Antigone Journal 4

Page 52

     Creon. Listen to me. They don't know it, but the truth is the work is there to be done, and a man can't fold his arms and refuse to do it. They say it's dirty work But if we didn't do it, who would?
     Page. I don't know, sir.
     Creon. Of course you don't. You'll be lucky if you never find out. In a hurry to grow up, aren't you?
     Page. Oh, yes, sir.
     Creon. I shouldn't be if I were you. Never grow up if you can help it. [He is lost in thought as the hour chimes] What time is it?
     Page. Five o'clock, sir.
     Creon. What have we on at five o'clock?
     Page. Cabinet meeting, sir.
     Creon. Cabinet meeting. Then we had better go along to it.



The author, Anouilh chooses these lines to be the last spoken words by any characters, besides the Chorus. These 15 lines are important to this story because they embody the idea that life goes on after death. In the sense that, the people that knew someone who has passed away, their lives are only affected for a short time. This period is called "mourning". In this case, Creon is already thinking about business and running his city, just moments after learning his wife had committed suicide by hanging, once learning that his niece had just died, along with her fiancee and others. Anouilh is referencing the Vichy Government in this passage when Creon says "it's dirty work. But if we didn't do it, who would?" this type of statement was used a lot during Nazi occupation. When Anouilh wrote this adaption of Antigone, France was occupied by Nazi Germany, and a puppet regime, "Vichy" was put in place. These types of governments would label war jobs as "dirty work", but somebody had to do them. After Creon says "Never grow up if you can help it", he gets lost in thought and is only re-awakened by the chiming of the hour bell. This dozing off while in thought about never growing up shows regret and remorse in Creon. Creon is reminiscing about something that he has done, and it seems as though it has negative connotations.