Genre
play, tragedy
Language
originally written in French
Setting and Context
small boarding house owned by Martha and Mother
Narrator and Point of View
Play structured for performance
Tone and Mood
Tragic, hopeless, depressing
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Jan; Antagonist: Martha
Major Conflict
Jan returns home after twenty years to reunite with his mother and sister. The two, unaware of who he is, plot his murder.
Climax
Martha and mother kill Jan and throw him into the river, Only then do they discover who he really is. Mother decides to die as well, while Martha is left bitter, feeling robbed of everything by the hands of her brother.
Foreshadowing
"I'm not the kind of wife who likes to be awkward, but today I'm frightened, Jan!"
-Maria tries to prevent Jan from staying in the boarding house under a false identity, sensing that something will go wrong.
Understatement
"If you must know, there was, in fact, a slight misunderstanding."
-Martha talking to Maria about Jan's death
Allusions
Allusions to Greek mythology:
-the pretending game
-the killing of tourists alluding to Sisyphus
Imagery
Contrasting imagery of the gloominess and cold of her current home against the sun and heat of Africa that Martha dreams of and justifies killing for, as a representation of striving for a better life, not being content with her "here and now".
Paradox
"But you still have the strength to cry."
Parallelism
"You've lost your husband, and I've lost my mother."
Personification
"The occasions may have been few and far between, but habit gains its strength from time."
Use of Dramatic Devices
Jan's soliloquy:
"(gazing at the closed door) Perhaps after all... (He moves
across the room, and sits down on the bed.) But all she's done
is make me want to leave. What am I doing here? It's all so
stupid. I'd be happy with Maria. But on the other hand... she
is my sister and she is my concern. And so is my mother.
They've been out of my mind for much too long. (He gets up.)
Yes. It's this room that holds all the answers..."
