticism to a stale life. Richard, out of a deep insecurity,
has attempted to put an end to it. He holds the bongo up to Sarah in an act of defiance:
RICHARD: How does he use it? How do you use it? Do you both play it while
I’m at the office?
She tries to take the drum. He holds on to it. They are still, hands on the drum.
What function does this fulfill? It’s not just an ornament, I take it? What do you
do with it? (Pinter, pg. 193)
Sarah struggles and then breaks down. As her world and her equilibrium created
by the game is destabilized. After desperately pleading she assaults him with a
declaration:
SARAH: You stupid...! (She looks at him coolly.) Do you think he’s the only one
who comes! Do you? Do you think he’s the only one I entertain? Mmmnn?
Don’t be silly. I have other visitors, other visitors, all the time, I receive all the
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