How we cite our quotes: (Act)
Quote #7
HUGO: The days grow hot O Babylon! (2)
Hugo almost turns this rant into a mantra throughout the play, and by the end it revives the company and brings them together as a Babylonian chorus who all sing different songs at the same time. Is it possible to see Hugo’s shouts of this line as an omen or a prophecy of some kind?
Quote #8
LARRY: Be god, you can’t say Hickey hasn’t the miraculous touch to raise the dead, when he can start the Boer War raging again! (3)
Through Larry’s use of language, Hickey’s own communication skills are compared to the miracle working of Christ. Once again, though, the religious allusion is used as a joke. What? We all know lines about the Boer War are hilarious.
Quote #9
HICKEY: I had the knack. It was like a game, sizing people up quick, spotting what their pet pipe dreams were, and then kidding them along that line, pretending you believed what they wanted to believe about themselves. They liked you and trusted you, they wanted to buy something to show their gratitude. (4)
For all his claims, does Hickey ever intend to help the regulars at Harry’s, or is he simply using his communication skills one more time to sell something he might not even believe in?