-
Essay / The Effect of Dehumanization in The Visit
Dürrenmatt draws attention to the loss of human qualities and the innate flaws of humans in his play The Visit. He does this by having the protagonist, Claire Zachanassian, avenge the false will given in court by Alfred III when he denied being the father of her child. Subsequently, Dürrenmatt shows a negative transformation of the morals defended by the townspeople of Guellen, due to their desire for wealth. The negative transformation results in the desensitization of city dwellers. These events lead to the creation of many questions for the public to think about, such as "Can justice be bought?" and “When does the need for justice become something more malicious, like revenge?” Once the audience understands the tragic event that happened in Claire's life because of Alfred III, the audience immediately feels sympathy for her. This sympathy felt by the audience is generated by the way in which the denial of her ex-lover pushed her to leave the city and become a worker in a brothel. After this realization, her quest to achieve justice seems justified to the audience, except that upon further analysis, Claire's dehumanization and desensitization following the same event makes it difficult to maintain sympathy for her. The aforementioned dehumanization and desensitization of the townspeople and Claire Zachanassian reinforces the internal questions of the play and manifests through Claire's physical loss of the human characters, Claire's loss of values, Claire's sense of pride and the change in values of city dwellers who refuse to refuse. kill Ill, find a way to justify why he should be killed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Claire is the only character whose loss of human physical attributes is emphasized throughout the play. Before Claire arrives, the townspeople expect her to be the same Claire they once knew. Alfred Ill begins to notice changes when he tries to touch her and realizes that she has lost some limbs and now has a prosthetic leg and arm. Curious about the extent to which Claire has lost her obvious human physical characteristics, Ill asks, "Claire, are you all artificial?" (Dürrenmatt 31), to which she responds “practically” (Dürrenmatt 31). This brief interaction is only the beginning of Claire's discovery of inhumanity. Dürrenmatt presents her this way, focusing on her imperfections, to subtly allude to the changes in her life. This physical dehumanization is accompanied by a tone of arrogance. Her references to herself as “impossible to kill” (Dürrenmatt 31) demonstrate this arrogance. The loss of her arm and leg seems to contribute to her lack of sympathy and, in turn, cause the audience to lose their feelings of worry and despondency towards Claire having to prostitute herself and abandon her child. One begins to wonder if Claire's apparent need for justice is necessary, as her desires are more than malicious with her demand for Ill's death. It is obvious that Claire's physical dehumanization serves as a metaphor for her loss of morality and values. Claire's loss of morality and values is also seen in her emotional and mental dehumanization. It's understandable that Claire's psyche is damaged because she was betrayed by the one she loved. So that's exactly what happened to his mindset in terms of how he looked at things. Dürrenmatt showed how a tragic event could make an individual lose his emotions, even those we knowinnate. The audience learns from Claire that “he lived a year” (Dürrenmatt 38) and that she “only saw the thing once” (Dürrenmatt 87) when she talks about her late child. For a mother to refer to her child, dead or alive, as "that" or "the thing" shows an apparent lack of natural feeling. Furthermore, she doesn't even show any signs of remorse regarding the child's death. His But the coldness doesn't stop there. Fortunately for Claire, she gained great wealth through her first marriage but, as a result, she became arrogant. Claire's selfishness is evident through the things she says throughout the play. Commenting on her desire for justice, she remarks that she “can afford it” (Dürrenmatt 38). She is so absorbed in her riches that she now believes that everything, including justice, can be bought. This idea defeats the purpose of justice, something that should consist of fairness, because it becomes more of a need for revenge than a need for true justice. By having Claire say that she can afford to obtain justice, Dürrenmatt makes it seem as if she does not fully understand the concept of obtaining justice. Claire has yet to realize that even if Ill is killed for ruining her life, she will still bear the pain of the memories his actions left her with. Unfortunately, Claire is too focused on an unhealthy need for revenge to come to her senses and realize that she will always carry the memories and pain of what Ill's actions did to her. Finally, when Claire says, “We only have husbands to show off, they shouldn't be useful” (Dürrenmatt 86), it becomes clear that her insensitivity has no boundaries. Her spouses are just for show and for the duration of the play the audience realizes this, given that she talks about marrying about eight different men. All of the previously mentioned ways Claire described her desensitization were Dürrenmatt's way of showing how humans can be flawed in their behavior, but what's more, these factors also contribute to the audience's rebuttal to the idea that Claire seeks revenge on Ill. , city dwellers also show signs of dehumanization. They are motivated by their personal greed, fueled by Claire's offer to donate a million dollars for Guellen and his families. The townspeople go from having good intentions of defending Ill's life to looking for a way to justify her murder. The mayor is at first adamant that the city will not accept Claire's offer "in the name of humanity" (Dürrenmatt 35), as he puts it. He later notices the money involved and how beneficial it could be for the town and its residents and thus justifies Claire's proposal by saying that it is "not for money but for justice" (Dürrenmatt 84). Humans' good intentions can sometimes be altered when outside pressures play a role, and the Mayor's shift from saving Ill to killing him illustrates this idea. The mayor is just one example of many townspeople who have also demonstrated a moral transition due to greed. Even though the mayor's quote makes it seem like he wanted justice, it's easy to see that the mayor, along with the other townspeople, were really after Claire's money. The way they ultimately gave in to Claire's selfish proposition shows the desensitization that has occurred among the townspeople. This desensitization made Ill's death seem like it was a sacrifice for Guellen and its citizens to get what they want, instead of a way to right a wrong they once committed . Although the reader can sympathize with the unfortunate situation that has arisen.?