Radio dramatization of aging in Harold Pinter's A Slight Ache

Abstract

This article examines Harold Pinter's 1959 radio play A Slight Ache through the lens of aging. It argues that Pinter utilizes sound-based techniques to heighten the introspective crisis of aging experienced by the protagonist Edward. The matchseller in the play serves as an auditory doppelgänger, representing Edward's unresolved conflict between his youthful self-image and his aging body, a struggle that drives the play's psychological depth. Moreover, the article explores Edward's loneliness via his one-sided dialogues and emotive pauses, as well as his disoriented experience of time and space in his process of aging. Pinter's innovative use of radiophonic devices enhances the introspective depth, encouraging listeners to engage with Edward's experience on a deeply personal level and a more empathetic view of the complexities of growing older.