Money In The Play Essay

Student ID: 170979

Block 1

Due 1/26

Written Assignment

The use of money throughout The Visit plays a significant role when compared to the idea of purchasing justice. Money is a symbol that appears many time throughout the play. "The Visit" creates the possible question of the corruptibility of justice by asking whether it can be bought in return for material wealth. Durrenmatt proves that money can buy nearly everything including justice. He proves this through the character development of Claire Zachanassian. Claire Zachanassian decides to give the people of Gullen one billion dollars if Alfred Ill is put to death. “I can afford justice. One billion for Gullen if someone kills Alfred Ill” (Durrenmatt 54). Also, the symbol of money ties in

“That’s twenty thirt-five. No one can afford that” Durrenmatt (40). This quote implies the fact that before Claire was in Gullen the people were poor. After she arrived, people had money and became careless with it. During the town meeting where Ill was killed, the town announced their acceptance of Claire’s donation. The town was not in sorrow. Instead, they were happy and ecstatic about their new wealth. The vote to kill Alfred Ill was unanimous. Nobody was against the death of Ill. Besides Ill’s family, his death went unnoticed and was unimpactful. The people of Gullen really became greedy once they realized Claire was donating one billion dollars. People realized that a human life, Ill, was less important than money. The use of money plays a significant role when compared to justice. It has been proven that money can indeed buy justice and make people greedy. Claire and her billions of dollars were able to buy the minds of many citizens of Gullen. Durrenmatt’s development of the symbol of money proved that justice can indeed be bought. It’s important to recognize that even the political leaders don’t enforce the idea of “justice” in The Visit. It makes the audience realize that society is corrupted because a moral ideal, justice, can be purchased with monetary value.In the realization of impending wealth, many figures including the Mayor and the police oblige to Claire’s