Lenny Character Analysis

I think I’ll have a fag. Give me a fag.

Pause.

I just asked you to give me a cigarette.

Pause.

Look what I’m lumbered with.

He takes a crumpled cigarette from his pocket.

I’m getting old, my word of honour.

He lights it.

You think I wasn’t a tearaway? I could have taken care of you, twice over. I’m still strong. You ask your Uncle Sam what I was. But at the same time I always had a kind heart. Always.

LENNY. What did you say?

MAX. I said shove off out of it, that’s what I said.

LENNY. You’ll go before me, Dad, if you talk to me in that tone of voice.

MAX. Will I, you bitch?

Max grips his stick.

LENNY. Oh, Daddy you’re not going to use your stick on me, are you? Eh? Don’t use your stick on me, Daddy. No, please. It wasn’t my fault, it was one of the others. I haven’t done anything wrong, Dad, honest. Don’t clout me with that stick, Dad.

SAM. After all, I’m experienced. I was driving a dust cart at the age of nineteen. Then I was in long-distance haulage. I had ten years as a tax-driver and I’ve had five as a private chauffeur.

MAX. It’s funny you never got married, isn’t it? A man with all your gifts.

Pause.

Isn’t it? A man like you?

RUTH. How did you know she was diseased?

LENNY. How did I know?

Pause.

I decided she was.

LENNY. [The ashtray] seems to be in the way of your glass. The glass was about to fall. Or the ashtray. I’m rather worried about the carpet. It’s not me, it’s my father. He’s obsessed with order and clarity. He doesn’t like mess. So, as I don’t believe you’re smoking at the moment, I’m sure you won’t object if I move the ashtray.

He does so.

And now perhaps I’ll relieve you of your glass.

RUTH. I haven’t quite finished.

LENNY. You’ve consumed quite enough, in my opinion.

RUTH. No, I haven’t.

LENNY. Quite sufficient, in my own opinion.

RUTH. Not in mine, Leonard.

Pause.

LENNY. Don’t call me that, please.

RUTH. Why not?

LENNY. That’s the name my mother gave me.

Pause.

Just give me that glass.

RUTH. No.

Pause.

Lenny. I’ll take it then.

RUTH. If you take the glass…I’ll take you.

LENNY. I’ll tell you what, Dad, since you’re in the mood for a bit of a…chat, I’ll ask you a question. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time. That night…you know…the night you got me…that night with Mum, what was it like? Eh? When I was just a glint in your eye. What was it like? What was the background to it? I mean, I want to know the real facts about my background. I mean, for instance, is it a fact that you had me in mind all the time, or is it a fact that I was the last thing you had in mind?

RUTH. Don’t be too sure though. You’ve forgotten something. Look at me. I…move my leg. That’s all it is. But I wear…underwear…which moves with me…it captures your attention. Perhaps you misinterpret. The action is simple. It’s a leg…moving. My lips move. Why don’t you restrict…your observations to that? Perhaps the fact that they move is more significant…than the words which come through them. You must bear that…possibility…in mind.

TEDDY. Yes, they’re about six hours behind us…I mean…behind the time here. The boys’ll be at the pool…now…swimming. Think of it. Morning over there. Sun. We’ll go anyway, mmnn? It’s so clean there.

RUTH. Clean.

TEDDY. Yes.

RUTH. Is it dirty here?

TEDDY. No, of course not. But it’s cleaner there.

TEDDY. You wouldn’t understand my works. You wouldn’t have the faintest idea of what they were about. You wouldn’t appreciate the points of reference. You’re way behind. All of you. There’s no point in sending you my works. You’d be lost. It’s nothing to do with the question of intelligence. It’s a way of being able to look at the world. It’s a question of how far you can operate on things and not in things. I mean it’s a question of your capacity to ally the two, to relate the two, to balance the two. To see, to be able to see! I’m the one who can see. That’s why I can write my critical works. Might do you good…have a look at them…see how certain people can view…things…how certain people can maintain…intellectual equilibrium. Intellectual equilibrium. You’re just objects. You just…move about. I can observe it. I can see what you do. It’s the same as I do. But you’re lost in it. You won’t get me being…I won’t be lost in it.

LENNY. You took my cheese-roll?

TEDDY. Yes.

LENNY. I made that roll myself. I cut it and put the butter on. I sliced the piece of cheese and put it in between. I put it on a plate and I put it in the sideboard. I did all that before I went out. Now I come back and you’ve eaten.

TEDDY. Well, what are you going to do about it?

LENNY. I’m waiting for you to apologize.

TEDDY. But I took it deliberately, Lenny.

LENNY. You mean you didn’t stumble on it by mistake?

TEDDY. No, I saw you put it there. I was hungry, so I ate it.

Pause.

LENNY. Barefaced audacity.

Pause.

What led you to be so…vindictive against your own brother? I’m bowled over.

RUTH. I’d need an awful lot. Otherwise I wouldn’t be content.

LENNY. You’d have everything.

RUTH. I would naturally want to draw up an inventory of everything I would need, which would require your signatures in the presence of witnesses.

LENNY. Naturally.

RUTH. All aspects of the agreement and conditions of employment would have to be clarified to our mutual satisfaction before we finalized the contract.

LENNY. Of course.

Pause.

RUTH. Well, it might prove a workable arrangement.

Lenny. I think so.

MAX. […] I don’t think she got it clear.

Pause. You understand what I mean? Listen, I’ve got a funny idea she’ll do the dirty on us, you want to bet? She’ll use us, she’ll make use of us, I can tell you! I can smell it! You want to bet?

Pause.

She won’t…be adaptable!

He falls to his knees, whimpers, begins to moan and sob. He stops sobbing, crawls past SAM’s body round her chair, to the other side of her.

I’m not an old man.

He looks up at her.

Do you hear me?

He raises his face to her.

Kiss me.

She continues to touch Joey’s head, lightly. LENNY stands, watching.

I think I’ll have a fag. Give me a fag.

Pause.

I just asked you to give me a cigarette.

Pause.

Look what I’m lumbered with.

He takes a crumpled cigarette from his pocket.

I’m getting old, my word of honour.

He lights it.

You think I wasn’t a tearaway? I could have taken care of you, twice over. I’m still strong. You ask your Uncle Sam what I was. But at the same time I always had a kind heart. Always.

LENNY. What did you say?

MAX. I said shove off out of it, that’s what I said.

LENNY. You’ll go before me, Dad, if you talk to me in that tone of voice.

MAX. Will I, you bitch?

Max grips his stick.

LENNY. Oh, Daddy you’re not going to use your stick on me, are you? Eh? Don’t use your stick on me, Daddy. No, please. It wasn’t my fault, it was one of the others. I haven’t done anything wrong, Dad, honest. Don’t clout me with that stick, Dad.

SAM. After all, I’m experienced. I was driving a dust cart at the age of nineteen. Then I was in long-distance haulage. I had ten years as a tax-driver and I’ve had five as a private chauffeur.

MAX. It’s funny you never got married, isn’t it? A man with all your gifts.

Pause.

Isn’t it? A man like you?

RUTH. How did you know she was diseased?

LENNY. How did I know?

Pause.

I decided she was.

LENNY. [The ashtray] seems to be in the way of your glass. The glass was about to fall. Or the ashtray. I’m rather worried about the carpet. It’s not me, it’s my father. He’s obsessed with order and clarity. He doesn’t like mess. So, as I don’t believe you’re smoking at the moment, I’m sure you won’t object if I move the ashtray.

He does so.

And now perhaps I’ll relieve you of your glass.

RUTH. I haven’t quite finished.

LENNY. You’ve consumed quite enough, in my opinion.

RUTH. No, I haven’t.

LENNY. Quite sufficient, in my own opinion.

RUTH. Not in mine, Leonard.

Pause.

LENNY. Don’t call me that, please.

RUTH. Why not?

LENNY. That’s the name my mother gave me.

Pause.

Just give me that glass.

RUTH. No.

Pause.

Lenny. I’ll take it then.

RUTH. If you take the glass…I’ll take you.

LENNY. I’ll tell you what, Dad, since you’re in the mood for a bit of a…chat, I’ll ask you a question. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time. That night…you know…the night you got me…that night with Mum, what was it like? Eh? When I was just a glint in your eye. What was it like? What was the background to it? I mean, I want to know the real facts about my background. I mean, for instance, is it a fact that you had me in mind all the time, or is it a fact that I was the last thing you had in mind?

RUTH. Don’t be too sure though. You’ve forgotten something. Look at me. I…move my leg. That’s all it is. But I wear…underwear…which moves with me…it captures your attention. Perhaps you misinterpret. The action is simple. It’s a leg…moving. My lips move. Why don’t you restrict…your observations to that? Perhaps the fact that they move is more significant…than the words which come through them. You must bear that…possibility…in mind.

TEDDY. Yes, they’re about six hours behind us…I mean…behind the time here. The boys’ll be at the pool…now…swimming. Think of it. Morning over there. Sun. We’ll go anyway, mmnn? It’s so clean there.

RUTH. Clean.

TEDDY. Yes.

RUTH. Is it dirty here?

TEDDY. No, of course not. But it’s cleaner there.

TEDDY. You wouldn’t understand my works. You wouldn’t have the faintest idea of what they were about. You wouldn’t appreciate the points of reference. You’re way behind. All of you. There’s no point in sending you my works. You’d be lost. It’s nothing to do with the question of intelligence. It’s a way of being able to look at the world. It’s a question of how far you can operate on things and not in things. I mean it’s a question of your capacity to ally the two, to relate the two, to balance the two. To see, to be able to see! I’m the one who can see. That’s why I can write my critical works. Might do you good…have a look at them…see how certain people can view…things…how certain people can maintain…intellectual equilibrium. Intellectual equilibrium. You’re just objects. You just…move about. I can observe it. I can see what you do. It’s the same as I do. But you’re lost in it. You won’t get me being…I won’t be lost in it.

LENNY. You took my cheese-roll?

TEDDY. Yes.

LENNY. I made that roll myself. I cut it and put the butter on. I sliced the piece of cheese and put it in between. I put it on a plate and I put it in the sideboard. I did all that before I went out. Now I come back and you’ve eaten.

TEDDY. Well, what are you going to do about it?

LENNY. I’m waiting for you to apologize.

TEDDY. But I took it deliberately, Lenny.

LENNY. You mean you didn’t stumble on it by mistake?

TEDDY. No, I saw you put it there. I was hungry, so I ate it.

Pause.

LENNY. Barefaced audacity.

Pause.

What led you to be so…vindictive against your own brother? I’m bowled over.

RUTH. I’d need an awful lot. Otherwise I wouldn’t be content.

LENNY. You’d have everything.

RUTH. I would naturally want to draw up an inventory of everything I would need, which would require your signatures in the presence of witnesses.

LENNY. Naturally.

RUTH. All aspects of the agreement and conditions of employment would have to be clarified to our mutual satisfaction before we finalized the contract.

LENNY. Of course.

Pause.

RUTH. Well, it might prove a workable arrangement.

Lenny. I think so.

MAX. […] I don’t think she got it clear.

Pause. You understand what I mean? Listen, I’ve got a funny idea she’ll do the dirty on us, you want to bet? She’ll use us, she’ll make use of us, I can tell you! I can smell it! You want to bet?

Pause.

She won’t…be adaptable!

He falls to his knees, whimpers, begins to moan and sob. He stops sobbing, crawls past SAM’s body round her chair, to the other side of her.

I’m not an old man.

He looks up at her.

Do you hear me?

He raises his face to her.

Kiss me.

She continues to touch Joey’s head, lightly. LENNY stands, watching.