Rhinocéros ou la fin heureuse

Abstract

Drama has always been a literary and artistic institution responding to social and popular aspirations. At all times, it has made use of metaphor as well as of the speech devoid of all stylistic artifice. It is sometimes crude, and at other times allegorical. Ionesco, in his «Rhinoceros» went for the second choice. He teemed his drama with creatures that emerged from the African or Asian jungle, whatever, in order to denounce the totalitarian propaganda and the molded spirit of the post world war II era. This article will question the text for answers about the mechanisms of the metamorphosis. The absurdity of this metamor- phosis is the reflection of the molting that man knows in his being and immanence. However, out of this state of crisis, a glimmer of hope will put the train back to trail. It is named Be- renger. The only one who survived the metamorphosis. From various readings reconciling the philosophical and the literary without forgetting the history of literature, we will be trying to put «Rhinoceros» into a swing to see how Ionesco went from the absurd situation of man to finish on a positive and optimistic note. Hence the title of our contribution.