Absurdity, Logic, and Intellectualism
Rhinoceros takes place in a provincial French town where, over the course of the play’s three acts, the entire population—save the play’s protagonist, Berenger—turns into rhinoceroses. The play is absurd in a variety of ways, not least because of its premise: in addition to the absurd “rhinoceritis” illness that grips the town, characters also make ridiculously illogical arguments that, to anyone watching or reading, don’t hold up to scrutiny at all. Through these…
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Fascism
Rhinoceros is widely considered to be a critique of Nazi Germany, as well as of the fascist party and movement known as the Iron Guard, which simultaneously arose in Ionesco’s native Romania. As “rhinoceritis” functions as a metaphor for fascist regimes in general, Rhinoceros pays close attention to the way in which fascist and totalitarian beliefs—and eventually, regimes—are akin to a disease that gradually infects a population by introducing its ideas in a way that…
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Individuality vs. Conformity
In Rhinoceros, Berenger is not particularly smart or ambitious, and he harbors obvious weaknesses such as alcoholism and chronic lateness. It’s telling, then, that Berenger is the only person in his small French town who is able to escape the rhinoceritis illness, especially when his well-connected and esteemed peers and colleagues ultimately succumb and turn into rhinoceroses. With this, Rhinoceros suggests that while people’s distinguishing characteristics may at first look like major flaws…
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Escapism, Violence, and Morality
While the play as a whole is a grand metaphor for fascism in all its horrors, Berenger takes issue primarily with what he sees as the immorality of rhinoceritis. The rhinoceroses start out as innocuous as a hoard of animals running rampant through a town can be—while they do drown out all attempts at conversation, they cause no real harm at first. This quickly changes, however, as the rhinoceroses move on to destroying pets and…
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