The document discusses expressionism in theatre and its use in the play Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill. Expressionism aims to represent the inner psyche on stage through symbols, short sentences, monologues and other techniques. In Emperor Jones, O'Neill depicts the protagonist Jones regressing into the unconscious levels of his mind as he travels through the jungle after escaping from prison. Jung's theories of the collective unconscious influencing innate human fears through ancestral memories is also discussed. Specific symbols in Emperor Jones like the beating of a tom-tom drum and a fabricated story of a silver bullet represent Jones' increasing fears and his struggle with his racial identity as a black man.

1. Emperor Jones, American Literature, M.A.
School of Liberal Studies, PDPU
 Expressionismintheatre isamovementthatcapturesthe innerrealityof psyche byobjectifying
it onthe stage.Thisisdone withthe helpof symbols,shortsentences,monologues, stage
effectsandmixingof time frame.
 The narrative technique likeinadreamsequence isamovementbackandforth.Streamof
consciousnesstechniqueisused.
 Insteadof too manycharacters,protagonistbecomesimportant.The conflictismostlyinternal.
The actor himself becomesthe auditorof histhoughts.
 A movementwhichstartedin1916 was establishedbyIbsen,Strindberg,KaiserandLenormand.
Brecht andIonescoalsopopularisedthismovement.
 In EmperorJones,O'Neillcapturesthe journeyof Jonesfromthe presenttothe pastin
regressive manner.Jonestravelsbackandlike hiscostumeswhichhe hastoshedoff,he gives
up hispresentandreachesthe unconsciouslevel of permittivity.Inthe course of thisjourney,
he encountershisformlessfears.
 Jungadvocatedthe theorythat humanpsyche hasthree layers – the Ego, the Personal
Unconsciousandthe Racial or CollectiveUnconscious.The Egohelpsthe realityprinciples. Itis
the consciousandbecomesinstrumentalinforminganidentity,the PersonalUnconsciousisthe
storehouse of seeminglyunforgottenmemoriesandrepressedfeelings andthe Collective
Unconsciousisthe unconscioussharedbya humanbeingwithothermembersof the human
race. It storeslatentmemoriesfromthe ancestral past. Some of the innate fearsthatthe
humanscarry like the fearof darknessetcare the resultof the memoriesrecordedfromthe
primitive past.
 Jungbelievedthatthe collectiveunconsciousorthe racial unconsciousgetsreflectedthrough
the archetypes.Basicallyanarchetype isauniversal wayof perceptionandunderstanding. The
firstarchetype thatwe have is a persona– it isa maskor a projectedimage we create forthe
society. Thishidesthe real self.Humansdevelopthisarchetype toconform tothe social group
and guidelines. The secondarchetype isanima/animus –thismeansthe mirrorimage of
differingbiological sex.Womencarrysome masculine traitsandmencarrysome feminine traits.
Thishappensbecause menandwomenhave beenlivingtogetherforyearsandtheirpsyche and

2. behavioural patterngetsinfluencedbecause of thiscompany. The thirdarchetype isthe
shadow. Itrepresentsanimal instinctsinus.Ithas tremendousenergywhichcangoconstructive
or destructive way.The lastarchetype isthe self –thisis verysimilartoMaslow’sself
actualization.
 Beat of the tom-tomwhichincreasesactuallysymbolisesthe heartbeatsof Jones.It increases in
tempoanddepictsthe fearsof Jones.
 The story of silverbulletthatJoneshasfabricatedisasymbol of liesanddeceptionthatAmerica
or rich societyhaswovenforthe developingandunderdevelopedcountries.Jonesisnot white
but byvirtue of hislivingincompanyof whites,he hasinheritedmanipulative power.He isa
white man'shubrisimpersonatedinthe bodyof a blackcharacter. The rich make the world
believethattheirmoneyandpowerwouldultimatelysave them.The ironyisovera periodof
time,the storyteller,himself,startsbelievinginhisownstories.Jung'scollectiveunconscious
takesus back to our primitivestate whichisfrighteningforus. People weave the webof
deceptionandlie forothersbutultimatelygettrappedintheirownweb.
 Encounterwiththe bare nakedpsyche isneverall that comfortable.The subconsciousandthe
unconscioushide lotof elements,fearsandshadesof personalitythatgenerally don’tsurface
when insocial contact.Jonesisveryconfidentwhenhe isinthe palace,evenwhenhe wasin
the prison;howeverthe momenthe escapesandreachesthe forest,he hastoencounterthe
darkestfearsof hispsyche.Hissocial confidence giveswaybecause social confidence isalways
builtona hollowground.Acceptingthe self identityandthe baserinstinctsisnotaneasy
process.Jonesusesthe external objects'bullets'of hisgunto remove hisformlessfearsand
ultimatelyreachesthe pointof noreturn.
 In additiontothe tom-tomrepresentingthe heartbeats,symbolisesthe tick-tickof inevitable
fate.Noamountof poweror deception canstopthe inevitable. Nemesisof Jonesis nearingwith
each beatand becomes ominous towardsthe end.
 The racial unconsciousof Jonesisalsoreflectedinhisstoryof a silverbullet.Joneswantstorun
away fromhisracial past and therefore he weavesastoryof hisowndeathwhichcan only
happenwiththe silverbullet.Alongwithbringasymbol for riches;italsoindicateshiscolour
preference.Hispalace wallsare white,the floorhaswhite tiles - all showinghisattempttorun
away fromhisblackidentitybutencounterhe must,hisprimitive darkfearsinthe darknight
and inthe dark forest.