Draußen vor der Tür
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Draußen vor der Tür (Outside the Door or The Man Outside) is a play written by Wolfgang Borchert. It made its debut on German radio on 13 February 1947.
Draußen vor der Tür describes the hopelessness of a soldier, Beckmann, who returns from Stalingrad only to find that he has also lost his wife and home, as well as his illusions and beliefs. He finds no open door, nothing worth living for. He first heads home to the woman who used to be his wife, then he meets a girl, whose husband also went to war (he comes back with one leg during the play) then to the Colonel who was in charge of him in Russia. He continues to a director, who preaches bold art, but is afraid to take any risks; then finally to where his parents used to live, only to find them dead. But at each door, he is turned away. The book ends on what can be assumed is Beckmann's death. The broadcast of the play met with an overwhelming success and when, shortly afterwards, Borchert died, he was mourned by thousands.
Due to its release during the sensitive immediate postwar period, Borchert subtitled his play "a play that no theatre wants to perform and no audience wants to see."
Draußen vor der Tür was first broadcast in February 1947 and presented in a Hamburg theater on November 21, 1947--the day after Borchert's death.
The play consists of five scenes in one act. It makes use of Brechtian techniques such as the Verfremdungseffekt (distancing technique) to disorient and engage its audience.
[edit] Characters
This list is translated from the original text
- Beckmann, one of many
- His Wife, who forgot him
- Her Husband, who she loves
- A Woman, whose man came home with one leg
- Her Husband, who dreamed of her for 1000 nights
- A Commander, who is very merry
- His Wife, who is cold in her warm Parlour
- The Daughter, just over for dinner
- Her Courageous Husband
- A Cabaret Director, with daring goals, but a weak heart
- Frau Kramer, Who is no longer Frau Kramer, which is horrible.
- The Old Man, who no one believes in anymore (God)
- The Undertaker with a case of the hiccups (Death)
- A Street Sweeper, who is nothing (Also Death)
- The Other, who everyone knows (Conscience)
- The Elbe (Life)
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