Rhinoceros And The Theatre Of The Absurd

Rhinoceros is a play by Eugène Ionesco, which is an example of The Theatre of the Absurd—the Theatre of the Absurd delves into the meaninglessness and aimlessness of human existence. After the Second World War, it emerged due to the anxiety and search for meaning in individuals’ lives. It also engages with the themes of existentialism in the plays.

The play, Rhinoceros, centers around themes such as conformity, totalitarianism, mass movements, herd mentality, philosophy, and morality. In the play, the characters gradually turn into rhinoceroses, which are symbolically used to show that they become part of the totalitarian ideology in the play. The protagonist of the play, Bérenger, is the only one left against turning into rhinoceroses, and he is also against public opinion. He gradually becomes more and more lonely, but he does not yield. Throughout the play, Berenger is asked to be more like a conformist, “normal” in Jean’s sense, and an adaptable man. He is the incompatible and nonconformist one. But he also has the anxiety of being lonely—and Ionesco conveys the feeling to the reader throughout the scene —which surrounds him in any kind of action after his friends become rhinoceroses. That’s why he feels isolated and disconnected from everyone else. He starts to think that he is the one who has a problem with turning into a rhinoceros.

In the play, society gives up its personal perspectives and adopts the imposed ideology. So, Ionesco might point out a harsh political reference. On the other hand, society makes Bérenger weak and guilty because he does not join the rhinoceroses’ group and he belongs to the minority.

The play is not restricted to one specific incident because its themes are universal, as it deals with the problems of humanity in general. Thus, every nation interprets the play in its own way, but at the end of the day, it opens into all kinds of totalizations.