Strindberg's Representation of Anxiety in The Father: Between Naturalistic Determinism and Existential Indeterminism

Abstract

Fadren (1887; The Father [1998]) has traditionally been considered one of Strindberg’s naturalistic plays. However, it has also been read as a play that anticipates movements such as symbolism, nihilism, and expressionism.1 Some proponents of the naturalistic interpretation base their arguments on the thematics of the play, pointing to the power struggle between the sexes that takes place in the play and claiming that this is a prototypical naturalist trope. In this line of research, some scholars refer to Strindberg’s personal ambitions to become part of the naturalist European theater scene, which became apparent as he mailed the manuscript to Émile Zola in order to achieve his recognition. Other scholars zero in on the play’s various symbolic and mythopoeic tropes, arguing that the representation of ghosts, spiritualism, and mythological allusions goes beyond the naturalistic framework and