Amédée, or How to Get Rid of It (1954) by Eugène Ionesco (Themes)

 

Amédée, or How to Get Rid of It (1954)

by Eugène Ionesco

(Themes) 

Themes in Amédée, or How to Get Rid of It

Amédée, or How to Get Rid of It by Eugène Ionesco explores profound existential concerns beneath its surface of grotesque humor. Through the strange image of a continuously growing corpse occupying a cramped apartment, Ionesco dramatizes the psychological and philosophical tensions that define modern existence. The play’s themes revolve around guilt, decay, paralysis, communication breakdown, and the absurdity of life itself.

One of the central themes is the burden of unresolved guilt. The corpse symbolizes something buried in the past—possibly a crime, a failed relationship, or a moral compromise. Its exact identity remains ambiguous, which strengthens its symbolic power. By refusing to confront the corpse for fifteen years, Amédée and Madeleine allow it to grow physically and metaphorically. Ionesco suggests that ignored guilt does not diminish with time; instead, it expands, eventually dominating one’s inner and outer life. The grotesque physical enlargement of the corpse mirrors the psychological enlargement of suppressed responsibility.

Closely linked to guilt is the theme of stagnation and decay, particularly within marriage. Amédée and Madeleine’s relationship has deteriorated into repetitive arguments and mutual blame. Their emotional distance is as suffocating as the apartment itself. The corpse becomes a manifestation of their dead love—something once alive but now decomposing, yet impossible to remove. The domestic setting transforms into a symbolic space of entrapment, emphasizing how routine and avoidance can corrode intimacy over time.

Another important theme is creative and existential paralysis. Amédée’s inability to complete his play parallels his inability to act decisively in life. He hesitates, postpones, rationalizes. His artistic block reflects a deeper existential crisis: a failure to impose meaning or order on a chaotic world. This paralysis is not merely personal but philosophical. The play embodies the absurdist notion that human beings search for meaning in a universe that offers none. Action is delayed because certainty is impossible.

The theme of breakdown of communication further intensifies the sense of absurdity. Dialogue between the couple often becomes circular and contradictory. Words fail to clarify reality; instead, they distort it. This linguistic instability reflects the Theatre of the Absurd’s broader concern with the inadequacy of language. Communication becomes an illusion, reinforcing isolation rather than connection.

Finally, the play engages deeply with the absurdity of existence. The floating corpse in the final scene epitomizes this theme. What should obey physical laws defies them. What should be tragic becomes strangely comic. The boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves. Ionesco suggests that life itself operates according to irrational principles. The world cannot be neatly explained or controlled.

Yet within this absurdity lies a subtle suggestion of liberation. When Amédée finally confronts the corpse and attempts to remove it, the act leads to transformation. Though ambiguous, his ascent into the sky may symbolize escape from suffocation—whether through imagination, death, or transcendence. The play thus balances despair with a strange, fragile possibility of release.

In essence, Amédée presents a world where avoidance breeds monstrosity, language fails to anchor truth, and human beings hover between paralysis and action. Through absurd theatrical imagery, Ionesco reveals the tragicomic condition of modern life: we live among the growing remnants of our own unfinished pasts, uncertain whether confronting them will destroy us—or set us free.