Both Brecht's direct influence and the general vogue of anarchy and lawlessness—which were associated with America—were the potent ingredients which left their mark on Pankraz Awakens. (p. 84)

[For In the Jungle] Brecht derived his notions about America in general and Chicago in particular (as well as some of his imagery, themes and motifs) from two literary sources: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and J. V. Jensen's The Wheel…. [However,] the proximity of Brecht's early "Chicago and hinterland" was much closer to Zuckmayer's "Log cabin in the Far West" … than one would be inclined to assume…. Not surprisingly, Zuckmayer avoided an urban setting altogether; in his more conventionally realistic stage description of a rustic, if exotic, milieu which does not convey inner landscapes as do the Innenraum scenes of In the Jungle the future author of The Merry Vineyard shows his true colors. The similarity in the setting of Brecht's and Zuckmayer's plays should not induce us to conclude that Zuckmayer's choice of an American setting was due to Brecht's direct influence; rather, the general vogue of America as well as specific literary models provided the initial impetus for the selection of a certain milieu in both cases…. Zuckmayer's Far West was dependent to a considerable extent on James Fenimore Cooper and Karl May. (pp. 84-5)

[It is] their concept of America as the embodiment of sensationalism and exoticism [that] provides the common link…. Zuckmayer's drama is hardly less conspicuous [than Brecht's] in the depiction of gruesome, sensational events and the mysterious, strangely unfathomable behavior of its characters. Despite the differences of the two plays in their presentation of spectacular happenings, ill-disposed critics could not be deceived concerning the literary relationship between Brecht and Zuckmayer. In his extremely negative review of Pankraz Awakens Felix Hollaender wrote: "Brecht engendered Zuckmayer—and God save us from the offspring which Zuckmayer will bring forth." It is hardly surprising that in plays in which such spectacular happenings take place, one cannot expect an even remotely authentic description of America or the reflection of actual conditions…. Not without good reason does Eric Bentley speak of the "menagerie" of strange characters which populate Brecht's shadowy, mythical, and grotesque Chicago. (pp. 85-6)

If sensationalism, exoticism, and the presentation of an America that was largely inspired by literary sources were the only basis for a comparison of In the Jungle and Pankraz Awakens; if, in fact, these elements constituted the substance of the plays in question, then one might agree with Felix Hollaender. In his review of Pankraz Awakens he hardly felt it worth the trouble "to seriously express an opinion about this immature, bewildering stuff, this infantile mischief." An incisive critical review is justified, however, if, as may be assumed with some degree of certainty, exoticism and sensationalism are only surface phenomena which need to be penetrated to reach the substance of both plays.

Interestingly, both Zuckmayer and Brecht later realized that the artistic shortcomings of their respective plays were related to the common choice of an American milieu. Zuckmayer was slightly apologetic about the American setting of Pankraz Awakens and had only few positive things to say about the play as a whole. (pp. 86-7)

[But] there was hidden under the guise of exoticism the attempt to come to grips with profound issues confronting modern man. Without doubt, in Brecht's case it is the dramatic presentation of man's alienation (Entfremdung), the all-pervasive theme of In the Jungle, which constitutes such a weighty issue.

All the important ingredients of In the Jungle, including its baffling obscurity and complexity which are, in part, due to the aphoristic quality of its dialogue, are also to be found in Pankraz Awakens—modified, to be sure, but still recognizable. (p. 88)

We would not do justice to Zuckmayer's achievement were we to assume that he was merely a passive recipient of Brecht's ideas and suggestions. There is at least one piece of evidence for a collaborative effort, a fragmentary poem of ten lines "after Zuckmayer and Brecht," entitled "liebestod."… Interestingly, this poem is an almost verbatim verse rendering of Alit's dream [in Pankraz Awakens]…. The "poetically" inspired diction of both prose narration in Pankraz Awakens and verse rendering in "liebestod" resembles that of Zuckmayer rather than that of Brecht; yet, the themes of death by drowning and inevitability of dissolution as well as the imagery depicting a submarine realm relate "liebestod" to the world of Brecht's early poems…. In a sense, Brecht's and Zuckmayer's different views of "Love-Death" are symptomatic for their treatment of sexual relationships in Pankraz Awakens and In The Jungle respectively.

Whereas in In The Jungle homosexual love is the "apex" of intrapersonal relationships, in Pankraz Awakens it is Pankraz's incestuous desire for his daughter Alit. Potentially harmonious relations between man and woman tend to become perverted by powerful sexual desires which reduce partners to mere objects but still create "profound lust" … during the moments of union. (p. 91)

While the sexual relationships in In the Jungle do not bridge "in human life the estrangement made by … speech" … as Shlink states, the "mercy" springing from "love, the warmth of bodies in contact … the union of the organs" … in the realm of animals is occasionally experienced by human beings in Pankraz Awakens. The encounter between Alit and Teton, Alit's sacrificial death are acts based on something akin to genuine love. Ultimately, there is hope for man in the chaotic world of Pankraz Awakens. (p. 92)

Nature imagery occurs in both Brecht's and Zuckmayer's plays. Yet there is a distinct contrast. The very fact that Garga's existence at the beginning of [Brecht's] play is based on dealing with or lending of lifeless objects whereas Pankraz's life is associated with living organisms, the trees in his forest, is indicative of a different emphasis…. [Brecht's] excremental view of nature which does not alleviate man's isolation is entirely foreign to Zuckmayer. (pp. 92-3)

Whereas Brecht equates the existence of man with the fight for mere survival in an inhospitable jungle without transcendence, Zuckmayer presents man as capable of redemption in a chaotic world in which the antagonistic forces in nature symbolize the principle of life—the recurrence of the life-death cycle within a dimly perceived divine order. Indicative of the different emphases in both plays is that Zuckmayer employs the warm Föhn wind … which hastens the decomposition of organic matter and thus prepares the fertile soil for new life, while in Brecht's play the cold "black wind" … casts a chill on everything. (pp. 95-6)

[The] subsequently famous author of such non-Brechtian plays as The Merry Vineyard, The Captain of Coepenick, and The Devil's General fell temporarily under the young Brecht's spell. Although Pankraz Awakens cannot be entirely explicated in terms of Brecht's direct influence, the fact remains that Zuckmayer created a work which in milieu, motifs, theme, characters, situations, songs, and dialogue is largely indebted to Brecht's early work in general and to In the Jungle in particular. Ultimately, Zuckmayer did not succumb to the fascination exercised by Brecht but succeeded in finding his own style. Nevertheless, Zuckmayer never failed to acknowledge his indebtedness to Brecht…. (p. 98)