An Analysis Of Expressionist Techniques In The Adding Machine

Elmer Rice(1892-1967),a Pulitzer Prize winner,is one of the most prolific and socially responsible Jewish-American playwrights in the twentieth century.His more than fifty plays cover a variety of social problems and human spirit with diversified forms of expression.Among these plays,The Adding Machine(1922)is generally regarded as his masterpiece and the most representative play of American Expressionist style.In The Adding Machine,Elmer Rice exposes the alienated situation of the protagonist Mr.Zero,who is replaced by an adding machine.Furthermore,Rice develops a more far-reaching critique of the dehumanizing effects of technology in the mechanized society.As a movement flourished in the 1920 s,Expressionism has a profound influence on modernist artistic and literary creation.It rebels against the photographic reproduction of reality.And it is characterized by the use of subjectivity,abstraction,distortion and deformation,in order to convey the common themes: anti-materialism,anti-war,alienation and death.Inspired by Expressionism,Elmer Rice employs varied Expressionist techniques for his innovative dramaturgy.His The Adding Machine with a perfect harmony of dramaturgical techniques and themes is surely one of the best examples of Expressionist drama.Based on the perspective of Expressionism,the thesis aims to examine how certain Expressionist techniques are employed in The Adding Machine with a focus on the structural elements including characters,language,plot and stage spectacle.The thesis mainly undertakes an analysis of the following four perspectives: characters with symbolic implications and characters with caricatured traits;incoherent and prolonged monologue,staccato and inane dialogue;episodic plot and cyclical plot;eccentric stage settings,exaggerated stage props and horrible background sounds.By analyzing the typical Expressionist techniques embodied in this play,this thesis further summarizes that Elmer Rice,with his innovative playwriting style,shows his care for the working class and expresses his strong social consciousness.The significance of the thesis lies in three aspects.Firstly,through analyzing Expressionist techniques used by Elmer Rice in The Adding Machine,this thesis widens the scope of the study on Elmer Rice's classical play.Secondly,this thesis satisfies readers' aesthetic demands and enriches their knowledge about Expressionism and Expressionist drama.Thirdly,this thesis further investigates the themes Rice wants to express in The Adding Machine and reveals that the play is applicable and enlightening for the current society,as we are witnessing the replacement of human labor by the automated system in the contemporary workplace.It is hoped that this thesis gives people some in-depth insights into work and life.