Dante and the Lobster by Samuel Beckett
"Dante and the Lobster" is a short story by Samuel Beckett that follows the character Belacqua Shuah as he navigates a seemingly mundane day filled with peculiar routines and personal quirks. The narrative begins with Belacqua struggling to comprehend Dante's *Paradiso*, which sets a tone of introspection and confusion. As he contemplates his schedule, he prepares an unconventional lunch, meticulously toasting bread to his desired level of char, resulting in a burnt wall. His obsession with food continues as he insists on procuring the "rottener" Gorgonzola cheese, showcasing his unique preferences.
The day progresses with Belacqua visiting a public bar for stout and attending an Italian lesson taught by the idolized Signorina Adriana Ottolenghi. The story also features a humorous incident where a cat attempts to attack the lobster he has bought, adding a layer of absurdity. The climax occurs when Belacqua learns that the lobster he purchased is still alive, prompting reflections on life and death. The narrative concludes with a stark realization about the nature of the lobster's fate, encapsulated in the final, chilling line, "It is not." This story invites readers to engage with themes of existentialism and the absurd in everyday life.
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Dante and the Lobster by Samuel Beckett
First published: 1932
Type of plot: Farce
Time of work: The late 1920's
Locale: Dublin, Ireland
Principal Characters:
Belcqua Shuah , the protagonist, a student and idlerSignorina Adriana Ottolenghi , Belacqua's Italian teacher
The Story
As the story begins, Belacqua Shuah, the protagonist, is reading canto 2 of Dante's Paradiso and having difficulty understanding it. At noon, he lays his task aside and considers his schedule for the day, consisting of lunch, picking up a lobster for his aunt, and his Italian lesson. The preparations for his lunch are strange. First, he toasts bread, which must be blackened through and through to suit him. He succeeds in achieving the desired glassy texture, but he burns his wall in the process. He then applies a thick paste of Savora, salt, and cayenne, wraps the "burnt offering" in paper, and goes out to buy cheese. Nothing would do but "a good green stenching rotten lump of Gorgonzola cheese." Warning the grocer that if he does not come up with rottener cheese in the future, he will take his business elsewhere, Belacqua, with his now completed Gorgonzola sandwich in hand, heads for the public bar for his daily two pints of stout, looking forward to his lesson with his Italian teacher, Signorina Adriana Ottolenghi, whom he idolizes.
Belacqua then goes to school, lunch having been "a notable success," far better than he had anticipated. The "pale soapy piece of cheese" had proved strong, and the toast had had the texture of glass: "His teeth and jaws had been in heaven, splinters of vanquished toast spraying forth at each gnash." His mouth still burning and aching from his lunch, he then goes to pick up the lobster, which he believes to be freshly killed, and proceeds to his Italian lesson. While he is with the signorina, a cat attacks his parcel, which has been left out in the hall, but the French instructress rescues the lobster before any harm is done. The lesson continues. When it is over, Belacqua takes the lobster to his aunt's house, where he is horrified to learn that the lobster is not yet dead and will have to be boiled alive. He comforts himself that at least it will be a quick death. The last line of the story is, "It is not."