Discuss Cross Purpose as a play which examines the obstacles confronting mans desire for happiness.

One of the important themes if not the most important theme in Albert Camuss play Cross Purpose is mans quest for the happiness and the obstacles confronting him. The play is a tragic one in which the characters are not able to gain happiness and like classical tragedies the tragedy of the characters is derived from the way they misunderstand each other. The play throughout highlights the difficulty to communicate and warns of the disastrous results of not being able to understand one another. Some aspects of the play are symbolic or allegorical in nature and specific have not been provided. For example the country from where the son and his wife have come is not even named. It simply exists as an other of the West or Europe. Also the problems of European society has not been discussed in any specific or concrete manner at all but at the same its grave ills have been shown by the logic of the play to be implicit and it has been mentioned several times in the play that the philosophical or metaphysical climate of Europe is extremely depressing . although the exact reasons for this kind of general atmosphere has not been talked about or hinted at in the play but some of the reasons given by the rather indirectly it must be said are individualism and a erosion of traditional values. The mother-daughter duo can be taken to represent the point of view prevalent in the West which has been shown to be so harmful that it will not be inappropriate to call it diseased. This depressing climate of Europe has been often identified by the family especially Martha, the daughter as the main reason for it not being possible to be able to be happy there. This might be indicative of the historical context of Europe during the first half of the twentieth century when Europe had already been through world wars caused by the greed of the capitalistic countries of Europe for more markets and colonies. The play can be interpreted as an exploration of issues of existentialism and the vulgarity of an excessively cold and individualistic worldview. In the very beginning of the play the reader or audience as the case may be, is made aware that the two are what might be called professional murderers. They murder all those who visit their inn and who dont leave it in time. We get to know that they have been doing it for years and feel no regret in having done so and consider it only as their work and are indeed able to talk quite light-heartedly about it to each other. The mother however it seems has started becoming somewhat doubtful of her cynical point of view which had made it possible for her to go on earning their way of living in that manner. When they have doubts and start feeling uncomfortable about the kind of work they have been doing they suppress the impulse by saying to each other that, its easier to kill what one doesnt know. However they are quite normal( because they way they earn their living is not normal at all) at the personal level with each other. But what can also seem striking to the reader/audience in the beginning of the play is that the two of them seem to be rather affectionate and it might even be

said quite humane in their behaviour towards each other and yet they are able to talk about and indeed kill people with almost total indifference. Martha seems to hold her mother in high regard and the mother too calls her a good daughter a couple of times in the play. Through these two characters Camus has depicted the consequences of destructiveness of an individualistic philosophy which it is implied is also the general problem of the whole of Europe. The hopes and aspirations of the mother and daughter especially Martha is based on irrational fantasies of another country besides the sea, where the sun kills every question. On the other hand the son and his wife Maria have been said to have bben very together in the country from where they have come. The tragedy in the play is that the son who has come to secure the happiness of the mother and his sister after being away from them for so long is unknowing murdered by them. He is not able to tell them of his real identity because of his own insecurities about their reaction on meeting him after such a long time. Also, his romantic expectations of being welcomed like the prodigal son receive a jolt when they fail to even recognise him. He however continues to try to know them better becomes rather uncomfortable when for reasons he is never able to know they start behaving in a rather cold manner with him, especially Martha. The misunderstandings between these three principle protagonists of the play and the desire to communicate and the difficulty of being able to do so becomes a metaphor in this play for the larger question of the obstacles confronting mans desire for happiness. The more friendly he tries to become the more rudeness he receives from Martha in retaliation as there is a total communication breakdown between them. However his attempts at communication has the (for him) unfortunate effect of further hardening her towards him because her dream is to go away from this town to some imaginary place for which more people need to be killed. On the other hand he is simply not able to understand why this is so. His wife almost prophetically fears for their separation and tells him that he is going about this business in a rather round about manner and that he should simply let them know his identity. But he seems to have his own compelling insecurities about their reaction and he thinks that he should first get to know them better as it will also help him securing their happiness better. He is also probably guilty because he has come back after a very long time, has not been in touch and also thinks it his duty to be able to do something to make them happy. This strange decision on his part sets the tone for further disagreements and for the ultimate tragedy when son is murdered. The mother- daughter duo and the son, Jan and his wife on the other hand seem to be representing opposite worldviews although there are disagreements among either group. The mother is has started doubting her worldview and therefore sometimes even talks about taking to religion. She is the one who continues to hesitate till the very end to persuade her daughter not to kill Jan but without success. But against her convictions even Martha is not able to be completely detached or professional as she would like to be and keeps losing patience and becomes very rude at times as if almost wishing unconsciously that he go away so that they will not have to kill him which is what her mother now consciously wants. She even becomes rather

friendly with him once and in a rather confessional mood also tells him about her dreams and aspirations. Maria too hesitates several times about whether they should kill him or not and the mother is reluctant till the very end and yet as if almost by habit they inevitably are not able to stop themselves from killing him. They unconsciously had wanted to save him and he even begins to respond to their coded and indirect warnings but by this time it is too late as he is already consumed the poisoned tea. The timing of this scene makes the play more tragic as he decides to leave immediately after drinking the tea and the mother too had come just a moment late to stop him from drinking it and it had been just before this scene that the brother and sister had finally started becoming friendly and have a candid conversation together. And it is the son whose arrival has made then doubt their ways in such a radical manner and yet they repay him by murdering him. The son although innocent also has some faults. For example, he also has romantic notions about being welcomed as the prodigal son and when it does not happen he begins to feel uncomfortable and decides against revealing his identity so soon. The romantic notions of the girl are also responsible for sustaining her worldview based too much on the construction on a romantic other of some ideal place where she hopes to go someday and it is this cherished dream which provides her with the justification of continuing with their inhuman way of earning their living. The role of such notions as duty has also been questioned by Camus in this play. The son thinks that it is his duty to secure happiness for his mother and sister and therefore is probably guilty that he has not done it for so long and therefore feels uncomfortable in revealing his identity. It is arguable that if he had not felt such a strong sense of duty he would not have hesitated for so long despite his wife arguing so much against it, in making known to his family who he is and would not have died. the novel encourages doubt in the quest for happiness. For example, when Jan is having a friendly conversation with Martha before having drunk the tea they talk very candidly and she confesses to him that they almost wanted to send him away. And Martha hints and he asks her frankly that is it not that she out of greed for money whereas her mother out of indifference would also let him remain in the hotel. She agrees that he has spoken the truth and indeed he has unknowingly done so but he does not know why they want him to remain while always seeming so unwelcoming all the time. The play also appeals to the virtue of patience. The mother appeals to Martha several times to cancel their plan but Martha is too impatient and does not listen to her. Even after he has drunk the tea she wants to not kill him and let him wake up but yet again it is Marthas impatience which proves disastrous. It can be said that this play is about the difficulties in the path of mans desire for happiness and how the inability to communicate with each other is one big obstacle. Other obstacles talked about in the play are the values of individualism and escapist/ romantic ideas which also as in the case of Martha makes her so blind in pursuit of her desires.