The Father: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Father" is a complex domestic tragedy that explores deep psychological conflicts among its major characters. The central figure, the Captain, struggles with his own madness, stemming from feelings of rejection and the manipulative behaviors of his wife, Laura. Laura embodies a duality in her relationship with the Captain; while she adopts a maternal role, her resentment as a wife drives her to engage in deceitful actions that ultimately aim to undermine him. Their daughter, Bertha, becomes a focal point of tension, as both parents vie for control over her upbringing amid a backdrop of suspicion and conflict.
Supporting characters, such as Margaret, the Captain's old nurse, provide moments of reassurance but also contribute to his eventual downfall. Dr. Ostermark represents the medical authority that Laura seeks to validate her claims of her husband's insanity. Meanwhile, figures like Auditor Safberg and Nojd introduce additional layers to the narrative, reflecting societal themes of education and moral dilemmas. The interplay of these characters highlights themes of power, manipulation, and the fragility of sanity within family dynamics, inviting readers to contemplate the psychological intricacies of their relationships.
The Father: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: August Strindberg
First published: 1887 as Fadren (English translation, 1899)
Genre: Play
Locale: Sweden
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: Mid-nineteenth century
The Captain, a captain of cavalry who is the chief sufferer in this domestic tragedy. He was rejected by his mother and consequently sought a mother/wife in marriage. Driven to raving madness by his wife, he is straitjacketed and suffers a stroke.
Laura, his wife. Accepting the maternal side of her relationship with her husband, she loathes her role as wife and takes vengeance on her husband by destroying him. In her efforts to prove him mad, she resorts to forgery and to misrepresentation of his scientific interests, which in fact she does not understand. She also exploits a suspicion that she has planted in his mind, that their daughter is not his.
Bertha, their daughter and a chief object of conflict.
Margaret, the Captain's old nurse. She tries to reassure him periodically; it is she who at last calms him enough to slip a straitjacket on him.
Dr. Ostermark, the new village doctor, to whom Laura goes with her “evidence” of her husband's insanity.
Auditor Safberg, a freethinker with whom the Captain intends to board Bertha so that she will be educated away from the influence of her mother and of her grandmother, who is bent on teaching her spiritualism.
Nojd, a trooper in difficulties because he impregnated a servant girl. His relatively trivial problem suggests to Laura the weapon she successfully uses against her husband.
Emma, the servant girl in trouble.
Ludwig, who Nojd claims may well be the father of Emma's child.
The Pastor, Laura's brother, before whom Nojd is called. His sympathy for Nojd is greater than the Captain's. Later, when the Pastor sees through Laura's scheme, she dares him to accuse her.