---
product_id: 4873386
title: "The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter, Harold)"
brand: "harold pinter"
price: "€ 28.97"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/4873386-the-caretaker-and-the-dumb-waiter-pinter-harold
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter, Harold)

**Brand:** harold pinter
**Price:** € 28.97
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter, Harold) by harold pinter
- **How much does it cost?** € 28.97 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nl](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/4873386-the-caretaker-and-the-dumb-waiter-pinter-harold)

## Best For

- harold pinter enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted harold pinter brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter, Harold)

## Images

![The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter, Harold) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Ls+A38zKL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Great gift
  

*by A***Y on Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023*

Bought for my friend, she loved the book!!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    You Buy the Contents
  

*by Z***E on Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017*

Just an old copy of a couple great old plays. What can a theatre guy say?

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Pinter's Plays Are Much Better Seen Than Studied
  

*by N***L on Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2014*

The Caretaker and the Dumbwaiter are two Pinter plays that remind the reader that they were meant to be performed rather than read silently sitting at home.  There is a good deal of humor in each play that readers may very well miss, but that those watching a performance would no doubt enjoy.  For example, in The Caretaker, Mick is a working class guy in his late twenties who purportedly owns a tumbledown, ramshackle old house that currently has only one (barely) habitable room.  He describes to an old man named Davies, however, how he plans to completely renovate and furnish the entire dwelling.  His description, couched in language that I take to be peculiar to the most sophisticated and expensive interior decorators and architects are, I'm sure, hilarious when coming from the mouth of a leather-jacketed, sometimes maniacally teasing and taunting Lad, whose only resource is the old dump he's sitting in.  Dense as I am, I took this all too seriously until Mick recounted his elaborate tale a second time word for word.  Performed on stage, the juxtaposition of the young thug-wannabe with the quasi-technical, aesthetically refined description of his proposed renovations must have seemed ridiculously funny.  Perhaps the same would be true of Aston's interminable fiddling with the switch on a toaster he's trying to repair.Similarly, in The Dumbwaiter, Ben and Gus' testy exchange over the meaning, or lack of same, of the expression "light the kettle" at first struck me as passingly silly.  Upon reflection, and imagining two skilled actors arguing over whether "light the kettle" or "light the gas" was conventional usage is the sort of argue-'til-you're-exhausted question that evokes laughter, especially when the exchange continues with no end in the making and no way to resolve it.  Yes, one does not literally light the kettle, but as Ben claims, it's a commonplace figure of speech.  Gus' claim that you can't literally light the kettle is undeniably true, but so what?  His persistence seems to bespeak an odd lack of familiarity with his own colloquial language, and Ben's consternation is understandable.  The more red-faced with exasperation he becomes in his encounter with adamant stupidity, the funnier it all becomes.  Again, this is much easier to appreciate when seen on stage rather than simply reading while reclining in one's easy chair.In both plays, however, Pinter's cloistered, terminally shabby, barely livable one-room settings argue against humor, especially when it bespeaks next-thing-to-homelessness poverty or a way station where hired killers wait to get their final lethal instructions.  Nevertheless, even an ill-favored context can occasion humor if the playwright and actors are sufficiently talented, and the characters are sufficiently ludicrous, and perhaps a bit mean-spirited.The Caretaker is more explicit in invoking the themes of identity and belonging than Pinter's other work.  This is especially evident in the case of Davies, the old man full of claims as to who he knows, the strapping and eminently capable man that he once was, and his willingness to modify his story to suit his interlocutor, whether Ben or Mick.  Davies makes no secret of the fact that he's down and out, but he makes vague claims as to prospects and the existence of essential documentation that, once he retrieves it, will help his get on his way.  He never explains why he had his name legally changed from Davies to Jenkins, and he often ends his sentences with "man" or less frequently "boy" rather than the conventional "mate."  Though he gives voice to hating blacks, a racial category that he construes very broadly, his use of "man" and "boy" brings to mind stereotypical usage in, say, Jamaica.  Identity again?Anton's kindness to Davies, saving him from a beating and giving him a place to stay, is uncharacteristic of Pinter.  If it's to his advantage, however, Davies has no reservations about turning on Aston in favor of Mick.A job as a caretaker would save Davies from homelessness and beggary.  It remains unclear, however, whether the job is more than an artifact of Mick and Aston's pipe dreams.  This sort of uneasy uncertainty is something we have come to recognize as intrinsic to Pinter's understanding of life.In The Dumbwaiter, the dialogue between Ben and Gus consists of the sort of banal, inane, didn't-need-to-be-said working class linguistic noise that suffuses most of Pinter's work.  The Dumbwaiter is unconventional, however, in that it is organized around a clear purpose, even if a nasty one.  Ben and Gus, in today's common parlance, are hit men,waiting to be given the identity of their target for this week.In a room that is part of the basement of a building that once housed an upscale restaurant, they very unexpectedly begin receiving taunting requests for exotic dishes to be sent up the dumbwaiter.  Gus and Ben send what they've got, nothing at all like the requested dishes, and they receive a critique of the items they've managed to get together.  They become exasperated, and maybe a bit panicky.When Gus leaves the room to go to the lavatory, Ben receives a message that leaves him grim-faced and a good deal leas cocksure and in control than he had been.  Upon Gus' return, they look at each other, and each says, "What are you lookin' at?"  The meaning of the message to Ben is now clear, and Pinter, for once, ends a play with a readily interpretable ending.However, throughout The Dumbwaiter, the play seemed more conventional than I've come to expect Pinter to be.  It was plainly purposeful, even if the purpose was nefarious.In my view, The Caretaker is a Better Play than The Dumbwaiter.  Both, however, are worth our attention.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nl/products/4873386-the-caretaker-and-the-dumb-waiter-pinter-harold](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/4873386-the-caretaker-and-the-dumb-waiter-pinter-harold)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Netherlands*
*Store origin: NL*
*Last updated: 2026-01-26*