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We All Are Cockroaches: Absurdist Deconstruction of Twefik Al- Hakim’S Fate of a Cockroach

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We All Are Cockroaches: Absurdist Deconstruction of Twefik Al- Hakim’S Fate of a Cockroach 170 15 WE ALL ARE COCKROACHES: ABSURDIST DECONSTRUCTION OF TWEFIK AL- HAKIM’S FATE OF A COCKROACH ___________________________________ By Ikechukwu Emmanuel Asika, (PhD) Department of English, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam. Email: [email protected] Phone no: +23480386793214 ABSTRACT Absurdism which echoes the idea of meaninglessness and nothingness of life is rooted in the philosophical ideologies of the theatre of the Absurd, that developed in the wake of the 20th century against the ashes and degeneration brought about by the First World War. Absurdism in modern literature is often linked to existentialism, the philosophical movement associated with Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus among others. Although both existentialists and absurdists are concerned with the senselessness of human condition, the way this concern is expressed differs. Tewfiq al-Hakim is a prominent Egyptian writer and one of the pioneers of the Arabic novel and drama. The play, Fate of a Cockroach is one of the compelling dramatic performances of the theatre of the Absurd. Twefik, in the play, through the use of allegory and highly symbolic elements juxtaposed human beings side by side with cockroaches in their different worlds. With Absurdism as theoretical anchor, this paper investigates the absurdist leanings in the play allegorically manifested in the intertwined connection between cockroaches and human beings. The study revealed how the lives and travails of the cockroaches, on a larger scale, are symbolic truism and representative of the realistic aspects of human existence. The paper concludes on the literary interconnectedness between humans and cockroaches in the absurdist sphere of life as represented in the fate of Adil and the King of cockroach in the play and how the knowledge of an absurdist view of life is on immense significance in our present day society. Keywords: Absurdism, Existentialism, Symbolism, Allegory, Realism, Human existence. 171 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary We are all Cockroaches: Absurdist’s Deconstruction of Twefik Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 – Al Hakim’s Fate of a Cockroach - Asika, Ikechukwu E. INTRODUCTION intellectual complexities and intricacies Absurdism is the philosophical and surrounding the theatre of the absurd opines literary doctrine that human beings live in that: existential isolation in a meaningless and The human condition being what irrational world. It is an ideology believed to it is, with man’s small, helpless, have developed in the theatre of England at insecure and unreliable to fathom the wake of the 20th century following the the world in all its hopelessness, war and post-war disillusionment that left death and absurdity, the theatre people with so many unanswered questions has to confront him with the bitter about the place of individuals in the world. truth that most human endeavor is The world wars both fought in the 20th irrational and senseless, that century upturned people’s optimistic views communication between human of life, and ushered in a high degree of beings is well-nigh impossible pessimism about human life and the and that the world with forever uncertainty of the future in an irrational remain impenetrably mystery… world. The absurdist views the world as (345). empty of meaning, order and sense of Absurdism in modern literature is decorum. The ideology is a memento of the often linked to existentialism, the horror of the war years, when humans as a philosophical movement associated with result of power, revenge, vanity and other Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus among sheer political and economic reasons others. Although both existentialists and massacred one another, soldiers turned into absurdist’s are concerned with the beasts as developed sophisticated nuclear senselessness of human condition, and each weapons that claimed million of lives. seems to draw from the realization that life Martin Esslin was the first who used is meaningless, nevertheless, the way this this term “Absurd” in his book. This term is concern is expressed differs. Many basically used to describe the irrational, absurdist’s productions appear to be making nonsensical, foolish and silly aspects of cases for the idea that all human efforts are human life. It is a philosophy which based futile and that actions are pointless, others on the belief that this world is meaningless, seem to suggest that an absurd existence purposeless and irrational and also that the leaves the individual with no chance but to existence of human beings is useless, treat it as farce, a joke and a journey from meaningless and irrational. Absurdism is a nothing to nothingness. The existentialists, school of thought stating that the efforts of however, claim that the realization that life humanity to find inherent meaning will has no transcendental meaning either ultimately fail because no such meaning derived from faith or from the essence of exists at least in relation to the individual. In humanity itself, can and shall serve as a the opinion of Meyer Abrams and Geoffrey: springboard to action. An individual’s life, the term is applied to a number of works, in according to the existentialists, can be made drama and prose fiction which have in meaningful only through that individual’s common the view that the human condition actions. This sums up the areas of is essentially absurd and that this condition similarities and divergences in the can be adequately represented only in works ideological inclinations of Absurdism and of literature that are themselves Absurdism Existentialism. … (1). Esslin while looking at the 172 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary We are all Cockroaches: Absurdist’s Deconstruction of Twefik Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 – Al Hakim’s Fate of a Cockroach - Asika, Ikechukwu E. In all, Absurdism focuses on with these attributes Twefik Al- situation and on characters. In an absurd Hakim gave to the Egyptian theatre drama, characters have no meaning and the foundations of respectability it purpose in their lives. They live a needed … (viii). meaningless and purposeless life in the The play, Fate of a Cockroach, first whole drama. Even their dialogues and published in 1966 is one of the compelling conversations to one another are dramatic performances of the theatre of the unmotivated and always revolve around absurd. In the opinion of Juicy Nerdy, specific and meaningless things. Hakim intended to portray humans as arrogant and self-centered. The play, as she THE PHILOSOPHY OF TEWFIK AL- further maintains, is a form of absurdist HAKIM AS A PLAYWRIGHT: A drama because it does not demonstrate some BRIEF REVIEW OF ALLIED ideals of perfection, instead it demonstrates LITERATURE that people by nature are self-centered and power plays a vital role in this play (365). Tewfik al-Hakim, born on October In the same vein, Stephen Solanke while 9, 1898 was a prominent Egyptian writer examining the serious political undertones and one of the pioneers of the Arabic novel of the play avers that: and drama. He remains one of the notable In Fate of a Cockroach, Al-Hakim voices in Arab literature till date and his satirically creates the cockroach plays in many ways marks a new future for characters to symbolize the dramatic performances in Egypt. Denys political disillusionment with the Johnson Davies remarks of him in these socialist revolutionary regime complimentary words: under Nasser's. He later criticized this period in his account entitled Tewfik Al-Hakim is the undisputed 'Awdat Alwa'ey' (the return of pioneer of dramatic writing in consciousness) Badawi, M, M. The Arabic. While Egypt has a parallelism in the play runs at the theatrical foundation going back to level of the cockroaches and more than a hundred years, the humans. The King and the Queen plays produced were until recently Cockroaches have a similar issue either heavy melodrama adapted in as the human couple Samia and cliché-ridden classical, Arabic Adil who woke up and began to from French or domestic farce, have an argument. In both often with political undertone instances in the play, though the written in colloquial language. topic of argument is different, the With his natural talent, his wide female has the upper hand. The read in French, his close study of discourse in both cases alludes to the techniques of European theatre conflictive roles between the sexes (the dramatic form was unknown which could be taken as a in classical Arabic literature), his reflection on the case of the roles interest in the problems of of women and men in Egyptian language – most pertinent in a society at that time (78). culture where the written language Fate of a Cockroach, as an absurdist differs so much from the spoken- play, centers on events on two different 173 ANSU Journal of Language and Literary We are all Cockroaches: Absurdist’s Deconstruction of Twefik Studies (AJLLS) Vol.2 No.1 – Al Hakim’s Fate of a Cockroach - Asika, Ikechukwu E. realms of existence. The first realm is the Egyptian playwright Tawfīq al- insect realm or insect kingdom while the Ḥakīm’s 1966 play, Fate of a second realm is the human world. In the first Cockroach has been widely part of the play, which takes place in the understood by most critics to be a insect realm, the playwright captures events juxtaposition of two separate plays, in the cockroach kingdom which is ruled by one centered around a miniature King Cockroach and his cohorts. As Ifejirika cockroach kingdom, and the other Echezona and Obumse Amechi project: a human married couple’s apartment… This structural King Cockroach’s kingdom is phenomenon provides an plagued by a lot of problems innovative way to allegorize the especially the threat posed to the nation through its presentation of nation by the more militant and two private narratives with the organized ants.
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