Applicant (1961)
An office. Lamb, a young man, eager, cheerful, enthusiastic, is sitting nervously, alone. The door opens. Miss Piffs comes in. She is the essence of efficiency. PIFFS: Ah, good morning. LAMB: Oh, good morning, miss. PIFFS: Are you Mr. Lamb? LAMB: That’s right. PIFFS (studying a sheet of paper): Yes. You’re applying for this vacant post, aren’t you? LAMB: I am actually, yes. PIFFS: Are you a physicist? LAMB: Oh yes, indeed. It’s my whole life. PIFFS (languidly): Good, Now our procedure is, that before we discuss the applicant’s qualifications we like to subject him to a little test to determine his psychological suitability. You’ve no objection? LAMB: Oh, good heavens, no. PIFFS: Jolly good. Miss Piffs has taken some objects out of a drawer and goes to Lamb. She places a chair for him. PIFFS: Please sit down. (He sits) Can I fit these to your palms? LAMB (affably): What are they? PIFFS: Electrodes. LAMB: Oh yes, of course. Funny little things. She attaches them to his palms. PIFFS: Now the earphones. She attaches earphones to his head. LAMB: I say, how amusing. PIFFS: Now I plug in. She plugs in to the wall. LAMB (a trifle nervously): Plug in, do you? Oh yes, of course. Yes, you’d have to, wouldn’t you? Miss Piffs perches on a high stool and looks down on Lamb. This helps to determine my . . . my suitability does it? PIFFS: Unquestionably. Now relax. Just relax. Don’t think about a thing. LAMB: No. PIFFS: Relax completely. Rela-a-a-x. Quite relaxed? Lamb nods. Miss Piffs presses a button on the side of her stool. A piercing high pitched buzz-hum is heard. Lamb jolts rigid. His hands go to his earphones. He is propelled from the chair. He tries to crawl under the chair. Miss Piffs watches, impassive. The noise stops.Lamb peeps out from under the chair, crawls out, stands, twitches, emits a short chuckle and collapses in the chair. PIFFS: Would you say you were an excitable person? LAMB: Not—not unduly, no. Of course, I— 25 PIFFS: Would you say you were a moody person? LAMB: Moody? No, I wouldn’t say I was moody—well, sometimes occasionally— PIFFS: Do you ever get fits of depression? LAMB: Well, I wouldn’t call them depression exactly— PIFFS: Do you often do things you regret in the morning? 30 LAMB: Regret? Things I regret? Well, it depends what you mean by often, really— I mean when you say often— PIFFS: Are you often puzzled by women? LAMB: Women? PIFFS: Men. LAMB: Men? Well, I was just going to answer the question about women— 35 PIFFS: Do you often feel puzzled? LAMB: Puzzled? PIFFS: By women. LAMB: Women? PIFFS: Men. 40 LAMB: Oh, now just a minute, I . . . Look, do you want separate answers or a joint answer? PIFFS: After your day’s work do you ever feel tired? Edgy? Fretty? Irritable? At a loose end? Morose? Frustrated? Morbid? Unable to concentrate? Unable to sleep? Unable to eat? Unable to remain seated? Unable to remain upright? Lustful? Indolent? On heat? Randy? Full of desire? Full of energy? Full of dread? Drained? of energy, of dread? of desire? Pause. LAMB (thinking): Well, it’s difficult to say really . . . PIFFS: Are you a good mixer? LAMB: Well, you’ve touched on quite an interesting point there— 45 PIFFS: Do you suffer from eczema, listlessness, or falling coat? LAMB: Er… PIFFS: Are you virgo intacta?1 LAMB: I beg your pardon? PIFFS: Are you virgo intacta? 50 LAMB: Oh, I say, that’s rather embarrassing. I mean—in front of a lady— PIFFS: Are you virgo intacta? LAMB: Yes, I am, actually. I’ll make no secret of it. PIFFS: Have you always been virgo intacta? LAMB: Oh yes, always. Always. 55 PIFFS: From the word go?AMB: Go? Oh yes, from the word go. PIFFS: Do women frighten you? She presses a button on the other side of her stool. The stage is plunged into redness, which flashes on and off in time with her questions. PIFFS (building): Their clothes? Their shoes? Their voices? Their laughter? Their stares? Their way of walking? Their way of sitting? Their way of smiling? Their way of talking? Their mouths? Their hands? Their feet? Their shins? Their thighs? Their knees? Their eyes? Their (Drumbeat). Their (Drumbeat). Their (Cymbal bang). Their (Trombone chord). Their (Bass note). LAMB (in a high voice): Well it depends what you mean really— The light still flashes. She presses the other button and the piercing buzz-hum is heard again. Lamb’s hands go to his earphones. He is propelled from the chair, falls, rolls, crawls, totters and collapses. Silence. He lies face upwards. Miss Piffs looks at him then walks to Lamb and bends over him. PIFFS: Thank you very much, Mr. Lamb. We’ll let you know.

Follow the direction below.

Prompt: Choose a character from one of the 10-minute plays listed above. In one or two well-developed paragraphs, write a character analysis, explaining the person’s actions, emotions, conflicts, and motivations. Include examples and at least one quotation from the play as supporting evidence.

Refresher on Character
A reader or viewer of a play can learn about a character in a number of ways.

Dialogue/monologue – How do the words the character says reveal information about who he/she is? Does the character have a noticeable speech pattern? Does the character’s use of language reveal his/her emotional state? What is revealed through what others say about the character?
Action – What is shown through the character’s actions or lack of action?
Stage directions/movement/props – What is revealed through the character’s placement on the stage, movements, and use of props?
Relationships/interactions – What is understood about the character through relationships and interactions with other characters?
Development – Does the character grow and change during the play, or is the character static and unchanged? How developed or round is the character?
Role – Is this character the narrator? If so, is he/she reliable or unreliable?
Tips: Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the play. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should be cited according to APA rules of style, including in-text and reference citations. Quoted material should not exceed 25% of the document.

Character Analysis: Miss Piffs

Introduction

Character analysis involves evaluating many aspects of a character in a story or plays, among others. Elements mainly assessed include the following but not limited to the role of the character in the story, the conflict they experience, their behavior, motivations, relationships, and personality types. In the Applicants, Harold Pinter writes on Mr. Lamb’s job interview with Miss Piffs, who asks him of questions ranging from professional to personal and sexual life (Pinter, 1961). The analysis of Miss Piffs character shows that she is a major, round, and dynamic personality. In addition, she loves dominance, being in control, and can easily subvert people. Her subversive and dominance traits lead her to exhibit feminism attributes and a self-confidence character.

Character Analysis

Miss Piffs is a significant character in the Applicant play as she plays the role of the interviewer in a play with few or preferably two characters and with minimal action. The Applicant play comprises only two characters, namely Miss Piffs, the interviewer, and Mr. Lamb, the interviewee. The setting is in an office, which shows minimal actions but prevalent use of symbolism. Miss Piffs plays the role of a dynamic character as she changes twice in the play. In the first section of the play, which is at the beginning, she demonstrates her professionalism and self-confidence. “Ah, good morning, are you, Mr. Lamb. Please sit down. Can I fit these to your palms (Pinter, 1961).” These words show how professional she is. However, as the play develops, she becomes indifferent, rude, and intrusive into Mr. Lamb’s private and sexual lives. Thus, Miss Piffs’ character grows and changes, as she seems to vary from a professional and humane person to an indifferent, intrusive, and rude one. She insists on asking the question, “Are you Virgo intacta?” thrice, and Mr. Lamb seems embarrassed.

In the dialogue, which seems misdirected, Miss Piffs shows dominance, as she does not let Mr. Lamb answer the questions, and does not listen to him. She asks a series of questions, some of which Lamb does not fully explain.

The words she uses reveals her as an impatient person, determined, and embraces feminism. She is restless as when Mr. Lamb asks, “Oh, now just a minute, I . . . Look, do you want separate answers or a joint answer?” She does not answer but proceeds to the next question. She seems to embrace feminism from her questions on whether Mr. Lamb is puzzled by women, men, whether women frighten him, and what traits he is freighted about women. She wants to find out what stereotypes Mr. Lamb has on women (Pinter, 1961). Miss Piffs uses a speech that reflects her time, personality, and background. For instance, Miss Piffs reflect phonological traits that show why she has a rapid questioning behavior as well as her mechanical nature. She asks questions, and the lack of effective communication shows that she does not need answers.

Her language and dynamic character reveal that she is not easily angered or startled whenever she is in control. For instance, when she asked about being Virgo intacta, Mr. Lamb feels embarrassed and responds, “Oh, I say, that’s rather embarrassing. I mean—in front of a lady-“ she does not empathize but instead repeats the question (Pinter, 1961). Her love of dominance and subversion shows how indifferent she is as a way to show she is in control. This character makes her an antagonist character and causes conflict. Moreover, she has a unique or ‘weird’ motivation when she asks questions without listening to the answer. It was as if her motives were to identify Mr. Lamb’s perceptions, quickness to anger, how easily he could be influenced, and how well he can handle social skills. Her motives were not the answers but a test on how well a physicist can use and handle social skills.

Conclusion 

The Applicant play shows two different characters of Miss. Piffs and Mr. Lamb. Miss Piffs is an antagonist character with unique motives that cause conflict to Mr. Lamb. This is seen when he cannot answer questions, as Miss Piffs does not grant him the chance. That conflict shows why Mr. Lamb is a static character.

Reference

Pinter, H. (1961). Applicant. Retrieved from http://ekladata.com/fVxTMw1Zh7e0SdsMLRMqupmfUM0/Pinter_2015-16-2-.pdf