The Dumb WaiterREADING RESPONSE Gus and Ben are working, waiting and listening. Who operates mute waiters in an empty house? After some time, their victims will come and they will know what to do. As the title of the play,The Dumb Waiterhas many meanings. Firstly, it emphasizes the importance of dumb waiters as props and symbols in the play. The word dumb can mean silence. This means a lack of clear communication; Waiters, are forced to act as waiters when dumb waiters start leaving messages. InThe Dumb Waiter, the nature of communication obscures the identity and intentions of the person on the other end of the dumb waiter, leaving Ben and Gus confused about how to handle the situation. At first, Ben and Gus can only communicate through notes through mute waiters, which makes the communication process very long and difficult. Once they find a channel to talk, communication can be done more quickly, but they still don't know who they're talking to or how they're reacting to the information.
