Playwright, Friedrich Durrenmatt, in his play, The Visit, tells a sinister story of an old billionaire named Claire Zachanassian who returns to her childhood town and pays the town’s inhabitants to kill an old lover. One of Durrenmatt’s purposes was to make the citizens aware of the rising fascism Durrenmatt believed to have been happening after World War II. Friedrich uses The Visit as a symbol of the negative aspects of Switzerland’s fascism after World War II by using Claire and her bribe to show that she is symbolizing the authoritative power, by showing that the citizens in Güllen would do anything for Claire and their homeland because of their excessive nationalism, and by Claire’s obsession with crime and punishment, which also rubs
…show more content…
“And we used to be a cultural center…One of the foremost in the country…In Europe” (2). The previous quotes are used by townspeople reminiscing the times when Güllen was a rich town in both cultural and wealth. The citizens are still proud of what their town used to be and have some hope that it may return that way if when Claire Zachanassian arrives, she gifts them with a large sum of money. Many of the people of Güllen have high hopes for their town and invest in the future after Claire’s offer, showing their pride in the oncoming wealth of Güllen. “Must have come into money, ladies…Charge it…You, too, are wearing new shoes. You too. New yellow shoes. New yellow shoes…How did Hagholzer get a radio…A gleaming new gold tooth” (40-49). The previous quotes show that the townspeople of Güllen are ready to have the wealth of the town returned and are spending money they expect to soon receive. The citizens are willing to do anything for their town, even if it means killing their neighbor and friend Alfred Ill. After the townspeople kill Ill they rejoice in their town’s new wealth. “Our splendid, newly risen town, That we may enjoy our good fortune” (115). This is the last line in the play; this means that the townspeople do not regret murdering Alfred Ill and are happy and proud of their newly refurbished
“And we used to be a cultural center…One of the foremost in the country…In Europe” (2). The previous quotes are used by townspeople reminiscing the times when Güllen was a rich town in both cultural and wealth. The citizens are still proud of what their town used to be and have some hope that it may return that way if when Claire Zachanassian arrives, she gifts them with a large sum of money. Many of the people of Güllen have high hopes for their town and invest in the future after Claire’s offer, showing their pride in the oncoming wealth of Güllen. “Must have come into money, ladies…Charge it…You, too, are wearing new shoes. You too. New yellow shoes. New yellow shoes…How did Hagholzer get a radio…A gleaming new gold tooth” (40-49). The previous quotes show that the townspeople of Güllen are ready to have the wealth of the town returned and are spending money they expect to soon receive. The citizens are willing to do anything for their town, even if it means killing their neighbor and friend Alfred Ill. After the townspeople kill Ill they rejoice in their town’s new wealth. “Our splendid, newly risen town, That we may enjoy our good fortune” (115). This is the last line in the play; this means that the townspeople do not regret murdering Alfred Ill and are happy and proud of their newly refurbished