The Servant is a 1948 novella by Robin Maugham about a wealthy London man’s psychological subjugation by his male servant. It is a dark, claustrophobic story of class, power, and corrupted relationships, famously adapted into a 1963 film with a screenplay by Harold Pinter.
Plot summary
Narrated by an old war friend named Richard, the story follows the descent of Tony, a young and initially confident London aristocrat.
The hire:Â Returning from the war, Tony buys a large townhouse and hires Hugo Barrett as his manservant. Barrett quickly proves himself to be an excellent, attentive domestic, and Tony finds himself growing dependent on him.
A sinister dynamic:Â Tony’s girlfriend, Susan, is immediately suspicious of Barrett’s obsequious and manipulative demeanor. She perceives the threat he poses to Tony’s independence and the traditional master-servant dynamic.
The plot thickens:Â To further his control, Barrett orchestrates for his “niece,” Vera, to be hired as a housemaid. The “niece” is actually Barrett’s lover, and the two conspire to seduce Tony. After Tony and Vera begin an affair, a disastrous discovery forces a confrontation, and Barrett and Vera are fired.
Complete reversal:Â Tony, however, is too weak and dependent to stay away from Barrett. He soon rehires him, and the psychological games intensify. By the end, Tony’s willpower has been completely eroded, and the roles of master and servant are grotesquely reversed, with the once-dominant Tony now subservient to Barrett.
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