I think we discussed this a bit in class. I want to know what everyone thinks about the charactors- who stands for what, if anything.
Just a few random thoughts of what I think...
Logician: Everything in society that is supposed to be "logical". Human's sense of logic, and the everyday things we do, are absurd.
Berenger: I think he represents what the common man strives to be, to a certain extend. He's the only charactor that we can relate to, and he's the one who "stands up for what is right". Most people would like to beleive they could be like this, so Ionesko creates a charactor that we can relate to. Unfortunately, he (maybe) turns into a rhino again, kind of bursting the bubble of all those who beleive that the good/brave (themselves) will strive in hard times.
Can someone please explain Daisy? I still don't really understand her.
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I read that Berenger represents Ionesco himself- lost and alone in a world full of delusional idiots. Makes some sense, I suppose.
Daisy, I think, is the typical idiotic person. She cares about other characters, but in the end, she does not want to risk taking responsibility for their well-being. Daisy, like the French people, eventually succumbs to the rhinos. I believe Daisy shows us that characters who started out as good, normal people can be corrupted by society. Ahh the power of conformity!
Jean is like the logician. He is supposed to be the voice of reason, though he falls to the unreasonable beasts. Logic cannot prevail in our world.
Any other thoughts?
To some extent I do agree with you Anisha; the characters are reflections of certain human characteristics, but as with everything else in Absurdism, nothing is absolute.
I did read somewhere that the Logician was a tool that Ionesco used to show that human reasoning and thought has no logical basis. Subsequently, everything we believe and the reality we create for ourselves is false/absurd.
As for Berenger, I think we discussed in class that he is a manifestation of Ionseco's feelings about the Nazi occupation. Ionesco was disappointed and frustrated to see that his friends gave up so easily and supported the opposition.
Daisy is harder to categorize. I see her as the average human being. She has compassion when misfortune befalls others (trampled cat scenario), she tries to stand up for what she believes is right, but in the end she falls to the collective psychosis. Even though we try to be individuals, we often find it hard to stand alone and eventually succumb to what everyone else is doing.
Wow, that's a bleak outlook...
I swear I didn't read your comment before commenting myself, Theresa.
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