The Mysterious Banana
The Mysterious Banana
Included in many literary works are objects, which may seem meaningless, contributing to the theme of the work. In Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape”, a dramatic work which falls into the category of Theatre of the Absurd, the banana is a discreet object which eludes to the meaning behind why Krapp chose that particular event to listen to while recording his last diary tape. Sigmund Freud’s theory of wish fulfillment suggests that a banana represents repressed sexuality which can be linked to the event on the tape marked “Box Three, Spool Five”. Psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that who a person is and how he/she acts stems from the workings of their subconscious; this is known as the psychodynamic approach to psychology (Santrock and Mitterer 11). Through the psychodynamic approach, Freud developed his theory of wish fulfillment. Freud believed that the reason why people have dreams is so that their subconscious can express feelings and desires that they may not be aware they have, or are not able to act out while awake. In wish fulfillment there is manifest content which is the object that a person dreams of and latent content which is the symbolism behind the object they dream of (Santrock and Mitterer 235). The type of theatre which “Krapp’s Last Tape” is classified in is known as the Theatre of the Absurd. Theatre of the Absurd is a form of comedic drama which portrays the often meaninglessness of life. Plays of this nature usually do not display a direct plot and are usually repetitious such as every day life is (Kirszner, Mandell, and Fertile 920). With using this form of comedic drama Samuel Beckett is able to portray the life of Krapp in a dream-like state, with a dark stage, cluttered desk, only one actor, and no direction of where the play is going. When looking at “Krapp’s Last Tape” as if it were set in a state of dreams it can be seen that an object in the play may have more meaning than what is originally thought
Included in many literary works are objects, which may seem meaningless, contributing to the theme of the work. In Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape”, a dramatic work which falls into the category of Theatre of the Absurd, the banana is a discreet object which eludes to the meaning behind why Krapp chose that particular event to listen to while recording his last diary tape. Sigmund Freud’s theory of wish fulfillment suggests that a banana represents repressed sexuality which can be linked to the event on the tape marked “Box Three, Spool Five”. Psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that who a person is and how he/she acts stems from the workings of their subconscious; this is known as the psychodynamic approach to psychology (Santrock and Mitterer 11). Through the psychodynamic approach, Freud developed his theory of wish fulfillment. Freud believed that the reason why people have dreams is so that their subconscious can express feelings and desires that they may not be aware they have, or are not able to act out while awake. In wish fulfillment there is manifest content which is the object that a person dreams of and latent content which is the symbolism behind the object they dream of (Santrock and Mitterer 235). The type of theatre which “Krapp’s Last Tape” is classified in is known as the Theatre of the Absurd. Theatre of the Absurd is a form of comedic drama which portrays the often meaninglessness of life. Plays of this nature usually do not display a direct plot and are usually repetitious such as every day life is (Kirszner, Mandell, and Fertile 920). With using this form of comedic drama Samuel Beckett is able to portray the life of Krapp in a dream-like state, with a dark stage, cluttered desk, only one actor, and no direction of where the play is going. When looking at “Krapp’s Last Tape” as if it were set in a state of dreams it can be seen that an object in the play may have more meaning than what is originally thought