Homecoming Summary
Harold Pinter

Homecoming Overview

The Homecoming is a play by Harold Pinter that spans several days in the life of Max, a working-class British man in his seventies, Max's brother Sam, and Max's three sons, Lenny, Joey, and Teddy. Max, Sam, Lenny and Joey all live in the same house, but Teddy, a professor, has emigrated to America and married Ruth, and they have three children together. When Teddy returns home with Ruth for the first time on an unannounced visit, the men in the house compete for Ruth's attention in an ever-escalating show of toxic machismo, all while insulting each other and threatening violence. The play ends with Ruth deciding to stay in Max's house while Teddy leaves to go back to America, after Lenny and Max have made an overt "offer" to Ruth that she work as a prostitute to contribute to their household expenses. The play examines themes of power and dominance; different perceptions of women and of women's roles in a family and society; and the nuances and meanings of silence in charged interactions.