33 pages • 1 hour read
August StrindbergA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
At the end of the second act of The Father, the Captain hurls a burning lamp at Laura. His anger overcomes him, and his violent words turn into violent actions. The lamp becomes a symbol of the moment when he snaps, the attack showing that he has lost his grip on reality. The Captain's verbal rage at the women in the house is now a hot war.
More broadly, the lamp reflects the Captain's mental state. The purpose of a lamp is to cast light—to expose the reality of a room. By extinguishing the lamp in a violent fashion, the Captain descends into the darkness of his obsession, paranoia, and misogyny. He is alone and he is lost, unable to see a way out. The destruction of the lamp plunges the Captain into a literal and a figurative darkness.
The Captain's violent behavior has severe consequences: By attacking Laura with the lamp, the Captain has opened himself up to legal sanction. The legal system that typically protects men like the Captain can now punish him.
By August Strindberg