THEME

The one-act play Facing Death by August Strindberg tells the story of Monsieur Durand. Adèle, Annette, and Thérèse, Durand's three daughters, have no prospects for the future. The love of a father for his children in Facing Death is about sacrificing everything for them. In Facing Death, Strindberg depicts the heroism of a bankrupt father's heroic sacrifice for his daughters.

SUMMARY

The main character in this play is Monsieur Durand, a pensioner, widower, and former railroad worker. He is presented as a bankrupt individual in this drama. Adele, who is 27 years old, Annette, who is 24 years old, and Therese, who is 24 years old, are Durand's three daughters. The father and his three daughters have a fragile relationship. They have no money at all. They have been in a financial crisis for ten years. They have turned their house into a lodge for the rest of their lives. Adele works in the kitchen, and Durand serves guests, cleans, delivers and brings meals, and so on. Adele also works in the kitchen.

The two daughters of Mr. Durand only make an effort to get the attention of guests. They don't do anything else at the lodge other than play, sing, and flirt with customers. The Durand family has borrowed money for years to live and spend their lives. With mounting costs, Durand is trying to figure out how to support his three children following the death of their mother. Mr. Durand must cover a number of costs. He is responsible for paying everyone, including the butcher, grocer, and baker. Their workman Pierre leaves without any bread when he goes to get some. Instead, he only brings unpaid bills. To mark the anniversary of his late son René's death, Durand purchases candles. René passed away when he was a child. He still adores him and longs for him.

Antonio, an Italian army lieutenant, is Durand's one and only paying guest at their lodge. Antonio is informed by Durand that they are unable to continue housing him as a result of poverty and a lack of supplies. Antonio makes Durand turn down his offer to stay another month and pay in advance. In addition, he asserts that prior to receiving assistance from an American family; he had no visitors for three months in the spring. While Durand takes a break for coffee, Therese flirts with the guest Antonio and they kiss. He is surprised to see them kissing when Durand gets to the door. He forcefully drives Antonio away from his home, angered. Additionally, he dumps the money he was given. Annette and Therese are unhappy with their father's actions. They want Antonio, the visitor, to be there. The father is disrespected by both girls. Because he was unable to bring bread, they even confiscated his glass of milk. He is compelled to consume only one glass of water by them. While he attempts to light his bribery pipe, Therese snatches the match.

Mr. Durand has been eager for quite a while and furthermore eats rats bait. However, because it is not harmful, he survives. All three of his daughters say that he destroyed the condition of the house. They assert that the house would not have been destroyed if mother had not passed away. She did not get along with their father Durand when she was alive. The daughters seem to be on the mother's side and only point the finger at the father. In fact, their mother used to play the lottery to squander money. She was chided most of the time. She faced the prospect of becoming a prostitute.

Mr. Durand instructs his daughters to properly handle the insurance documents and put out the stove fire when the wind blows. Additionally, he asserts that he will provide them with insurance funds. Now, the daughters are acting appropriately around him. He agrees to let Therese marry Lieutenant Antonio if he truly loves her, seeing her dissatisfaction. Therese is overjoyed to hear this and gives him the match back. He contacts his oldest little girl Adele and asks about the candles. He begins to reveal the things he has kept inside his heart after giving Adele instructions to conceal documents from a fire insurance policy. France was the nation where he was born. He had fallen in love with a woman long before he was eligible for military service. They came to Switzerland and acquired Swiss citizenship to wed. He fought against the French army in the final conflict while serving in the Swiss Army. It suggests that he has armed himself against his own nation. He claims to have been born in Switzerland to hide his guilt.

Additionally, he asserts that their mother's carelessness and reckless actions led to the loss of his maternal and ancestral possessions. In this manner, they had exhausted their entire inheritance. While Durand's wife was still alive, his children were taught to dislike him. They were coerced into submission by her. She successfully turned her children against their father by blaming her husband the majority of the time. Because he didn't want his daughters to question their mother's decency, Mr. Durand remained silent after her death for the rest of his life.

Adele is instructed by Durand to care for her sisters like a mother. He suggests that the youngest daughter, Annette, take a job as a teacher so that she can be in good company and keep track of her insurance paperwork. At the end, he takes the poison out of the glass, and the house is shown burning. In order for his children to receive 5000 francs from the fire insurance, Durand set the house on fire and poisoned himself.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW.

a. Where exactly is the play set?

The action takes place in Monsieur Durand's dining room, where he lives with his three daughters as the owner of a boarding house, a widower, and a former railroad worker.

b. Why do the butcher, baker, and grocery store send Durand's bills to them?

Because Durands haven't paid their bills in a long time, the grocery, baker, and butcher send their bills to the Durand household. Due to this, they can't provide any more goods until the bills are paid.

c. When Monsieur Durand doesn't have enough money to buy bread or candles, why does he spend money on them?

When Monsieur Durand doesn't have enough money to buy bread or candles, he buys them anyway because he wants to light them on the anniversary of the death of his beloved son René, who died when he was a child. Durand still has feelings for the deceased child and is devastated by his death. Durand has yet another strategy. He intends to burn down his house and get money from his fire insurance policy to help his daughters with their finances.

d. Why did Monsieur Durand decide to sell his life insurance policy?

Monsieur sold his life insurance to cover the debtor's loan. The debtor was enraged at him for not paying his debts because he was in such a precarious situation.

e. Why has Monsieur Durand paid for insurance against fire?

Monsieur Durand has paid for fire insurance so that he can later file a claim for compensation. He wants to burn down his house to get money from his fire insurance and give the money to his daughters.

f. In what manner did Monsieur and Mrs. Durand lose their inheritances from both sides?

Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Durand lost all of their inheritances from both sides as a result of Mrs. Durand's carelessness and foolish speculation. Both of them lost the assets that they had used to raise their children—maternal and paternal assets.

g. Why does Monsieur Durand lie about where he was born?

Monsieur Durand lies about where he was born because he fell in love with a woman before he was old enough to marry. He wanted to get married to that woman. He left his hometown and moved to Switzerland as a result. To protect his and his wife's reputation, he lies. Additionally, he fought alongside Switzerland against France, his own nation. He lies to cover his embarrassment.

h. To make a living, Monsieur Durand is running a business.

To make a living, Monsieur Durand runs a lodge. He turned his house into a lodge to make money. His guests can eat at his restaurant and stay with him. There is a good facility, like a hotel.

I. What plan does Monsieur Durand need to assist his little girls with cash?

In order to provide financial assistance to his daughters, Monsieur Durand intends to end his life by burning down his house. He wants to be compensated by the fire insurance policy so that he can help his daughters financially. He intends to end his life for the sake of his three daughters.

j. How does Mr. Durand pass away?

Monsieur Durand commits suicide to end his life. At the play's conclusion, he drinks poison and sets fire to his house in order to assist his daughters with the insurance policy funds.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. Sketch the personality of Monsieur Durand.

The main character in the play "Facing Death" is Monsieur Durand. He owns the lodge and worked as a railway worker before becoming a widower. He is a monetarily depleted man with three girls. The lodge is where they all live. The bond between Durand and his daughters is fragile. We see him as a loving, caring, and protective parent in this play. Because of his bankruptcy, he and his three daughters are having a difficult time of it. His daughters resent him and frequently place blame on him. However, he continues to worry about the welfare of his daughters. Because his daughters don't like him, he gives up his life. He is a patient man who was wronged by his late wife and remained silent throughout his life, blaming her for his financial woes. In addition, he is a loving husband. Even though he is forced to live in Switzerland, he is a patriot who adores France. He is a sad hero who suffers from financial difficulties before tragically taking his own life for his three daughters.

b. How can we be sure that the Durand family is stuck?

We are aware that the dreadful state of their lodge has led the Durand family to a dead end. This family is insolvent. During Mrs. Durand's lifetime, both husband and wife had lost their paternal and maternal ancestry. In the midst of a financial crisis, Mr. Durand and his daughters lead a difficult life. They have converted their home into a lodge due to their dire financial situation. Mr. Durand's family has borrowed money from other people for a long time. The Durand family owes a number of debts to a variety of creditors. Durand's health is the worst of any member of the family. We discover that he lives a life of tolerance. His relationship with his daughters is difficult.

For a variety of reasons, his daughters dislike him and place blame on him. Additionally, we discover that the family does not have sufficient funds to purchase coffee bread. Because he is starving, Durand is consuming the rat's bait. This family has ended due to the financial crisis. In order to ensure the health of his daughter, Durand has made the decision to end his life by burning down his lodge. Durand's deadly mission has finally been completed.

c. "The mother, even though she was already dead, appears to have had a great impact on the daughters, especially Theresa." Do you concur?

The mother, however currently dead, appears to have affected the little girls, particularly Theresa. Yes, I concur with this assertion. We can see that the mother has a significant influence on her daughters, particularly Theresa, in this play. She taught the children to despise their father Durand while she was still alive. She made them follow her orders. She successfully turned her children against their father by blaming her husband the majority of the time. After her death, Mr. Durand remained silent because he did not want his daughters to question their mother's goodness. He is a patient man who was wronged by his late wife and remained silent throughout his life, blaming her for his financial woes. Due to their mother's instruction, each of the three daughters despises their father.

They believe that their financial collapse is primarily attributable to their father. Her mother has had a significant impact on Theresa the most. She frequently acts rudely. While he is getting ready to inhale tobacco through a briar pipe, she steals the matches from her father. In a similar manner, she takes his milk glass. To her father, she seems cruel. She is the most enraged of the three sisters toward her father.

d. Talk about Monsieur Durand's marriage to his wife.

The marriage between Monsieur Durand and his wife was strained. Even though Mrs. Durand had destroyed the family home herself, she used to place the blame on Mr. Durand. Because of her carelessness and hasty gambling, she damaged the ancestral property. She used to buy lottery tickets with money from the family budget. After being beaten, she threatened her husband with becoming a prostitute for money. She was referred to as a lone soldier by him. She made in every last bit of her young ladies a disdain for their dad and filled their heart with pessimism. She had successfully turned her daughters' attention away from their father and turned them against him.

e. The relationship between characters in this play is determined by money. Include examples from the play to support this assertion.

Money plays a significant role in the lives of Mr. Durand and his daughters in the play "Facing Death." The most fundamental problem in this play—money—is the first and most pressing one. The financial difficulties of Mr. Durand's family have caused the entire family to live a miserable life without many essential necessities. Due to starvation, this family is in a precarious situation. The family's financial situation prevents them from purchasing bread. Mr. Durand has been starving for a long time. He is even shown eating rat’s bait. Mr. Durand is unable to provide for his daughters' basic needs because of the economic situation.

f. Monsieur Durand commits suicide so that the insurance company will pay his daughters 5000 francs. What can we learn about him from his plan?

Durand's plan reveals his concern regarding his daughter's future. In the play "Facing Death," Mr. Durand is portrayed as a sad protagonist who takes his own life by drinking poison and setting fire to his house to get money from the fire insurance company to help his daughters out financially. Mr. Durand has consumed his entire time on earth in financial difficulty. His daughters have primarily placed blame on him as a result of the financial crisis. He is perceived as a negligent and failing father. His strategy for the well-being of his daughters demonstrates that he is a caring parent who is concerned about their children's future. He is the father who sacrifices his life for the sake of the future of his three daughters.

g. Talk about Facing Death as a modern tragedy.

We refer to a play as a "modern tragedy" when we talk about one that deals with tragic events and has a tragic conclusion, particularly one in which the main character dies. Due to the tragic death of Mr. Durand, the protagonist, the drama "Facing Death" portrays prevalent issues accurately as in modern tragedy. Realism and naturalism characterize contemporary drama.

This kind of tragedy's main character is a common man. Additionally, contemporary issues like loneliness, broken family ties, and sociocultural issues are addressed in modern tragedy. Characters suffer as a result of their fate, economic status, gender, socio-cultural environment, and other factors. All of the characters of contemporary tragedy are present in this play. This play portrays the existential crisis of present day man carrying on with a significant life emergency. The financial difficulties have been extremely hard on him and his three daughters. The play's problems with bad relationships and low economic standing are easy to spot.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT:

a. Write a few paragraphs that explain the father's role in the family.

Fathers unquestionably play a significant part in the family. Being a father is more than just a position. My opinion is that a father is someone who adopts or accepts the role of parent and acts as a parent to someone else at any time. There are a lot of roles and responsibilities that fall on a father in the family. The role that a father plays in the family is very important to the mental and physical health of his or her children. At the point when a kid has a positive relationship with a caring dad, the person in question is bound to have great mental wellbeing and more grounded connections sometime down the road.

The father's primary responsibility in the family is to provide, make sure the family has a home, provide necessities, and pay for school, health care, and other costs. It is the father's responsibility to raise his children in a moral and societally acceptable manner. The father has an obligation to instruct his children so that they have a solid foundation for easier stepping and rising. The father is obligated to uphold his own integrity and reputation. Additionally, the father plays a crucial role in decision-making. From a cultural and socioeconomic standpoint, the father's accent helps make certain judgments.

b. In his famous essay “The Experimental Novel,” Emile Zola says: This is what constitutes the experimental novel: to possess a knowledge of the mechanism of the phenomena inherent in man, to show the machinery of his intellectual and sensory manifestations, under the influences of heredity and environment, such as physiology shall give them to us, and then finally to exhibit man living in social conditions produced by himself, which he modifies daily, and in the heart of which he himself experiences a continual transformation. (21)

To what extent do you agree with Zola’s idea that human beings’ intellectual as well as emotional capacities are determined by their environment and heredity? Discuss with examples including Facing Death.

I wholeheartedly concur with Emile Zola's theory that a person's environment and genetics determine both their intellectual and emotional capacities.

Monsieur Durand is portrayed as a widower, lodge owner, and former railway worker in the play "Facing Death." He is broke and living a destitute life and his daughters hate him. He lost all his property due to his wife’s gambling habit. Durand took his own life because of his environment, as well as his personal and financial circumstances. He no longer had control over his mental and emotional health as a result of his bankruptcy. Since he loved his daughters, he initially considered their future. Durand had a hard time paying all of his debts and bills. In order to ensure that their daughters will have a secure future due to payouts from fire insurance, he intends to commit suicide by drinking poison and lighting the house on fire. Similar to the well-known essay "The Experimental Novel" by Emily Zola, Durand's intellectual and emotional powers are determined by his surroundings, environment, and circumstances.