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Mr. Papillon
An elderly man and a friend of the Logician. He and the Logician are at the café at the same time as Berenger and Jean are when the play begins. The Old Gentleman functions as an “everyman” sort of character in that the way he follows the Logician’s logic lesson mimics the way in which Ionesco suggests real people fall prey to fascist movements. He’s fascinated by the logic arguments, especially when they can supposedly prove fantastical things, such as the idea that his dog is a cat because it has four paws. This then makes him more willing to go along with the Logician when the Logician defies his own logic and insists that a cat with five paws can still be a cat, which goes against the propositions that the Logician set out in his syllogism. The Old Gentleman also appears well dressed and like he’s a member of polite and intellectual society.
The Old Gentleman Quotes in Rhinoceros
The Rhinoceros quotes below are all either spoken by The Old Gentleman or refer to The Old Gentleman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes
Logician: Here is an example of a syllogism. A cat has four paws. Isidore and Fricot both have four paws. Therefore Isidore and Fricot are both cats.
Old Gentleman: My dog has got four paws.
Logician: Then it’s a cat.
[…]
Old Gentleman: […] Logic is a very beautiful thing.
Logician: As long as it is not abused.
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Logician: That would be unjust, and therefore not logical.
[…]
Old Gentleman: […] Not logical?
[…]
Logician: […] Because Logic means Justice.
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Old Gentleman: What can you do, dear lady—cats are only mortal.
Logician: What do you expect, madam? All cats are mortal. One must accept that.
Housewife: (Lamenting.) My little cat, my poor little cat.
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Berenger: (To Jean.) I’m not Asiatic, either, And in any case, Asiatics are people the same as everyone else.
Waitress: Yes, Asiatics are people the same as we are.
Old Gentleman: (To the Proprietor.) That’s true!
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The Old Gentleman Character Timeline in Rhinoceros
The timeline below shows where the character The Old Gentleman appears in Rhinoceros. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...that there’s a rhinoceros across the street, running at full speed. The Housewife and the Old Gentleman arrive at the café and bump into each other and then the Grocer. The Proprietor...
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...Housewife admits that she was scared as the Grocer gives the woman her basket. The Old Gentleman asks if he can help pick up the Housewife’s items, but he leers at her....
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The Logician and the Old Gentleman return to the café. Jean stands and turns, accidentally bumping into the Old Gentleman and...
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...another syllogism: all cats die, and Socrates is dead; therefore, Socrates is a cat. The Old Gentleman is delighted—he has a cat named Socrates. They revel in the fact that logic showed...
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While Jean and Berenger speak, the Logician and the Old Gentleman continue with their logic exercises. The Logician asks how many paws the cats have if...
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...he does this, Berenger will be cultured in no time. Meanwhile, the Logician and the Old Gentleman have much the same conversation about logic: the Old Gentleman insists that he doesn’t have...
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The Old Gentleman deduces that he could have one cat with four paws and the other with two,...
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...his promises. Berenger accuses Jean of setting a bad example as the Logician praises the Old Gentleman for “making progress in logic.” The sound of a galloping and trumpeting rhinoceros gets increasingly...
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...café cradling her dead and bloody cat. The rhinoceros ran it over. The Grocer, the Old Gentleman , Daisy, and the Logician comfort the Housewife as the Waitress cleans up.
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...things too far. Meanwhile, Daisy notices Berenger, causing him to hide in the restroom. The Old Gentleman and the Logician remind the Housewife that cats are mortal and she should’ve expected this,...
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The Old Gentleman , Daisy, and the Proprietor force the Housewife to drink the brandy and speak to...
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...calls him an “Asiatic Mongoloid.” As the Proprietor warns Berenger against making a scene, the Old Gentleman points out that the Grocer is a tradesman and should be able to settle the...
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...bright red. The Housewife continues to sob over her cat and Jean quickly leaves. The Old Gentleman tells the Grocer that Asian people have skin of all colors as Jean returns briefly...
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...to impress people with his knowledge and never admits that he’s wrong. At this, the Old Gentleman menacingly asks if Berenger has proof that one rhinoceros had one horn and the other...
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...question of whether or not the African or Asian rhinoceros has one horn, and the Old Gentleman declares that they must figure this out. The Logician stands, introduces himself, and offers Berenger...
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