Corruption In The Visit, By Fredrich Durrenmatt

1225 Words3 Pages

Prominent novelist and play writer, Fredrich Durrenmatt in his play, The Visit, depicts the effects of corruption in the world through various character traits and symbolism. Durrenmatt’s purpose is to show how people will conspire in the most inhumane acts to survive when their livelihoods are at risk. He adopts a ruthless tone in order to reveal unto his readers that survival instincts can override a person’s moral compass in dire situations. The actions of the teacher the pastor and the police officer exemplify the constant internal conflict for the people in this play. All these factors help lead Claire Zachanassian to achieving her life goal of gaining the revenge on Ill, the man who ruined her early years and revenge on the town that …show more content…

That action alone symbolizes an unjust law system and corruption in the decisions made by the enforcers in Gullen. “There’s a new gold tooth gleaming in the officer’s mouth” (52-53).In this quote it is implied that the officer is also a part of the impending betrayal of a fellow citizen because he has a gold tooth he would never be able to afford in his mouth if he wasn’t waiting for a check in the near future along with the townspeople. This also hints on the theme that when enough money is offered anything can be bought. The object the police officer buys and the location of his accessory could also be symbolic to the point of what the money will do to him and the people. The gold tooth which is implied will be paid by Claire is in his mouth, which is essentially what Claire is trying to buy from that specific citizen, his voice in regards to the outcome of the crime she intends on occurring in the near future .The only reason Claire and the whole town is in their predicament is because of the fact that the law system was corrupt, this shows how the town has not progressed in that area and may be foreshadowing to the future of Gullen if they show no progress in trying to change their

Show More
Related

  • Corruption In Serpico By Peter Maas

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    Serpico by Peter Maas is about how a man was a cop and stood by what he thought was right and wrong. It is about how in the 1960s there was a lot of corruption in the New York Police Department. It is about how a man deals with payoffs, shakedowns, drug dealers, etc. Serpico was one of those cops that couldn’t be paid off or be quiet with what has happened on the field. I have yet to read the whole book but I will discuss what I have read and the concepts that I understood.

    Read More

  • Pathos In Trifles

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the goals in the play is to raise awareness about domestic violence. This is done effectively through the events that are played out in the

    Read More

  • Robertson Guilt In Robertson Davies's 'Fifth Business'

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dunstan's guilt causes him to have an unhealthy relationship with Mrs.Dempster. As a young boy, Dunstan’s mother forced him to help Mrs.Dempster with the daily duties needed to be done. He was sent to be the eyes and hears of his mother because many of the town village people believed that Mrs.Dempster was “simple” and therefore was not ready to bear the burden of a child. This had brought Dunstan closer to Mrs.Dempster and had made the bound that linked their life's together stronger. He had been seeing her everyday which caused him to start to care and love for her like says "I know I was in love with Mrs.Dempster, but in a painful and immediate fas...

    Read More

  • Facing the Inevitable in An Act of Vengeance by Isabel Allende

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    Such a series of tragic events has a great toll among the two main characters (Cox ) . For a vicious, careless indivi...

    Read More

  • Corruption and Greed in the Gilded Age

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    The post-Civil War years between 1865 and 1900 were a time of immense social change and economic growth in the United States. This time period, commonly referred to as “The Gilded Age,” saw an end to Reconstruction, rapid industrialization, and new wealth. Despite these achievements, however, the era between Reconstruction and the beginning of the twentieth century was plagued by political stalemate, a decline of human values, increased materialism, and widespread corruption.

    Read More

  • Government Corruption In The Progressive Era

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s light, the Progressive Era is seen as a time period where people’s lives changed for the better, but none of that change would have been possible without muckrakers exposing the numerous problems that lied hidden from the American public. With the corruption of government officials, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions for young children, and poverty-ridden slums in cities, this article aims to expose three of the most prominent problems of the Progressive Era.

    Read More

  • Corruption In Savoir Faire By Claribel Alegria

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Corruption is a common event that has happened many times in various countries. There are different types of corruption that can happen, and each type has different effects on countries and the people within them. The overall theme of corruption used in Latin American literature describes three different emotions as an effect of the corruption. The author Claribel Alegria wrote three poems that show corruption causing depression within the country, war corruption causing guilt within the participants, and self corruption causing envy within themselves.

    Read More

  • Capital Pusnishment: Crime, Spionange and Treason

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    1188 people have been executed in the United States between the years of 1977 and 2009.[1] Most death penalty cases involve the execution of murders.[2] However, capital punishment can be applied to other crimes such as espionage and treason.[3]

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Visit By Friedrich Dürrenmatt

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    A book or a theatrical play can become the means through which writers can express their thoughts and convey their messages to society. In ancient times, Greek tragedies were a clever way for writers to judge the political world of the time, and make society reflect back on its own behavior and way of acting. Throughout the years, the form of a theatrical play underwent many changes that allowed the writers to express themselves more freely, without being limited to the strict rules of form and structure of a Greek tragedy. Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s play The Visit is a story that is set in the modern era of post-war Europe. A woman, whose life, through an ugly series of events, is ruined, returns to her hometown to get revenge for the misery

    Read More

  • The Murders In The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

    1602 Words  | 4 Pages

    The story is set in first person where an unnamed narrator serves as a character that exists for the sole reason of illustrating the abilities of Dupin's mind. Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin is the main problem solver of the story, a gentleman from an aristocratic family but is reduced to poverty. As the narrator tells the story, certain thought processes are kept from the reader until L'Auguste Dupin reveals the facts. The reader only sees and knows the facts the investigators and narrators do. In doing so, the story is more suspenseful of the reader, and the conclusion takes the reader by surprise.

    Read More

  • Modern Corruption, the loss of meaning in human existence and the loss of the traditional ways of life

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    The period between the First World War and the Second World War brought dramatic change to the values, lifestyles, norms and culture of the American way of life. It also brought a new kind of literary philosophy known as Modernism. Modernism was a movement which portrayed the world of men as a harsh and hostile environment in which life had lost its meaning and the American dream had disappeared completely from reach because of the corrupt world. Many of these modernist revealed their discontent with this new way of life with books and paintings that uncovered the ugliness of the society they lived in. One of the most famous books was the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald which follows a young American man named Nick Caraway in his experience at Long Island and New York during the roaring twenties. The author explores many modernist themes including decadence, resistance to change, social upheaval and excess. Through the chosen quote, Fitzgerald reveals the lousy and careless lifestyles that the wealthy had during the Modern period in order to criticize the morally corrupt and untraditional life’s that many were living because their existence was losing its meaning.

    Read More

  • Dworkin's View of Political Integrity

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Dworkin introduces his idea of political integrity, he begins by introducing his conception of three political ideals: fairness, justice, and procedural due process. According to his claims, a utopian society would only need these ideals to thrive because officials consistently doing what was perfectly just and fair would guarantee coherence. In our system of ordinary politics, Dworkin feels that integrity need be accepted as a fourth political ideal, if we accept it at all. In his definition of political integrity, Dworkin claims that it ought to be used to treat like cases alike, provide equality under the law, be parallel to personal integrity, and demand that the state act on a single set of consistent principles. In layman’s terms, the characterization of political integrity implies total equality under the law by all laws being justified by the same principles. Still though, he finds it important to make the assertion that it may well be the case that some “breaches” of integrity are, all things considered, better than the alternatives. Dworkin claims that we have two separate principles regarding political integrity. These principles, legislative and adjudication, try to make laws morally coherent, and allow them to be seen in such a manner. Also, when speaking of political integrity, he makes two important background assumptions. These background assumptions are that we all, as a society, believe in political fairness and that we know that different people hold different view about moral issues that they all treat as of great importance. From these assumptions and principles, Dworkin presents an interesting view of political compromise in the form of checkerboard laws.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Money In The Visit By Friedrich Durrenmatt

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Visit the author Friedrich Durrenmatt revolves around the theme of the corruption of money because it plays an important part in the progression of the story. Friedrich Durrenmatt is using Claire, a powerful billionairess to show how money can affect behavior, moral principles and politics. Claire gives the people of Güllen a big decision to make in exchange for money and the choices they are given leads them to commit murder. Claire is able to manipulate an entire town and play with the law because of her wealth. Durrenmatt shows the toll money takes on society.

    Read More

  • Corruption & Destruction by Power

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    Authority in a society is a necessary evil which when unfettered, results in the abuse of power. Power has long been considered a corrupting and a disrupting force in function and in influence. Underlying motives and greed fuel those who seek to gain and or abuse this power. The Crucible examines this twisted force as it corrupts societies’ clergy, blinds its justices, and empowers those who seek to abuse it. Arthur Miller shows how power can be a corrupting influence and how it can blind the judgment of authoritative figures.

    Read More

  • Corruption In South Africa Essay

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Amr Taha El Baba Lebanese American University SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that corruption could cripple the progress in South African societies. Crime and corruption are not relevant to the degree of poverty present in a country as some of you might think. Corruption is a social phenomenon that every society deals with, regardless of the level of development in the country. What makes corruption a dangerous social phenomenon is its ability to adapt to the conditions present in any country.

    Read More

More about Corruption In The Visit, By Fredrich Durrenmatt

Open Document