Elmer Rice remains a towering figure in the canon of American drama, with a career spanning from his first play in 1914 to his last in 1963. His commitment to both artistic innovation and social critique defines his legacy. Throughout his career, he remained dedicated to exposing societal flaws and championing reform through the medium of theater, themes that resonate deeply in his enduring works.

Elmer Rice's Vision and Legacy

Rice's nuanced approach to playwriting reflects an enduring dedication to improving American society by revealing its imperfections. His influences include luminaries such as Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, and August Strindberg, with Shaw being the closest in spirit. Like Shaw, Rice believed that the role of a playwright was to critique society's false values and hypocrisies, a perspective that underpins much of his work.

Rice's oeuvre, though diverse in form and subject matter, consistently targets social reform. He set his sights on America, scrutinizing its culture through a variety of dramatic lenses. Whether through expressionism or realism, Rice's plays dissected the American way of life, focusing on themes such as industrialization, depersonalization, bigotry, and Puritanical hypocrisy.

The Adding Machine: A Foray into Expressionism

The Adding Machine marked Rice's departure from realism into expressionism, a style that externalizes internal experiences. Inspired by visits to the Ford Motor Company and Chicago stockyards, Rice crafted a narrative that critiques the dehumanizing effects of the industrial age. Characters in the play are stripped of individuality, symbolized by their numerical identifiers, and enveloped in a world dominated by mechanical processes.

This expressionistic masterpiece lays bare the failures of modern society. Rice critiques various social ills: the hypocrisy of individuals like Zero and his wife, the depersonalization inherent within the business world, and the societal adherence to outdated Puritanical values. Zero's journey underscores the pervasive moral dissonance of the time, reflecting Rice's belief that the playwright must act as a social critic. Although initially not a success, the play has since gained significant recognition, affirming its relevance in an era where machines increasingly encroach on human roles.

Street Scene: A Return to Realism

In Street Scene, Rice returns to realism, presenting a vivid tableau of life in a New York City tenement. He employs a naturalistic approach to sound and set design to heighten the authenticity of the urban backdrop, going so far as to use recordings of city sounds to create a more immersive experience for the audience.

The play delves into the complexities of urban life, revealing the struggles of various immigrant families within the socio-economic landscape of 1920s America. Rice does not shy away from highlighting the failures of the social and economic systems, particularly the dehumanizing nature of organized charity and the harsh realities faced by the working class.

Rice constructs a critique of capitalism through characters like Abraham Kaplan, who laments the systemic inequities that perpetuate poverty and disenfranchisement. Despite the Marxist overtones, Rice's message is one of reform rather than revolution, emphasizing the need for societal change.

Exploring Social Issues Through Character and Narrative

Bigotry and sexism are pervasive themes throughout Rice's work. In Street Scene, the diverse cast of characters serves as a microcosm of American society, rife with racial and ethnic tensions. Rice sympathetically portrays characters such as Mrs. Maurrant, a woman trapped in an unfulfilling marriage, to highlight the restrictive gender roles of the time.

Through her adulterous yet emotionally understandable relationship, Rice sheds light on the constraints placed upon women and the societal double standards they face. Mrs. Maurrant's narrative underscores the playwright's sensitivity to the nuanced struggles of women, a reflection of Rice's broader critique of societal norms.

The Playwright’s Enduring Relevance

Elmer Rice’s plays persist in their relevance, resonating more than half a century after their creation. His ability to blend artistic form with a fervent commitment to social justice continues to inspire both audiences and playwrights. Rice's work remains a testament to the playwright's power to influence and reflect societal change, as his plays continue to challenge audiences to reflect on the world around them.