Expressionistic Elements in Arun Sarma’s Play Purush

Abstract

Expressionism is a modern movement in art and literature developed in the 20th century. It emerged as a reaction against naturalism and impressionism. It was the dominant literary movement in Germany during and immediately after World War first. In its initial period of development expressionist drama was a medium to protest and react against the pre-war authority of the family and community, the strict social order, and mechanization of life. In an expressionist drama, the subsidiary characters lose their individuality and appear as ‘types’, impersonal and grotesque.

Purush (The Man) a play by Arun Sarma, one of the major playwrights of modern Assamese drama, was written in 1964. In 1968, the ‘Pragati Sangha’, Guwahati performed the play on stage for the first time. The tragic end of Sukanta is the central theme of the play. The play is centred round the unhappy married life of Sukanta and Hiramoni which finally leads both of them to their fatal end. Attempt has been made in this paper to analyse Purush as an expressionist play. Both primary and secondary data have been used for the analysis.