whole story circles around whether Davies can actually do this job or not The Irony of the Title The title suggests that Davies will take care of the room The play reveals that he is actually unfit for the role Davies complains about everything He refuses to do any work He constantly makes excuses His focus on his own needs rather than taking care of the place highlights the irony of the title The audience realizes that Davies is not capable of truly being a caretaker Aston s Caretaking of Davies Another interpretation of the title is that Aston is the real caretaker in the play He brings Davies into his home out of kindness He tries to take care of him Aston provides Davies with a place to stay shoes and food Aston says carrying out the shoes See if these shoes are any good However Davies s ungratefulness prevents him from accepting Aston s care This adds a layer of complexity to the title Mick s Manipulative Caretaking Mick Aston s brother also plays a role in the concept of caretaking He does it in a more manipulative way He offers Davies the job of caretaker He does so to maintain control over him Mick s actions are more about power than care His offer is filled with hidden intentions Mick's version of caretaking is about dominance not compassion The Theme of Identity and the Caretaker Role The title also reflects the theme of identity in the play Davies is constantly talking about regaining his papers from Sidcup He wants to prove who he is but he never actually does it His identity is uncertain His role as a caretaker is equally unstable Davies says I m going down there Sidcup anyway This reflects his uncertainty about his own identity This connects to the title because Davies is unsure of his identity The Destruction of the Buddha and the End of Caretaking Finally the title The Caretaker is justified through the play s climax Here Mick destroys the Buddha statue This symbolizes the end of any caretaking The broken statue represents the broken relationships Aston tells Davies to leave saying I think it s about time you found somewhere else The title thus captures the tragic end where no one is left to care for anyone or anything In conclusion the title The Caretaker is very fitting for Harold Pinter s play It highlights the main theme of the story how people fail to take care of each other In the end no one is really able to take care of anything This makes the title both meaningful and tragic