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Equus
Equus
Equus
Maya Sammane
Ms. Smit
12 AP
3 November 2014
Disorder Resulting in Derangement:
Analysis of Peter Shaffers Equus through a Structuralist Lens
Depending on factors that influence the way people view aspects of their lives, many
people have a fixed notion about what is socially acceptable and what is truly perceived as
normal when it comes to certain parts of life, such as religion and ethical views. Amongst
society, each person may deal with difference of opinion about normalcy in different ways. Some
people may be tolerant of peoples opposing views, while others may find distaste in this
discrepancy and try to argue with the opposition to convince them of what truly is acceptable.
Peter Shaffers play, Equus, involves two views of religion that belong to a married
couple. The existence of contradictory beliefs between the married characters of Frank and Dora
Strang is arguably what leads to the eventual emotional/mental breakdown of their son, Alan
Strang. Through the psychoanalysis of Alans condition by psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, Martin
realizes that one strong factor that plays a role in this emotional demise is the fact that Alans
parents constantly attempt to infuse Alans mind of what is religiously true in their opinions.
Through a Structuralist point of view, it can be seen that Frank and Dora serve as binary
opposites to reveal how extreme opposing influences in Alans life lead him to believe in one
unconventional religion, and ultimately fall apart as a result.
Alan Strang is a young man who finds himself caught in a web of uncertainty when his
parents drown their son in what they believe to be the correct views of God. Alans mother,
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Dora, is a devout Christian while Alans father, Frank, is a committed Atheist. Alan is unsure of
what to believe, and in the process of being forcibly taught about these opposing viewpoints,
Alan creates his own religion that aims to worship horses (one horse in particular, named Nugget
[Equus]). A culmination of influences that Frank and Dora impose onto Alan can be viewed as
the result of why Alan ends up losing hold of his sanity and blinding six horses in a local stable.
When viewing the play as a whole, a Structuralist would be concerned with the contradictory
elements in a text that reveal a common meaning, which in this case, are the opinions that Frank
and Dora impinge onto Alan. A Structuralist would also note how the actions of Frank and Dora
ultimately relate to each other causing a final, brutal action to be carried out by Alan. In viewing
the ways that Frank and Dora communicate with their son, a Structuralist would make
observations about how the parent-child relationship governs the play as a whole.
A notable contradictory trait between Frank and Dora that could have resulted in Alans
downfall is that Frank does not maintain enough communication with his son while Dora often
gives her son more attention than is necessary. In act one when Frank and Dysart are speaking
about daily home life, Frank says that Dora and Alan have always been as thick as thieves and
that Dora can always be found teaching Alan about the Bible, dosing it down the boys throat
which clearly Frank has an objection toward, being an atheist (33-34). In contrast, when the
psychiatrist asks Frank how much Alan knows about sex, Frank unknowingly replies with a
simple, I dont know while Dora admits that she has thoroughly taught Alan about the birds
and the bees. A structuralist critic would find it important that Dora constantly teaches her son
about Christianity and sex while Frank hardly even communicates with his son enough to know
what goes through Alans mind. The lack of communication with his father in combination with
being figuratively suffocated by his mother is one reason why Alan is led to seek comfort and
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does not interfere with her son, but Frank acts through aggression by showing his son that it is
frowned upon to show appreciation toward a higher power. The reactions of Dora and Frank go
hand-in-hand, and eventually lead to what may be Alans own metacognitive connection; since
he used to show appreciation toward the religious image of Christ on his wall, he naturally
associates religious affiliations with the horse image and begins to worship horses instead.
The all-powerful, constant influence of opposing viewpoints toward religion in Alans life
are what drives Alan to create his own religious outlet that nobody could force him to believe in,
but one that he could freely worship and appreciate. The fact that Alan had no sense of absolute,
distinct direction in his life, shown by the constant battle between favoring Christianity or
Atheism between Frank and Dora, is a possible reason as to why he becomes devout in his own
religion that drives him to commit the horrible act of blinding six horses.
Works Cited
Shaffer, Peter. Equus. New York: Penguin Group, 1973. Print.