I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least.

This quote demonstrates the boundless mentality of writer and dramatist Eugene Ionesco, considered by many to be one of the most influential writers of Theatre of the Absurd. Absurdist writing is characterized by intentionally bizarre and unreasonable behavior, as well as the belief that our universe is inherently illogical, random and chaotic. These ideas may seem strange and even somewhat depressing, but to many, they felt like truth, and writing in this style allowed for a certain degree of freedom and humor. After World War II, which involved large-scale horror and senseless violence, writers sought uncharacteristic channels for their discontent and disconnection. Absurdism was a way to escape the type of rational thinking that had made possible the most deadly weapon humanity had ever seen, the nuclear bomb.

Ionesco did not become a playwright until his middle age. Born in Romania in 1909, he lived between Paris and Romania until the war forced him to relocate to Marseilles. In his early twenties, he wrote poetry and essays; however, his plays are considered his finest work. Interestingly, it was his learning of the English language that caused the shift in his thinking which would eventually lead to his noteworthy, uncanny style–while copying out English sentences, over time the meanings of the words shifted, giving way to layers and complexities, until finally coherence disintegrated and each word became unrelated, their meanings malleable as clay. 

Ionesco’s first play rejected narrative conventions, presenting an illogical plot with little character development; this play didn’t command much attention until popular writers and critics took note. With their public support, Ionesco became an internationally renowned playwright. It was at this time when he wrote what is considered his best play, Rhinoceros. It follows the life of an average man, Berenger, whose problems are typical for his day: lack of direction, loneliness, overdependence on alcohol. The play begins with a conversation at a bar, where Berenger bemoans his suffering with his acquaintances.

JEAN [to Berenger]: Life is a struggle, it’s cowardly not to put up a fight!

LOGICIAN [to the Old Gentleman]: Separately or together, it all depends.

BERENGER [to Jean]: What can I do? I’ve nothing to put up a fight with.

JEAN: Then find yourself some weapons, my friend.

OLD GENTLEMAN [to the Logician after painful reflection]: Eight, eight paws.

LOGICIAN: Logic involves mental arithmetic, you see.

OLD GENTLEMAN: It certainly has many aspects!

BERENGER [to Jean]: Where can I find the weapons?

LOGICIAN [to the Old Gentleman]: There are no limits to logic.

JEAN: Within yourself. Through your own will.

Even the conversation itself, taking place on multiple levels, carries with it a sense of unease and confusion. What happens next is perhaps a test of Berenger’s will, and the main conflict for the play: suddenly, one by one, his colleagues and friends are incomprehensibly transformed into rhinoceros. Berenger is desperate not to be sucked in, and that the object of his love, Daisy, remain human with him. This play struck a chord with people for its ability to depict an ordinary, flawed man who resisted, quite literally, the “herd,”  holding onto his identity while those around him were morphed into something capable of causing mass destruction with its violent, blind chargings. The comparison to Nazism is shown in the symbol of the rhinoceros, and reflected the horrifying acts of violence committed by those who simply followed orders without any reflection on their conscience; however, the play’s scope travels beyond a single historical reference. It can be applied to any time period when it becomes more important to trust our own instincts and remain an outsider rather than blend in with a world that promotes sameness at the expense of humanity.