Since this is my last article about the play The Future is in Eggs, or It Takes all Sorts to Make a World I can finally reveal the real "face" of it. I have read this play in one day but it took me several months to fully understand it. Until yesterday I did not know what exactly was Ionesco trying to say by it. However, on Friday I have read a review about the play The Future is in Eggs/Sicilian Limes which gave me a clue about the hidden meaning of Future Eggs .
Eugene Ionesco hated fascism, Mussolini, and Hitler. No reason to be surprised. He was persuaded that our world is fulfilled by suffering and fanaticism. Nazi people and 2nd World War are hideous proves of his theory. He knew that those things destroy our humanity and he created a cure for those who understand it, and are continuously devastated--The Theatre of Absurd. "Only a humour can take away the darkness and bring the light to our lives", isn´t it a nice theory? He satirized fanaticism in all of his plays, in The Future is in Eggs especially the regime of Mussolini.
I am not a historian, so I cannot specify which historical events is this play reflecting exactly. However, I may give you several quotes from the book that I find pretty bigoted, or even fascistically constrained.
The first sentence that I have noticed is on the second page of the play. It is Father-Jacques who is saying it. What I've found interesting is that most of the fanatic phrases are said by Father-Jacques himself. There are a few that Jacqueline, his daughter, says but not that important. If other characters are participated, they are just repeating his words, or uses mass exclamations that support his thoughts. This fact reminds me of the masses that were infatuated by Hitler´s speeches and responded him with a group hailing.
FATHER-JACQUES: ...We must get some results quickly!
This may seem like some regular sentence. However! Consider that he is talking about forcing his son and daughter-in-law to have offspring. It changes the situation a bit, doesn't it? Nowadays, our fathers do not care when we are having kids and it is not usual to hear them saying:
"We must assure the continuity of our race." (Father-Jacques)
Well, his racist insinuations are not over.
"The continuity of our race...white race! Long live the white race!" After this comes a huge applaud from other characters followed by repeating exclamation of the last sentence.
Still, not convinced that Ioncesco is reflecting Nazism? I'll give you the last and according to me the most convincing quote:
FATHER-JACQUES [to his son]: The future of the white race is in your hands. It must go on, go on and extend its power more and more!
Those examples were the most meaningful phrases of all play and it would not be a real Ionesco if he did not satirized such an influential character. While is son was in the process of hatching eggs he showed the supportive side of his personality. Who would not be relieved from such a difficult work such as hatching after heating a cheer-up phrase from his father?
"Hatch, hatch in the name of glory and for the greatness of nations, and for immortality."
If Czech farmers were saying similar sentence to their hens, maybe the production of eggs would increase and the prices would go down by one or two percent.
