Riders to the Sea Essay Questions

Does Synge present his characters in a sympathetic light? How does this tie in with notions of "primitivism" in the times of Synge?

To be fair, there is something that smacks of Paul Gauguin visiting Tahiti when we consider Synge's anthropological visits to the Aran Islands. There he studied the people who lived there, growing increasingly fascinated by their primitive, traditional way of living, along with the pagan beliefs he detected under their Catholic faith. He refers to them as "prehistorically childlike" and as "aborigines," outside of history and behind in evolution. He idealizes them and offers a poetic truth in his writing rather than a social one, as critic James F. Knapp notes. His view of these peasants was very much a byproduct of Synge's own era, in which he and others made of primitivism "a discourse of opposition that cannot be understood aside from the historical struggles of his time and nation." Thus, the question of whether or not the characters are sympathetic doesn't even matter: these characters are barely "real" people. Instead, they are idealized; they are types. They are undeveloped and undergo no growth or change. They possess traits, but have no nuance. There is something indeed noble in Maurya's suffering, but she is more of an archetype than a real person.

What is the significance of the staging and set of the play with respect to the narrative's broader themes?

The setting is one room in a simple cottage, and it never moves beyond that. Within this cottage is all the action of the play; it is Maurya's seat of power and influence, though that is being continually eroded. She barely leaves it and expresses her reluctance towards having to walk down to Bartley. Outside the cottage is her implacable enemy, the sea; outside is death. Outside is the "real world," a world becoming more modern, more superficial, more youthful, and less traditional. It is telling that Bartley goes between both worlds, that the young priest is solidly outside the cottage walls, and that the daughters are inside the cottage but chafe to leave. As for the staging, the main props of the hearth and spinning wheel represent the traditional roles of women, while the white boards represent death.

How is death depicted in the play?

Firstly, death comes from the sea. The sea is all-powerful and cares nothing for the inconsequential human beings who live near or on it. It takes as it sees fit; it is almost predictable in its volatility and oppressive power. And as critic Denis Donoghue writes, the "nature of Death is presented in the idea of repetition, of continuity." Maurya methodically recites how her husband, father-in-law, and sons were taken by the sea. Patch was brought in dripping wet and preceded by the elderly women, as is Bartley. It is very clear as soon as the old women arrive and a body is observed on a plank that Bartley has joined his brothers. There is nothing heroic or remarkable about death at the hands of the sea; it is an almost inevitable end.