Hobson's Choice is a play which is set in Salford, Lancashire in the 1880's. The story is based around Mr Hobson, his three daughters (mainly Maggie), and what happens in their lives, working in their shop, amongst other things.

The play manifests many different conventions which were accepted during these times, and how they are broken, mainly by Hobson's eldest daughter, Maggie.

The first of these is shown in the first act, and is carried on throughout the play. This is Maggie's domination of her father. We see how Maggie, in a crafty way, runs her father's life. This is unusual as Maggie is a woman and in those times 'the woman's place is in the kitchen.' But Maggie, worked in, and ran, her father's shoe shop, along with the help of her two sisters, Vickey and Alice. Although, they did not show the same domineering attitude or business acumen towards other people as Maggie did. They just carried on with their Maggie would tell her father when to come in for tea in a 'round-about way'
    "Dinner's at one, remember."
    "Dinner will be when I come in for it. I'm master here."
    "Yes, father. One o'clock."

Mr Hobson is not the only person in the play who is dominated by
Maggie, though. As we see throughout the story, Maggie overpowers
everyone within her reach and another main person to get mixed in was
Willie Mossop.

One day, while Maggie and Mr Hobson were in the shop, a lady customer, Mrs Hepworth, came in. she asked to see the person who made her boots. At first, Hobson thought that they must not have been satisfactory and promised that he would fire whoever had made them. But when the maker, Willie, appeared, she congratulated him on the best
pair of boots she had ever had. She even gave him her address in case he would like to work for her to make all her boots, but he refused.
"Then hold your tongue. Mossop, I've tried every shop in Manchester, and these are the best-made pair I've ever had. Now, you'll make my boots in future. You hear that, Hobson."
This is the first sign of Willie's potential.

As a result Maggie sees a great opportunity. Maggie confronts Willie and proposes to him only she does not really propose she tells him to marry her:
"You're going to wed me, Will."
This is breaking a second convention as men were supposed to do the proposing and also a third, as Maggie had decided to marry into a lower class Maggie believes that she should not follow accepted conventions and believes she should do things that are beneficial for her.

Although Willie disagreed with the proposal, Maggie did not give up. When Willie's beloved fiancée, Ada Figgins, came in, Maggie had a 'discussion' with her. Maggie tried convincing Ada that she does not want to marry Willie using a variety of persuasive techniques. Even though Willie loved Ada his love was overtaken by Maggie's dominance. This is, yet again, breaking another convention. In the 19th Century it was the women who were forced to marry, usually by domineering parent. But in this instance it was a man who was forced to marry by a domineering woman.

Maggie tries to change Willie's view of her by offering him refuge from Ada's mother, because Willie is scared of her. This is because if Willie ever said or did nothing against Ada or her mother, Mrs Figgins would beat Willie:
"Yes, but you don't know her. She'll jaw me till I'm black in the face when I go home tonight."
Maggie arranges for him to go and live at Tubby Wadlow's. Willie was pleased with Maggie about this:
"Eh, Maggie, you do manage things."

Although Maggie had almost convinced Willie to marry her, her father did not approve. His opinion of Willie was fair, until he heard of his daughter's plans. First he says:
"A decent lad. I've nowt against him that I know of."
He then goes on to say, after hearing Maggie's plans to wed Willie:
"I tell you my mind's made up. You can't have Willie Mossop. Why, lass, his father was a workhouse brat. A come-by-chance."
(The consequences of this was that Hobson threatened Willie with a beating, but this made Willie more determined to marry Maggie.

On Maggie and Willie's wedding day, they went around to the shop, as they now had their own place; two cellars. Maggie bought two brass rings. This signified that Maggie was not marrying for love, just for business and also, that she was being frugal She did not really care about her marriage, she just wanted Willie for his work. Maggie told not asked, her sisters, Vickey and Alice, to go to her wedding.

During this time Hobson had 'accidentally' fallen down a friend's, Mr Beenstock, cellar. Maggie had purposely left the door open, as she knew that her father was an alcoholic, and would be going home drunk from 'The Moonrakers.' But there was a reason for Maggie's scheme; everything was exposed at Maggie and Willie's wedding party

The party was held at Maggie and Willie's cellars. The only people there were Maggie's sisters, Albert Prosser, Freddy Beenstock and, of course, Willie and Maggie themselves. They all just sat around having a drink while Willie gave a short speech. Then Maggie, breaking yet another convention, made the men do the washing-up:
"Willie, we'll be needing this table when they're gone. You'd better be clearing the pots away." In her usual way, she then adds:
"And you and Fred can just lend him a hand with the washing-up, Albert."
This convention was broken without any thought. If any other woman other than Maggie had asked them to wash-up, they would not have done it or at least argued more than they actually did. This was because they were used to giving in to Maggie although they did not see it that way:
we know what Maggie is. If we start giving to her now, she'll be a nuisance to us all our lives."

At the party, Mr Hobson turned up. He was angry as he had received a letter explaining he was going to be sued for trespass and damages. This was part of Maggie's scheme. She knew Albert Prosser was a solicitor and plan to use his 'expertise' to make Hobson pay money. Using Albert
made it look legal. This money would be used for Alice's marriage to Albert and Vickey's marriage to Fred:
"Their wedding-day is not so far off as you thought, now there's the half of five-hundred pounds apiece for them to make a start on." This is breaking another convention. Maggie was arranging her sister's marriages. This was usually the responsibility of the parents. This also shows that when Maggie has a purpose she takes notice of nothing including the law.

As throughout the play the resolution is the same as the beginning, in the sense that Maggie, yet again, plots against her father. This time, though, we see a change in Willie.

Around a year later, at the end of the play, Mr Hobson was taken ill and needed someone to look after him. Maggie and her sisters went around, but it seemed would be left looking after his father because Vickey was pregnant and Alice considered the job too low for her. This is breaking another convention because women were supposed to stay at home and look after their parents even if it prevented them having a life of their own. They are also defying conventions as they said no to their father. Willie then came around and he, with Maggie, discussed with Mr Hobson what would happen if they moved in. Before, Willie was extremely shy and used to hide behind Maggie, but had turned into a braver per on. We can see this because he stood up to Hobson and told him that if they were to move in, he would have to become partners in the shop and would also run it while Maggie and her father took care of the house. Hobson did not like this idea but did not have any choice:
"I'm doing well, but I'll do better here. I'll transfer to this address and what I'll do that's generous is this: I'll take you into partnership and give you your half share on the condition you're sleeping partner and you don't try interference on with me."

Willie, due to his personal abilities, was promoted in life and his work. Living with Maggie, he also had to learn how to take charge, so he became more dominant in own personality. Hobson, however, regressed in his life as he allowed other people to take over his shop and his life.

Overall, looking at this play, I think that the author, Harold Brighouse, wanted us to see how different conventions and expectations should have been different in the 19th Century. He showed that background should not have mattered. For example, Willie became a partner in the shop even though he came from a lower class. Also that gender should not be an issue. For example, Maggie ran not only the shop, but the lives of everyone around her, including her husband, even though she was a woman. This most probably would never have happened. He also shows us the dangers of alcohol. With the pressure of Maggie's domineering personality along with his weak attitude, Mr Hobson turned to alcoholism. Mr Hobson found that his drinking was his escape to a easier.  He described to us how a woman married into another class without even thinking twice about it Something like that, then, would have aroused many arguments and disagreements, and would have certainly not taken place Due to consequences and situations such as these, Brighouse has shown how two people in completely different places of both class and authority have almost exchanged places. If a chart we to e drawn on Hobson and Willie, they would have gone from opposite ends to where the other began. Altogether Brighouse has shown us an amusing story of an opposite side to how life used to be lived in the 1880's It was as if he just exchanged the roles, conventions, and morals. Brighouse knew that the reader would understand that this particular story could not have happened because of these conventions, but, I think, he believed this is how it should have been.