To what extent does the structure of Rhinoceros reflect the

             To what extent does the structure of Rhinoceros reflect the text's principal themes?
             Eugène Ionesco (1912-1994) was described by Martin Esslin as a "serious artist dedicated to the arduous exploration of the realities of the human situation" . First performed in Paris in 1960 Rhinoceros epitomises the school of the "theatre of the absurd" a trend in avant-garde theatre of the 1940's, and the genre in which Ionesco was working. At its core the play deals with several themes: the absurdity of human nature; the isolation and alienation of the individual in society, the absurdity of conformism; dehumanisation and serves as a critique of ideological indoctrination as exemplified by the rise of fascism.
             The location of the text within the form of a play on a basic level reflects the themes central to the play. As a play the text assumes an immediacy which helps reflect the importance of the central themes, such as the spread of fascism, which is manifest in the text as humans turning into rhinoceroses symbolic of the conversion of people towards fascism. The location of the text within the form of a play also serves to facilitate the element of spectacle inherent in the genre of the "theatre of the absurd" allowing the absurd nature of the appearance of rhinoceroses in a provincial French town to become a manifestation of the belief that human nature in itself is absurd. The transformation of human into rhinoceroses also adds an element of dehumanisation, with human being arbitrarily becoming "strong, aggressive and insensitive pachyderms" Madame Boeuf when faced with the loss of her husband exclaims "c'est mon mari ! Boeuf mon pauvre Boeuf, que t'est il arrive" in contrast Boeuf's boss replies "Par exemple! Cette fois, je le mets â la porte pour le bon!" A witty although cold portrayal of the dehumanisation of Mr Papillion, who shows l
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