Maggie Hobson in Tim Sheader's Hobson's Choice

Maggie Hobson in Tim Sheader's Hobson's Choice

Maggie is an extremely bossy person, used to getting her own way. She

is also stubborn and can easily manipulate people to do what she wants

and is unlikely to change her mind on most matters.

In act one of "Hobson's Choice." Maggie walks straight into the shop

and immediately starts work "she crosses the shop and takes her place

at the desk... she busies herself with an account book." This shows

she has a sensible 'business like' mind. A little later Albert Prosser

walks in. Albert is a solicitor currently courting Hobson's daughter

and Maggie's younger sister Vickey. He enters hoping Hobson is out but

Maggie takes the opportunity to prey on him and almost forces him to

buy a pair of shoes, a pair of laces and get his current shoes

repaired. She does this is because he comes in often to see Vickey and

she sees him as easy prey. Maggie also does not see the need for

courting, she believes it is useless. Maggie makes a comparison of

courting to having a fancy buckle on a shoe, "see that fancy silver

buckle on that shoe m'lass to make it look pretty? Courting's like

that, all glitter and no use to anybody." This shows she is a

practical 'to the point' person. She speaks her mind whatever the

situation.

Maggie also organizes the household, although her father Hobson likes

to think he is the boss Maggie is really wears the trousers. This

shows in how her father wants to go out but Maggie restricts how long

he has to go out by not altering the time of dinner when he wants to

leave. She says before he is about to go "if you stay out longer than

an hour at the moonraker's you'll be la...

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proud and stuck up and is determined to stay that way.

Maggie is not liked much in the book as she is so bossy and stubborn.

Women in those times were not like that at all and Maggie is more of a

modern woman than many today. She gets Will to clean up after dinner

and also gets Freddy and Albert to help "Willie we'll be needing that

table cleared." Then she says to Albert "and you and Freddy can lend

him a hand with the washing up."

This type of thing was unheard of in Victorian times and Freddy and

Albert must have been shocked to hear her say this.

I think Maggie is a good person, but on her own terms. She has done

the right thing throughout the book though it may not have looked it.

She has made Will a success, got her sisters married off even goes to

live with her father at the end, to cure his sickness.