Eperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
The Character of Smithers:
the character of Smithers is a foil caracter, meaning he provides a contrast to the protagonist "Jones", in order to emphasize Jones's personality and qualities. The character of Jones is a round character "complex personality that develops through story" so the character of Smithers is a flat character " a character that doesn't change through story".
A Comparision between The Character of Jones and The One of Smithers:
Physically:
- Smithers: He is white. He has a "pasty face" which is "sickly yellow". He has "little washy-blue eyes" which are "red-rimmed". He wears colonial opressors clothes
- Jones:He is black. He is "typically negroid". He is "full bloodes". His eyes are "alive with a keen, cunning intelligence". He wears a garish uniform, which looks like a comic immitation of the uniform of a white king.
Socially:
- Smithers:is a cockney trader.
- Jones:is a stowawy then an emperor.
Psychologically & Morally:
- Smithers:He is a person of "unscrupulous meanness, cowardly and dangerous". He is a material person. He was able to recognize that the revolution of the natives is under way earlier than Jones.
- Jones: He is a person of "strength of will, a hardy, self-reliant confidence in himself".he is "shrewd, suspicious, evasive". He was ignorent of the revolution situation a great deal of time when Smithers was fully aware of it.
The Roles of Smithers on The Play:
- He lets us learn about the past of Jones through his dialogue with him.
- He throws light on Jones through the effective character contrast between them.
- He is a symbol of the realistic white world. Jones loses touch with the realistic world_in the forest_ and drowns in his illusions when he is not accompanied with Smithers
The Personality Characteristics of Smitheres:
- Smithers is a careless, immoral person. He pretends to love Jones,
only for material reward. He always tries to make Jones loses his
temper. For example, He whistels shrilly to awaken Jones "the emperor".
" SMITHERS: 'E's bound to find out soon as 'e wakes up. 'E's cunnin' enough to know when 'is time's come. [He goes to the doorway on right and whistles shrilly with his fingers in his mouth." Scene I
He wishes that the natives would punish Jones severly.
" I 'opes they nabs 'im an' gives 'im what's what!" Scene I
After Jones's departure Smithers hastens to collect anything valuable.
" A bloke ought to find a 'ole lot in this palace that'd go for a bit of cash." Scene I
- Smithers tries to attain a position of psychological superiority
by making sarcastic remarks hinting that Jones's success of being an
emperor is simply due to luck, and that Jones is boasting of a power he
doesn't actually posses
- Smithers and Jones reverse positions during the play. at first
Smithers appears imprudent and unable to control himself whereas Jones
appears well prepared for anything. Towards the end of the day the
situation is completely reversed. Jones loses his touch with reality and
drowns in his subconciousness.
- Smithers admires Jones because of his achievement of being an
emperor in two years, which is due to Jones's grasp of white ideology.
"SMITHERS [With curiosity] : And I bet you got yer pile o’ money 'id safe some place." Scene I
- Smithers makes fun of the drums, spells and the religious service of the natives.
"they're there 'oldin' their 'eathen religious service−makin' no end of devil spells and charms to 'elp 'em against your silver bullet." Scene I
He thinks that anyone could have lost his way in that dark forest, and that their religious rites are useless.
" And I s'pose you think it's yer blet:din' charms and yer silly beatin' the drum that made 'im run in a circle when 'e'd lost 'imself, don't yer?Stupid as 'ogs, thl' lot of' em! Blarsted niggers!"
- Ironically Smithers is the survivor in this black society. and the
last speech was left to him to state that Jones died in false dignity "
by the silver bullet "
"Where's yer 'igh an' mighty airs now, yer bloomin' Majesty?" Scene 8
- Smithers is a careless, immoral person. He pretends to love Jones,
only for material reward. He always tries to make Jones loses his
temper. For example, He whistels shrilly to awaken Jones "the emperor".
