Directors Concept in Anna in The Tropics - Essay Example

Order 613194 Topic: Directors Concept Anne in The Tropics The important aspect of “Anna in the Tropics,” is the arrival of the Lector, who serves as the link between the past and the present. Between ancient glory and the modern revolution. Let’s understand this aspect with the example of light. Light says in astonishment—what is this darkness about which people often talk about in relation to me? I have never seen or experienced how the darkness is like. Very true-the moment light arrives, darkness disappears—it has to disappear, with no other alternative. So, darkness and light do not meet under any circumstances. The introduction of the Lector in the late 1920 amidst the Cuban-Americans working at a cigar factor does somewhat similar functions. He arrives to mitigate their inner darkness of the workers in the designated establishment and that he does through literature that illumines the inner world of the individual. He tries to mitigate their personal miseries. Exposure to enlightening literature makes one proud of one’s heritage and provides strength and meaning to lead a purposeful existence. A cultural void exists within the minds of the workers in a cigar factory, as most of the workers are from Cuba, who migrated to USA, out of economic necessity and not because of love for the land of USA. They carry the burden of great psychological strain and problems related to adjustments in a new environment. Recollection of the past, sweet or sour is a great intellectually gratifying experience. These cigar-factory workers love literature, the books of Anna Karenina, in particular, and they compare the events of their own life with that of Karenina. The issues refer to personal failings of human beings on the one hand and about the secular issues related to adjustment in the new environment in America. They left Cuba out of compulsion, and would like to remain in touch with their own customs and traditions and the arrival of lector amidst them serves this purpose. For, he doesn’t own any responsibility of producing goods and delivering the prescribed output at the end of the day. He regales and educates the workers in style and humor is his asset, even when he explains profound issues related to life through select book readings. The happiness of his arrival is comparable to the arrival of a baby in a joint family. He provides the means to adjust to the life in America and yet remain Cuban at heart! He provides them the confidence to retain the Cuban cultural identity. The important concept of “Anna in the Tropics,” is how to remain truly human amidst the onslaught in the era of industrial revolution that initiated rock bottom changes in the lifestyles of workers in particular and humankind in general. A simple-looking change in the trend of hand-rolling cigars giving way to machine- rolled cigars, affects different characters in their daily dispositions and interactions. Some welcome the merits of the Industrial Revolution whereas others find it difficult to part with the traditional Cuban ways. Hand-rolling of cigars was a monotonous job viewed from the human perspective. Yet there was music in that monotony and some of them believed that Industrial Revolution invaded important aspects of their social personality, interpersonal relationships and cultural traditions. The intervention of lector was thus an important development. To begin with, he reads Anna Karenina to them and they are fascinated to learn the importance of the themes and merit in the plot of that Russian novel. Lector is the symbol of transformative power of literature on the inner world of an individual. So much so that the characters are inclined to reassess their lives and recast their outlooks on the world. Lector’s projections of ideals impacts their personalities at different levels, majority of them for good and some apply those principles to achieve wrong ends. Some utilize those ideals for their selfish aggrandizement by inducing wrong applications on the simple, gullible workers. The importance of lectors may be judged from the fact that they were paid directly by the workers by voluntary contributions and not from the side of the management. In the industrial environment, the lector’s job is not the easiest one. His assignment can be compared to the jobs of Public Relations Manager and Human Resources Development Manager clubbed together. The personal habits of the workers hinder the process of their reformation. Cuban workers are addicted to superstitions as well. Rector’s entry and the reactions of the workers are explained in Act 1, Scene 1 of the play. The reasons why the workers take fascination for the lector is strange. Marela, Conchita and Ofelia are waiting at the seaport expecting the arrival of the new rector for their cigar factory. They have their own assessment of the qualities of a good lector need to possess and have a close look at the photograph of the lector. As all expenses to the lectors are taken care of by the workers, Ofelia informs her daughters that she has a part of Santiago’s money to meet the costs involved in the lector’s trip. This is better utilization of the money and she asserts, ‘‘I’ll spend my money on the best lector we can get.’’ I would put this dialogue in the drama thus: Ofelia: Looking at the photograph, I’m confident that we are going to get one of the best lectors. Conchita: Do you read the photographs? Ofelia: I do—you may call it face-reading. We must get the best one. The younger generation at the factory must be introduced to their roots and values of life. Rector is their only hope for imbibing noble values. Marela: And create problems sometimes, for the workers though they perform their reading assignments in good faith and without negligence. Recall the unfortunate incident of the death of Teodoro, the eighty year old man who died three months ago just because his heart could not bear with the love stories? He should have given up the job years ago to lead a peaceful life of retirement. But the story of the novel, “Wuthering Heights,” had the tragic impact and cost him his life. Conchita: Many ships from Europe and South America visit the port at Cuba and I do hope this new lector will bring new books with him. The above exchanges indicate the expectations the Cuban-American workers have about the role of the lector. The impact of magic on the psyche of people is highlighted in the episode relating to the arrival of the new lector. About the impact of superstition amongst the workers, this example indicates their mindset. Marela: I have been advised by the palm reader and I’ve put the lector’s name in a glass of water filled with brown sugar and cinnamon. This will induce him to accept the offer of appointment in our organization. Ofelia: So stupid of you! To play with the spells to alter someone’s destiny! That’s undesirable and a dangerous game. Marela: Well, the ship has docked and the passengers are coming out. You see how the passengers are rushing out and the tossing of their hats. But I’m unable to spot out the lector amongst them. Ofelia: Your spell has landed us in trouble. The lector is nowhere to be seen. Marela: Oh no! Ofelia: Of, yes. I hope the lector will be able to spot the gardenia I wear in my hat, if at all he has arrived. Marlea: It’s more than fifteen minutes now. I see almost all the passengers have come out. My spell has probably ruined his arrival. I’ll go home and remove his name from the glass of water. I hope for some miracle to happen and we will be able to locate the lector. The lector, Juan Julian is already up to his first practical lecture and the women have the first taste of his jovial nature. He had observed Ofelia’s white gardenia from a distance and was bidding for appropriate time to show him before the women. Marela, frustrated, was about to leave. Juan Julian: Thank you ladies for your patience. I admire it. (Turning to Ofelia)—you are right. This is Juan Julian. You are Marlea, I suppose? Are you that nervous to welcome me? (They all have a hearty laugh!) The expected challenges for the lector begin as he reports for ‘duty’ to do his first reading. Cheche, not knowing that he is a lector asks a few questions to him. He surmises that Juan Julian is on lookout for an employment opportunity. Juan Julian, true to his sense of humor, says that he has already been hired. Ofelia arrives well in time to clear the confusion. I like to put the challenging situation that Juan Julian encounters with the workers in Act 1, Scene 2 thus: Ofelia: You have already met some of the workers here. Juan Julian: Yes, I do. They hail from different parts of Europe—from countries like Spain and Italy. Ofelia: What are your reactions about them? Juan Julian: They have one important issue common amongst them. All of them share a desire for romance. Ofelia: How about Cheche, the man you had the argument earlier? Juan Julian: He probably doesn’t like me. Ofelia: Absurd qualities are his specialty. He turns small issues into big ones—for nothing. He is a pessimist on all counts. Take our unanimous verdict about him. He dislikes lectors on cultural grounds. He hails from a city—he’s from New Jersey-- and he fails to appreciate the need of lectors in the factory set up. He believes that the lectors are the real trouble-shooters. Mardela reveals something sensational about Cheche. “The problem is genuine. His wife, a “southern belle from Atlanta,” ran away with our previous lector. Since then, Cheche resents the lectors.” Juan Julian gets along with his ‘reformation’ job of the workers. He says, “Anna Karenina is my first selection. I will also read from another book which is quite romantic.” The interaction between Ofelia and Julian gets more intimate. Juan Julian avails opportunities to flirt and philosophize with each other and his literary talents impress her deeply. Thus Juan Julian continues to impress the workers, he assimilates admirably with the love-hate drama in the factory, he has many admirers amongst the female section of the workers, but the males are envious about him, and continue to cast aspersions on the post of lector in a factory environment. The post in the initial stages was perhaps created to bring about perfect cultural awareness and discipline amongst the workers, but the lectors also learn to carry on with the available discipline amongst the workers. Juan Julian has two purposes—to provide entertainment and education to the workers and in the process retain his job as well. Men and women continue to be divided in their opinions about the advisability of lectors in a production unit. Conclusion: As the play progresses, one realizes, how the lector has become an inseparable part in the life of workers. Many like him and some hate him for their own reasons. At the spiritual level, he is their guide. At the secular level, he is their friend. He keeps the momentum of work going for which the management of the establishment must remain grateful to him—for more than one reason. The important one is they don’t even make any payment to him from their salary bill—the workers share the expenses devolved in hiring him and he continues to expose them to enlightening literature, which the workers would, in the normal course of their tight work schedule, would never be able to read and grasp its finer aspects. Works Cited Cruz, Nilo. Anna in the Tropics. Theatre Communications Group; 2003 Read More