The Emperor Jones: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Emperor Jones: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complexities of key figures in Eugene O'Neill's play. The central character, Brutus Jones, is a former Pullman porter who, through a blend of cunning and luck, becomes the self-proclaimed emperor of an unnamed Caribbean island. His character embodies themes of power, fear, and the fragility of authority, as he confronts his past and the consequences of his actions. Henry Smithers, a Cockney trader, serves as a foil to Jones, showcasing a mix of opportunism and arrogance while underestimating the island's natives. Lem, a native chief, symbolizes the intelligence and resilience of the oppressed, ultimately orchestrating Jones's downfall by leveraging the very myths Jones has propagated. Other characters, including the Old Native Woman and Jeff, contribute to the exploration of memory, guilt, and cultural dynamics. This analysis highlights the interplay of race, power, and identity, inviting readers to reflect on the broader implications of O'Neill's work within the context of colonialism and exploitation.
The Emperor Jones: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Eugene O'Neill
First published: 1921
Genre: Play
Locale: An island in the West Indies
Plot: Expressionism
Time: Early twentieth century
Brutus Jones, emperor of an unnamed island in the West Indies. A large, powerful, and street-smart man, he was for ten years a Pullman porter in the United States. He killed his friend Jeff in a fight over a game of dice and knocked out a guard to escape from prison. He fled as a stowaway and went to the island, where he used his urban ways and vague hints about his violent past to establish himself as emperor of the island. Luck also played a part: When Lem hired a gunman to kill Jones early in his reign, the gun misfired. Jones has convinced the natives that he has a powerful magic and that he can be killed only with a silver bullet. Jones knows that he will not be able to maintain his position for long, but he does not care. He lives well in a rich and gaudy palace. He has stolen a fortune from the natives and put it safely in a foreign bank. Even when the revolt comes sooner than he expects, he shrugs and simply begins his carefully planned evacuation. As he tells Smithers, he has hidden food at the edge of the Great Forest and he has memorized the trails, so that he can make his way easily—even in the dark—to the other side of the island, where a French gunboat is at anchor. Once he reaches the forest, however, Jones is unnerved by the sound of the native drums, which beat insistently throughout the night. As fear overtakes him, he stumbles through the forest, encountering Little Formless Fears, the ghost of Jeff, his comrades on the prison chain gang, a slave auction, an African witch doctor, and the Crocodile God, all representing the stripping away of his layers of intelligence and “civilization.” He learns nothing from these encounters but becomes instead a more primitive man, driven only by his fear. In the morning, it turns out he has traveled all night in a circle. Lem's soldiers simply wait for him where he entered the forest and shoot him dead.
Henry Smithers, a Cockney trader who has found his way to the island. Rough and crooked, he has made his money in legal and illegal trade around the world. He is in an uneasy alliance with Jones. The two men believe themselves to be superior in every way to the island natives, whom they consider unintelligent and uncivilized. At the beginning of the play, Smithers is also feeling smug toward Jones, because he knows about the runaways before the emperor does. He does not press his advantage very far: He clearly fears Jones, who is bigger, stronger, and more violent than he is. After Jones leaves, he searches the palace for anything he might take and sell for cash. At the end of the play, Smithers has cast his lot with Lem, following him around as the chief hunts for Jones. He does not believe Jones will be caught: The natives are too stupid. When they do catch and kill Jones, Smithers clings to his beliefs, scoffing at the idea that the natives could be responsible for Jones's downfall.
Lem, a native chief who despises Jones. Displaced when Jones claimed the title of emperor, Lem has been quietly gathering power while Jones looted the island. Although Jones and Smithers both believe that the native population of the island is unintelligent, when Lem appears at the end with his soldiers, it is clear that he knows exactly what he is doing and how he can bring down Jones. He believes Jones's story about the magic of the silver bullets but uses it against him. He has his people melt down coins to make silver bullets, outsmarts Jones to find him, and then has Jones shot.
An Old Native Woman, who is left behind when the younger subjects of the emperor run away. Before she leaves, she tells Smithers that everyone is abandoning the emperor, whom she clearly still fears.
Jeff, a dice-throwing pal of Jones back in the United States. It was for killing Jeff, after he had caught Jeff cheating at dice, that Jones was sent to prison. In his terror as he runs in circles through the jungle, Jones meets the ghost of Jeff and wastes one of his bullets trying to kill him again.