Murray Shisgals The Typists :: essays research papers

The fill by Murray Shisgal, The Typists, is about two stack who work during their lifetime at a firm, typing the addresses of prospective customers. Through their speeches we see that the play talks about hopelessness, routine and tutelage of change. Most of the characters motives are explained through the Freudian concept of superego, or, in other words, the part of peoples psique which is related to discipline, judgment of the society, guilt, pride, self-discipline and self- punishment. In this paper, Ill make an attempt to illustrate these themes in the play.Hopelessness is seen through the setting. At the rear of the set there is a window and through it the sun streams as the play progresses it fades imperceptibly until, at the end, the room is almost in complete darkness. Apart from the obvious reason, which would be the course of a day, the sun, here, is a symbol of glory, success and faith. We can interpret it by saying that at the beginning of the play, when Paul and Sy lvia are cool it young, at twenty-odd years of age, they still have hopes of a better future. It is shown through Pauls ambition of working and studying law to vouch a better living, and Sylvias intentions of marrying and aban gaining her family. As the time goes we notice only disappointments and attempts to change their lives. These attempts are not successful as they are hopeless, shown by their fear to abandon the firm and conquer a better job. Working in that office is for them the only way of living.Another theme that appears in the play is the routine. Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot explores the analogous theme. Habit is something that makes us feel secure. It is a guarantee that we will be alive the next day as the present has a succession, which is to wake up next morning and do everything again. Since Paul starts working in the office, Sylvia passes to him her routine. Nothing can be alternated. She tells him strike each key with the same steady rhythm () dont move y our head, keep your eyes on the material youre typing. The steady rhythm to strike the keys, the expressions dont move and keep refer to lack of alternation and it means routine. Not only this, when Paul suggests to break Sylvias habit of having lunch always at 1p.m. and have it at 130p.