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The Laughter
The Laughter
The story touches the paradox of anything that is done on demand for the gratification
of another, instead of for self. Even art can be taxing when it becomes a profession and
ceases to be an indulgence by choice , i.e. when it is not pursued at one’s own will and
for one’s own need/ pleasure. The persona in The Laugher may be equated to anyone
who chooses to put on a cheery countenance for the public to see but is really formal,
serious and humorless in his private side. This immediately brings to mind the two
contrasting faces of theater–the sad and happy face. It further underscores the idea that
it never pays to pretend to be somebody else you’re not.
Life will always have its smiles and frowns–it’s a fact of life. Perhaps, the character
fleshed out in the selection may not have used his job (that of a laugher) as an avenue
to escape from the silent bond that ties him to his uneventful life, like others do, but he
remains to be a metaphor for the modern-day individual.
In short it touchingly portrays the tragedy of being service to others at the expense of
personal fulfillment and keeping up pretenses.
Ref: The Stories of Heinrich Boll (European Classics) [Paperback] Heinrich Boll (Author), Leila
Vennewitz (Translator)