The Screens (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Jean Genet
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Existentialism
- Time of Work: The twentieth century
- Setting: Algeria
- Genres: Existential literature, Drama, Epic theater, Theater of cruelty
- Subjects: Africa or Africans, Prisoners, Colonialism, Twentieth century, Revolutions, Prostitution or prostitutes, Domestic violence, Violence, Cruelty, Hallucinations or illusions
- Locales: Algeria
Characters Discussed
Said (sah-EED), an Arab thief and a traitor, uncommitted to any person or cause. Indigent and unwed, twenty-year-old Said acquiesces to marrying Leila, the ugliest girl in the village. He dreams of going to France to purchase a new wife but until then spends time at the bordello. Requiring money to fulfill his dreams, he begins to steal from his fellow workers in the orange groves and is thrown in jail. After his release, Said is ostracized by the farmworkers but protected by the French colonial bosses. When the rebellion gains momentum, he is given an...
[The entire page is 1019 words long]
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