Rachita Taneja. Professor Debashree Sinha. Aamn601 Minor

Rachita Taneja Professor Debashree Sinha AAMN601 Minor Project - I 10 March 2017 Ionesco’s Rhinoceros: The Exposition of Existentialism Eugene Ionesco’s first full-length play, Rhinoceros demonstrates the apprehension about the spread of inhuman totalitarian tendencies within the society. The drama written in 1959 is inspired by Ionesco’s personal experiences with fascism during World War II, this absurd drama depicts the struggle of a person to maintain his identity and integrity alone in a world where all others have yielded to the â€Å"beauty† of savage forces and violence This paper is going to talk about the idea behind Existentialism, the Existentialist struggle faced by Berenger and the unreliable resolution to a†¦show more content†¦A major concept in Ionesco s, Rhinoceros, is that the actual meaning is there in the action rather than in just words. A struggle one has to face rather than taking actions which results in an individual turning to be a rhinoceros. Berenger of all the individuals is the one who is truly in search for meaning in life, because he regards the life as meaningless, life as transient and it is nothing more than â€Å"a dream†. Through drinking Berenger slips into a realm of escapism and even questioned sometimes I wonder if I exist myself. Such comment reflects the existentialist concerns in the philosophical existence of an individual. As a result of this, Berenger looks to his friend Jean who always shown himself as self-righteous and â€Å"cultured†, and admired Jean’s rigid willpower which he thinks he lacks in. Despite of several clashes with Jean on matters they cannot agree on, he never questioned Jean but simply assumed that everything was too knowledgeable for his comprehension and he couldn’t understand it . Berenger unwillingly had to settle for some standards set by his friends because this was all he had to hope to become â€Å"smart† and â€Å"purposeful† like Jean and the logician. On one hand, Berenger desperately w ants to fit in with his friends yet on the other at the thought of becoming a rhinoceros, Berenger was appalled. When Jean turned into a rhinoceros, Berenger claimed I never would have thought it of him, never! Berenger then allocated