The Killer: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Killer: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into a nuanced exploration of key figures within a narrative centered on societal decay and moral ambiguity. The protagonist, Bèrenger, is depicted as an ordinary, middle-aged man who aspires to the idealized life in the Radiant City but ultimately succumbs to despair, illustrating the fragility of human resolve in the face of pervasive evil. The Architect serves as a symbol of bureaucratic indifference, engaging in hollow governance while disregarding the ongoing violence around him. Mademoiselle Dany, a young and attractive figure, yearns for liberation from her oppressive job but tragically becomes a victim of the very chaos she wished to escape.
Edouard, Bèrenger's ill-fated friend, embodies physical and emotional suffering, hinting at the moral decay that afflicts those around him. Meanwhile, Mother Peep emerges as a satirical representation of authoritarianism, using manipulation to maintain control, while the Man stands as a voice of reason, albeit one that is silenced by overwhelming forces. Lastly, the enigmatic Killer, a one-eyed dwarf, symbolizes the unpredictable nature of evil, confronting Bèrenger in a chilling climax. Together, these characters create a poignant commentary on human nature, morality, and the societal structures that shape them.
The Killer: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Eugène Ionesco
First published: Tueur sans gages, 1958, in Theatre II (English translation, 1960)
Genre: Play
Locale: A large city in France
Plot: Absurdist
Time: The twentieth century
Bèrenger, an average, middle-aged citizen. Usually dressed in a gray overcoat, hat, and scarf, Bèrenger is a Chaplinesque figure, muffled to reality. He yearns to live in the Radiant City. When he learns that all of its residents wish to leave because of an unknown killer, he pluckily vows to pursue him. At the end, however, Bèrenger submits to the killer because of the “vacuity of his commonplace morality, which collapses like a leaking balloon.”
The Architect, the designer of the Radiant City, also police superintendent of the district and occasionally a medical practitioner. A harried civil servant who administers his departments from a pocket telephone and carries a large briefcase (symbolizing, like the other briefcases in the play, their owners' share in the evil they do not oppose), the Architect is of “ageless, bureaucratic age.” He warns Mademoiselle Dany of the dangers of leaving the civil service yet is blasé about the continuing deaths.
Mademoiselle Dany, the Architect's secretary. Dany is young, blond, and beautiful. She wishes to be free of her civil service job, but after she resigns, her drowned body is found in the ornamental pool.
Edouard, Bèrenger's friend. Thin, pale, nervous, and dressed in mourning, thirty-five-year-old Edouard coughs throughout the play and is visibly ill. His right arm is slightly withered and is visibly shorter than his left. Although Edouard's spilled briefcase reveals his association with the killer, Bèrenger fails to make this recognition.
Mother Peep, a female demagogue and keeper of geese. A fat woman resembling Bèrenger's concierge, she is a satiric figure of a Fascist leader, speaking doubletalk, marching her geese in the goose step, and destroying all opposition.
Man, the lone member of the crowd who speaks for reason and the rehabilitation of the hero. Dead drunk, but in top hat and tails, the Man challenges Mother Peep and her geese and is “liquidated.”
The Killer, a one-eyed dwarf who chuckles and shrugs throughout Bèrenger's final monologue. Finally, he pulls a knife and, raising it, advances chuckling toward the kneeling Bèrenger as the play ends.