o'neill's technique of expressionism - DSpace@INFLIBNET Home
o'neill's technique of expressionism - DSpace@INFLIBNET Home
o'neill's technique of expressionism - DSpace@INFLIBNET Home
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215heavy gold chevrons on his shoulders, gold bright red with alight blue stripe down the side. Patent leather laced boots withbrass spurs, and a belt with a long – barrelled, pear handled ina hoister complete his make up. (O’Neill I: TEJ 175)This gorgeous dress is contrasted with the dark colour <strong>of</strong> Jones on theone hand, and on the other , it suggests an unbecoming frivolousnes s on thepart <strong>of</strong> Jones. This apparel , not being an expression <strong>of</strong> Jones ’s real self gottorn in stages to symbolise the gradual weakening <strong>of</strong> his control over hissubjects as well as his own self. While seeking esc ape from the rebels afterrealiz ing his help lessness , he thought he could save his skin in the mannerhe had decided earlier. But once he was deprived <strong>of</strong> his power, he washelpless. That is why , the last scene <strong>of</strong> the play is realistic. Moreover, theirony is complete when Jones is shown dying <strong>of</strong> the bullet <strong>of</strong> the same silverwhich he had thought was his sole possession. It was a hoax played by himon the subject that he alone was the possess or <strong>of</strong> the silver bullet. Thenatives had moulded silver coin s into a bullet and killed him with it. Silversymb olises wealth. Money is a symbol <strong>of</strong> the destruction <strong>of</strong> self by its ownpride and greed. Wealth is power in Modern Age and also a source <strong>of</strong> death– though spiritual. The death <strong>of</strong> Jones is an example <strong>of</strong> the defeat <strong>of</strong> man bythe sam e forces that exalt him, i. e. pride and greed.In The Emperor Jones , O ’Neill presents thick Jungle out <strong>of</strong> whichJones has no escape except through death. In Freudian psychology, tree is asexual as well as a religious symbol. Jones throws himself at the foot <strong>of</strong> analtar to pray just near the place from where he had entered the jungle. A t thealtar , the rights <strong>of</strong> exorcism took place under the tree because after exorcismman experiences spiritual regeneration. The tree symbolises this birth andspiritual strength. Therefore , it was her e that the evil in the form <strong>of</strong> acrocodile appeared before Jones ’ eyes <strong>of</strong> imagination. The eyes <strong>of</strong> crocodilefixed on Jones demand his life. Till then, Jones was not aware <strong>of</strong> the factthat his life would be demanded by evil. Therefore, in an uncertain state <strong>of</strong>mind, he kills the crocodile , and he is once more his real self. However, inkilling <strong>of</strong> the crocodile, he has killed himself. This is the climax <strong>of</strong> the play.The death <strong>of</strong> Jones by the silver bullet made by the rebels is shown on the