visit book summary

by Friedrich Duerrenmatt

The visit summary and analysis of act 1.

The play opens at the railway station of a small town named Guellen, which literally means "excrement". This ramshackle town is the very picture of poverty. It is autumn, and four men from the town are gathered near a painter, who is making a banner that reads: "Welcome Claire..."

The express trains pass noisily by, and the four men discuss the fact that even the commuter trains no longer stop in Guellen. The factory is dead, and the town lies in ruin. The town was once a place of extraordinary culture and artistry: Goethe once spent a night there, and Brahms composed a quartet within its borders. The painter chimes in to say that he was once a brilliant student at the Ecole des Beaux Art , and has now been reduced to sign-making. Another man notes that the town is "rotting", and they begin to discuss the impending arrival of a millionairess who has donated extraordinary amounts of money to villages all over the country.

The Schoolmaster , the Mayor , the Priest , and Mr. Alfred Ill , the most popular man in town, arrive at the railway station. These four prominent townspeople discuss their preparations for the millionairess' arrival. The famous Claire Zachanassian (previously Claire Wascher) was born in Guellen. Her father was a builder in the town, and, long ago, Ill and Claire were lovers. In a burst of nostalgia, Ill describes his fond memories of their liaisons in Petersen's Barn and Konrad's Village Wood: her "red hair streaming out, slim and supple as a willow, and tender, ah, what a devilish beautiful little witch. Life tore us apart. Life" (205). As the Mayor prepares his speech, Ill tells him that in their youth, Claire was a great lover of justice, and was always a generous woman. The Mayor then informs Ill that he is to be named the successor to his office. Ill is elated by the announcement of this honor.

Suddenly, the express train comes to a stop: Claire Zachanassian is early. Claire is 63; her hair is still flaming red, and she is ostentatiously dressed. The overall effect of her appearance is both graceful and grotesque. Apparently, Claire had pulled the emergency brake on the express train, casting everything into disarray. The townspeople are thrown into a frenzy, not being fully prepared for her arrival. Claire argues with the ticket master, who chastises her for having pulled the brake. She attempts to demonstrate the power of wealth by offering him a large sum of money, but he refuses her bribe.

Claire's husband (Husband VII) or "Moby", as she refers to him, appears. Alfred and Claire meet face-to-face for the first time in years, and are quick to exchange endearments. Alfred refers to Claire as his "little wildcat" or "sorceress", and she remembers that she had called him her "black panther" when they were young lovers. Claire, who has grown old and fat, shows off her prosthetic limb, received after a terrible car accident. Her husband's real name, she explains, is Pedro, but she calls him "Moby" because the moniker rhymes with "Boby", her butler.

The celebration begins on an awkward note, as the singing of the choir and the Youth Club is drowned out by the rumbling of the express train. Claire, upon meeting the Policeman , cryptically asks him whether he'll turn both of his eyes blind, and then laughs. She then asks the Priest whether he comforts the dying and the condemned, and ignores the Priest when he replies that there is no longer a death penalty in Switzerland. Claire declares that she wants to go to town, and explains that ever since the accident she has traveled by sedan-chair. Her attendants Roby and Toby , who are described as a Herculean, gum-chewing pair, lift her sedan-chair into the air. Roby and Toby, it is explained, were once Manhattan gangsters facing death by electric chair, but were saved when Claire paid a million dollars for each man's life. The sedan-chair, she notes, was a gift from the French President, and at one time resided in the Louvre.

Seated atop her sedan-chair, Claire declares that she wishes to see Petersen's Barn and Konrad's Village Wood. The townspeople notice that she has come with a great deal of luggage and - oddly enough - a coffin. Her entourage also includes a pair of old, fat, neatly-dressed men. The men are named "Koby" and "Loby", and they are both blind. Claire has also brought with her a cage containing a black panther. Seeing this, the Schoolmaster begins to feel fearful. He states that Claire is a terrifying sight, and that she gives him the impression of "an avenging Greek goddess...spinning destiny's webs herself" (216).

Claire plans to stay at the Golden Apostle, but first wishes to revisit the places where she spent the most important moments of her youth. In Konrad's Village Wood, the four men from the station are transformed into trees as Claire recalls how deeply she and Ill were in love when she was seventeen and he was twenty. When she became pregnant, he betrayed her by denying her paternity claim and marrying Matilda Bluhard, the daughter of the owner of the general store. Claire, in disgrace, fled to a brothel, and eventually married an old Armenian millionaire named Zachanassian. Standing with Ill in the wood, she points out the irony of it all: now she is the one with the money, and it is Ill who leads "a laughable life" (220). Claire warns Ill of her malicious nature by saying, "I've grown into hell itself" (219). When Ill tenderly kisses Claire's hand, she explains that it is made of ivory; she lost her real hand in a plane crash. "Clara, are you artificial?" Ill asks (221). She responds by telling him that she is "unkillable".

As they approach the Golden Apostle, the trees become men once again. The gathering outside the hotel is lively: among those in attendance are a gymnastic team, the town band, the Mayor and his wife, and Ill's wife, Matilda. Claire asks the doctor whether he makes death certificates, and she advises him that the next time someone dies, he ought to declare that the cause of death was a heart attack. The townspeople all seem to find her a little disturbing, but Ill laughs joyfully and says that she is "delicious" (222). To add to the confusion, Claire announces that she is getting a divorce, and that her future husband (Husband VIII) is a German film star. She plans to marry him in Guellen Cathedral - something that had always been a childhood dream of hers. The Mayor, prompted by Ill, then gives a long speech that concludes with the words "three cheers for the prodigal returned" (225).

Claire happily announces that she will give Guellen one million dollars: half for the town, and half to be shared amongst the families. She states that her gift is conditional, but before she can explain the condition, the crowd bursts into a euphoric roar. The Mayor asks Claire what the condition of her gift is, and she replies, "I'm buying myself justice" (226). The Mayor responds that "Justice can't be bought" (226), but Claire says that everything can be brought. She then brings Boby the Butler forward to prove her point. The Schoolmaster identifies Boby as Chief Justice Courtly: he was once the Lord Chief Justice of Guellen, and then assumed a position with the Kaffigen Court of Appeal. Twenty-five years ago, the Butler explains, Claire offered him an astounding sum of money to enter into her service, and he accepted.

The Butler then goes on to explain why Claire feels that she is owed "justice". In 1910, when he was Lord Chief Justice of Guellen, he arbitrated a paternity claim in which Clara Wascher (now Claire Zachanassian) claimed that Alfred Ill was the father of her child. Ill denied her claim, and called in two witnesses. Koby and Loby come forward, holding hands, and say that their real names are Jacob Chicken and Louis Perch. It was they who had falsely "confessed" to sleeping with Claire in exchange for a pint of brandy. Years later, Claire tracked down the two men at the ends of the earth: Jacob in Canada, Louis in Australia. She handed them over to Toby and Roby, who castrated and blinded them, and then took them into her service.

The result of this "miscarriage of justice" was tragic: Claire gave birth to a baby that lived for only one year (228), and became a prostitute in Hamburg. Now, she tells the townspeople, she wants someone to avenge her by killing Ill. She turns to the man that she loved in her youth and says, "You decrepit, and me cut to bits by the surgeon's knives. And now I want accounts between us settled. You chose your life, but you forced me into mine" (229). The Mayor steps in and says, "You forget, we are not savages...I reject your offer; and I reject it in the name of humanity. We would rather have poverty than blood on our hands" (229). The assembled crowd applauds loudly, but Claire ominously declares, "I'll wait" (229).

The opening of Act 1 is ominous and dramatic, and effectively foreshadows the tragedy to come. Beginning the play at the train station gives the audience a wide view of the town of Guellen, and reveals how its humanist, cultured history sharply contrasts with its present state of impoverishment. The tragic state of the town forces the audience to question how this has come to be. The figure of the painter is particularly notable against the barren city landscape, in part because Duerrenmatt was once a painter, but also because the painter in the play was a brilliant student of art, and has now been reduced to fashioning a welcome sign at the train station. The painter is clearly intended to serve as a meter for the town's cultural prosperity or poverty. Additionally, the very fact that the painter is talented yet unable to express his ability indicates the "waste" that is stifling the city. The image of a factory no longer in use also underscores this "wasted potential." In other words, the town and its citizens are not without potential or skill; their artistic proclivities and talents have merely been crushed by circumstance. The name "Guellen" refers directly to liquid excrement, and while the allusion may appear overt to the point of being grotesque, it also successfully enhances the tone of the play, assaulting the sensibilities of the audience on a number of levels: the characters are comic, grotesque, and macabre, and the idea of "justice" has been sullied almost beyond repair. However, this strategy forces the audience to question the world in which they themselves live, a world which, while not necessarily as grim as Guellen, may share with the town a number of disconcerting qualities.

The scene at the train station also introduces several of the town's key figures. The townspeople are all in a state of excited anticipation, and discuss the fact that the approaching visitor, Claire, is their only hope for survival. Here, the audience learns several key facts: (1) Claire is the richest woman in the world; (2) Claire is a native of Guellen; and (3) Claire and Ill were lovers in their youth. Ill nostalgically describes her as a delicious young girl, "slim and supple as a willow." This description is set against a pastoral vision marked by the landmarks of Petersen's Barn and Konrad's Village Wood. Claire's physical arrival at the station, however, sharply contrasts with the idyllic image that Ill has painted: she is, of course, older - 63 - and though her red hair is still a notable characteristic, everything else about her strikes the audience as "monstrous" and "artificial". She is "ostentatiously dressed," and her false limb, combined with her odd declaration that she is "unkillable", create an impression of surreal, almost grotesque power over the natural order. Through Ill, the audience learns that Claire used to be fresh, alluring, and innocent, and was most likely a good-hearted girl, but it is implied that over time something has caused her to grow into a monster. At the very least, she is virtually unrecognizable.

As Claire and Ill revisit the pastoral sites of their youthful liaisons, the four men from the train station metamorphose into trees. Over the course of the play, these four men repeatedly metamorphose into trees, and then back into humans, suggesting the transitory nature of their environment. This device alludes to the pastoral innocence upon which society is built; also, Claire, whose father was a "builder" in Guellen, has a history rooted in the town's birth. It is implied that modernity and urbanity "corrupt" nature, just as Ill corrupted Claire. It is, however, suggested that this metamorphosis did not have to be so tragic: something that is "built" can also be "just" and in harmony with nature. The play suggests that an idyllic human existence transpires at that unseen point where nature and society meet. Ill's unjust act, however, disturbed that delicate balance and thrust Guellen into its current state of disrepair.

Claire's early arrival signals that something unexpected is about to happen to the town. The manner in which she arrives is especially telling: she pulls the emergency brake on an express train. In other words, her refusal to follow the rules upon which others rely is an expression of her inflated sense of power, and her belief that her needs take precedence over the dictates of society. In her view, she has every right to pull the emergency brake - not because it is an emergency, but merely because doing so is easy and convenient. The rationale behind this action is rooted in Claire's status as the richest woman in the world. The characters of Roby and Toby, whom Claire saved from the electric chair, reveal that Claire is not afraid to use the power of her purse to subvert society's rules, even in situations where the "goodness" of her actions can be called into question. It seems likely that Claire did not rescue Roby and Toby because she felt that they were being slain unjustly, but rather because she simply desired a strong pair of bodyguards. In the past, her money has given her the power to make her own rules; however, at this point in the play it remains unclear whether Claire is a benevolent "goddess" who assists the troubled and poor with her magnanimous donations, or is a monster who gleefully engages in the blatant abuse of her power.

Claire's numerous husbands suggest her willingness to abuse the social institution of marriage, and also imply that Claire's ability to love has been "corrupted" by Ill. She renames each of her husbands so that their monikers rhyme with the rest of her entourage in a manner that is reminiscent of Adam renaming the animals in the Bible. In other words, Claire believes that she exists on an entirely different plane from those whom she employs - a category that includes her husbands. (It is important to note here that her first husband has retained his full name in her memory: he is a kind of creator-figure whom she has come to emulate and almost deify. Along these lines, Claire's decision to dehumanize each of her subsequent husbands through the process of re-naming can be thought of almost as a homage to her deceased husband). Claire developed her understanding of marriage based on Ill's example: he chose money over love, disregarding the welfare of others. Ill used marriage as a ladder to climb up in the world; Claire, who at the outset of the play has already climbed as high as she can go, cycles through husbands as though they are mere consumer goods. Overall, the corruption of the town, Claire's literal artificiality, and the grotesque tone of the play combine to suggest that Claire is not the benevolent "goddess" that the townspeople are hoping to meet.

Act 1 culminates in a celebratory gathering in honor of Claire. At the celebration, Claire announces to the townspeople that she is ready to offer them a generous gift, on one condition. She declares that she wishes to buy herself "justice". The Mayor's reply that justice cannot be bought is the crux around which the rest of the play revolves. We know from Ill's previous statement to the Mayor that Claire "loved" justice when they were young; but, like her ability to love, her reverence of justice has evolved into a monstrous obsession. Her butler, Boby, and the blind eunuchs Koby and Loby also underscore Claire's perverse sense of justice. She bought justice by offering Boby the Butler a large salary to become one of her employees, thereby forcing him to sacrifice his authentic position in a high court (though the infallibility of the judicial system is, at the same time, brought into question, since it seems possible for the average citizen to fool a judge, as Ill did in the paternity suit). In the case of Koby and Loby, Claire exacted justice in the manner of the Old Testament by tracking them down to the far corners of the earth and blinding and castrating both of them. The irony in Koby and Loby's characters is twofold: (a) they are eunuchs, who are traditionally considered to be protectors of a woman's chastity, while here the two men were bribed to claim that they had slept with Claire; and (b) they are blind, and the traditions of Ancient Greek drama (from which Duerrenmatt draws many of his symbols and plot devices) hold that the blind are "seers", in the sense that they "see" the truth. Koby and Loby "see" the truth, ironically, only because they were the ones who lied in the first place.

In keeping with the theme of "seeing," the Schoolmaster is the only one who "sees" Boby the Butler's true identity. As the drama unfolds, the Schoolmaster assumes a distinctive role as a "seer" of truth. The question that Duerrenmatt proposes is whether a humanist education and strong sense of values is enough to enable the Schoolmaster - or, indeed, anyone - to resist temptation.

In this play, Duerrenmatt grapples with the very nature of justice: he critiques its corruptibility, and studies the relationship between "justice" (which is impersonal), and "revenge" (which is personal). In Claire's mind, "justice" past wrongs: Claire believes in "an eye for an eye." In their youth, Ill "forced" Claire into her circumstances by contaminating the justice system with false witnesses and lies, thereby revealing the system's inability to discern the truth. While her lifestyle, at the time of her visit, may appear enviable, she is furious because she was not permitted to choose it for herself. Her life has been wholly determined by the actions of another.

Seeking retribution, Claire returns to the town and offers the townspeople a conditional gift. Over time, her fury has been magnified, and she has come to view the town itself as complicit in Ill's unjust act. To that end, the townspeople must repay her debt by sacrificing their values. Her version of justice virtually discards the system that has been developed over time: in Claire's world, justice is meted out in pure accordance with her will. This power causes Claire to take on the status of a mythical, omnipotent god or goddess. In fact, Duerrenmatt explicitly stated that readers ought to consider The Visit in the context of Medea ; he intended the work to be a contemporary manifestation of the angry, sorrowful woman who was betrayed by her lover.

The Visit Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Visit is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What are the actors celebrating in "The Visit"?

The actors are attending a homecoming celebration.

grandparents

Ok, so i know this is weird because this answer is 4 to 5 years from when you asked this question. But, what happened is the real grandparents were working at the asylum. and the fake grandparents broke out and went to there house, knowing they...

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Study Guide for The Visit

The Visit study guide contains a biography of Friedrich Duerrenmatt, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Visit
• The Visit Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Visit

The Visit literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Visit.

• Examining Claire Zachanassian in Act One of The Visit
• An Exploration of Mob Mentality in The Visit
• The Ironic Tragicomedy
• The Effect of Dehumanization in The Visit
• Poverty and Humanistic Values in The Visit

Lesson Plan for The Visit

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Visit
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Visit Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Visit

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• Film and television
• Literature and theatre

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The Visit: A Tragi-comedy Summary & Study Guide

The Visit: A Tragi-comedy Summary & Study Guide Description

The impoverished town of Guellen looks to Claire Zachanassian for financial salvation. When she offers them a million dollars if they kill Ill, a citizen of the town and her former lover, the townspeople initially refuse, but their resolve is worn down by the allure of wealth, and they wind up carrying out her wish.

As the play opens, the townspeople of Guellen are preparing for the arrival of Claire Zachanassian, a millionaire who was born there, hoping that she will help relieve their poverty. Claire arrives with her husband, her eighth, and her butler, Boby. The townspeople greet her with much fanfare. Among those greeting her is Ill, now an old man, who was once her lover when they were younger. Claire asks to see the places where she and Ill made love and she travels to them. After she leaves, the townspeople remark that she seems to think of herself as some kind of Greek Fate, as if she controls the destiny of men. Meanwhile, Claire and Ill recall their old relationship. Claire was in love with him, but he left her to marry his current wife. Crushed, she left the town and became a prostitute and, luckily, attracted the attention of a rich Armenian whom she married (and later divorced after getting most of his money). Claire and Ill go the town's hotel, the Golden Apostle, and the mayor gives a speech in praise of her. She thanks the mayor and, to the town's delight, offers them a million dollars. They rejoice, but she interrupts by saying that it comes with a condition. Ill, she says, impregnated her and then bribed two men to lie to a judge to avoid any responsibility. Since she was denied justice then, she demands it now and promises to give the money upon Ill's murder. The mayor, on behalf of the town, insists that they will not do it, but Claire leaves the offer open.

Ill, at first heartened by the town's show of support for him, starts to become suspicious as he notices that everyone in the town, even the priest and mayor, have purchased all sorts of new, expensive goods. He fears that they will get used to living that way and will weaken in the resolve not to kill him so they can sustain their lifestyle. Everyone he conveys this fear to dismisses him, but gradually they change their tactic and focus instead on the "crime" he committed against Claire. Ill tries to leave town, but the townspeople stand in his way while schizophrenically denying that they are preventing him from going.

Ill comes to the conclusion that he brought this misfortune on himself by mistreating Claire. The mayor says that the they will hold a town meeting which will decide Ill's fate, and he promises to abide by whatever decision they come to. Ill goes on a ride with his family in his son's new automobile and gets out of the car at Village Wood, a place where he and Claire once made love, and finds her there. They talk for awhile about their past together and what she plans to do with his body. He leaves for the town hall where reporters have gathered to cover the meeting, though they are unaware of the condition Claire attached to her offer. After giving another speech, the mayor has the press leave and the townspeople vote unanimously—except for Ill—to kill him. They immediately surround him and kill him. When the press return, the townspeople say that Ill died of joy to know that the town would be rescued from its poverty. The town then breaks into chorus and reassures itself, citing the evil of poverty and rejoicing in how wonderful their lives will now be.

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"The Visit" Summary

By Friedrich Dürrenmatt

plays | 112 pages | Published in NaN

Estimated read time: 5 min read

One Sentence Summary

A wealthy woman returns to her impoverished hometown and offers the townspeople a large sum of money in exchange for the life of the man who jilted her, testing the moral integrity of the community.

Table of Contents

Introduction, brief synopsis, main characters, summary of each story point over chapters, main events, themes and insights, reader's takeaway.

"The Visit" is a thought-provoking play written by Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt. First performed in 1956, it explores themes of justice, morality, and human nature. The story delves into the complexities of human behavior when faced with wealth and power, and how these factors influence individuals and society as a whole. Through compelling characters and a gripping plot, Dürrenmatt challenges readers to question their own values and beliefs.

"The Visit" is set in the small, economically struggling town of Guellen, in post-World War II Central Europe. The town is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the immensely wealthy Claire Zachanassian, who left Guellen in disgrace many years ago. The townspeople hope that her generosity will save them from financial ruin. However, Claire's return brings with it a shocking demand: she will offer a substantial financial donation to the town if the residents agree to execute Alfred Ill, the man who wronged her years ago.

The play features several key characters, each playing a crucial role in the unfolding drama:

The play opens with the townspeople of Guellen eagerly preparing for the anticipated arrival of Claire Zachanassian. The town, once prosperous, is now facing financial ruin. Claire arrives in Guellen with her entourage, exuding an aura of wealth and power. She announces her intention to make a substantial donation to the town, but on one condition – the execution of Alfred Ill, who had betrayed her years earlier. The townspeople are initially shocked, but as the promise of wealth dangles before them, they begin to consider Claire's offer.

As the townspeople grapple with Claire's proposition, Alfred Ill's past misdeeds come to light. He had impregnated Claire as a young man and then publicly denied the child was his, leading to her exile from Guellen. Despite his guilt, Ill believes that the townspeople will not go through with the execution. However, as the financial incentive becomes more enticing, the townspeople's moral values begin to crumble. Ill's relationships begin to unravel, and the town becomes consumed by the lure of wealth at any cost.

In a dramatic turn of events, the townspeople ultimately betray Ill, leading to his arrest and impending execution. The town eagerly awaits the arrival of the executioner and Claire's promised financial contribution. However, just as the execution is about to take place, Claire reveals her true intentions. She had orchestrated the entire scenario to seek revenge on Ill and the town. She leaves without fulfilling her promise, leaving the town in despair and Ill facing his fate.

• Claire Zachanassian's return to Guellen with a shocking demand
• The revelation of Alfred Ill's past betrayal and the town's moral dilemma
• The townspeople's gradual descent into moral compromise for financial gain
• The ultimate betrayal of Ill and the town's realization of the consequences of their actions
• Claire's revelation of her true intentions and the devastating aftermath for the town and Ill

Justice and Morality

"The Visit" challenges the concepts of justice and morality, questioning whether they can be compromised in the face of wealth and power. The play explores the moral decay of individuals and society when confronted with the temptation of financial gain, forcing readers to confront their own ethical boundaries.

Revenge and Forgiveness

Claire Zachanassian's quest for revenge and the town's willingness to betray one of their own highlight the destructive power of vengeance. The play prompts reflection on the themes of forgiveness and the consequences of harboring resentment.

Corruption and Human Nature

Dürrenmatt delves into the darker aspects of human nature, portraying how individuals and communities can be swayed by greed and self-interest. The play serves as a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of material wealth.

"The Visit" is a compelling and introspective play that prompts readers to contemplate the complexities of human behavior, morality, and justice. Dürrenmatt's exploration of the human psyche and societal values makes this play a thought-provoking and relevant piece of literature, offering valuable insights into the human condition.

"The Visit" by Friedrich Dürrenmatt is a timeless work that continues to captivate audiences with its exploration of morality, justice, and the human capacity for corruption. Through its engaging plot and well-developed characters, the play challenges readers to examine their own values and beliefs, making it a thought-provoking and enduring piece of literature.

The Visit FAQ

What is the plot of 'the visit'.

The plot revolves around the wealthy Claire Zachanassian, who returns to her impoverished hometown seeking revenge on Anton Schill, a former lover who abandoned her. She offers the townspeople a large sum of money on the condition that they kill Schill.

What is the genre of 'The Visit'?

The Visit is a tragicomedy, combining elements of both tragedy and comedy.

What are the major themes of 'The Visit'?

The major themes include justice, revenge, morality, corruption, and the power of wealth.

Is 'The Visit' suitable for young readers?

The Visit contains mature themes and is more suitable for older readers due to its complex moral and ethical dilemmas.

What is the significance of the town in 'The Visit'?

The town symbolizes the conflict between morality and materialism, as well as the consequences of past actions.

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The Visit Summary and Analysis

FreeBookNotes found 4 sites with book summaries or analysis of The Visit . If there is a The Visit SparkNotes, Shmoop guide, or Cliff Notes, you can find a link to each study guide below.

Among the summaries and analysis available for The Visit , there are 2 Full Study Guides and 2 Book Reviews.

Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc.), the resources below will generally offer The Visit chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols.

by Friedrich Durrenmatt

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Sites like SparkNotes with a The Visit study guide or cliff notes. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The Visit.

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ClassicNotes - The Visit

Estimated Read Time : 60 minutes

Total Pages: 20

Important Content:

• Summary and Analysis (37 min)
• Character List (4 min)
• Major Themes (7 min)
• Suggested Essay Questions (6 min)
• Study Guide (2 min)

Book Reviews

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Estimated Read Time : 1 minute

Word Count: 286

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More Books by Friedrich Durrenmatt

FreeBookNotes has 5 more books by Friedrich Durrenmatt, with a total of 11 study guides.

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• PDF forms basics
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• About forms tracker
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• Combine or merge files into single PDF
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• Add watermarks to PDFs
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• Working with component files in a PDF Portfolio
• Publish and share PDF Portfolios
• Overview of PDF Portfolios
• Create and customize PDF Portfolios
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Before you begin

We're rolling out a new, more intuitive product experience. If the screen shown here doesn’t match your product interface, select  help for your current experience .

About page thumbnails

Page thumbnails are miniature previews of the pages in a document. You can use page thumbnails to jump quickly to a selected page or to adjust the view of the page. When you move, copy, or delete a page thumbnail, you move, copy, or delete the corresponding page.

If you don't see page thumbnails in the Pages side panel, select  View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Page. 

Create page thumbnails

Page thumbnails increase file size, so Acrobat doesn't create them automatically.

Acrobat no longer supports embedding and unembedding page thumbnails. However, Acrobat Distiller ® provides an alternate method of embedding page thumbnails.

View page thumbnails

Select the Page Thumbnails icon     from the right navigation panel.

Page thumbnails appear in the navigation pane. This process may require several seconds, particularly in larger documents. The drawing of page thumbnails may pause if you interact with the application during this process.

Resize page thumbnails

In the Page Thumbnails  side panel, select Options    , and then select Reduce Page Thumbnails or Enlarge Page Thumbnails . Page thumbnails revert to their default size if you close and reopen the PDF.

Define the tab order

In the Page Thumbnails  side panel, you can set the order in which a user tabs through form fields, links, and comments for each page.

Open the Page Thumbnails side panel.

Select a page thumbnail, and choose Page Properties from the Options menu   .

In the Page Properties dialog, select  Tab Order , and then select the tab order.

Use Row Order

Moves through rows from left to right, or right to left for pages with a right-to-left binding.

Use Column Order

Moves through columns from left to right and from top to bottom, or right to left for pages with a right-to-left binding.

Use Document Structure

Moves in the order specified by the authoring application.

For structured documents—PDFs that were created from desktop publishing applications or that contains tags—it’s best to select the Use Document Structure option to match the intention of the authoring application.

If the document was created in an earlier version of Acrobat, the tab order is Unspecified by default. With this setting, form fields are tabbed through first, followed by links, and then comments ordered by row.

About bookmarks

A bookmark is a link with representative text in the Bookmarks panel in the navigation pane. Each bookmark goes to a different view or page in the document. Bookmarks are generated automatically during PDF creation from the table-of-contents entries of documents created by most desktop publishing programs. These bookmarks are often tagged and can be used to make edits in the PDF.

Initially, a bookmark displays the page in view when the bookmark was created, which is the bookmark’s destination. In Acrobat, you can set bookmark destinations as you create each bookmark. However, it's sometimes easier to create a group of bookmarks and then set the destinations later.

In Acrobat, you can use bookmarks to mark a place in the PDF to which you want to return or to jump to a destination in the PDF, another document, or a web page. Bookmarks can also perform actions like running a command or submitting a form.

An Acrobat user can add bookmarks to a document only if the security settings allow it.

Create a bookmark

Select the bookmarks icon from the right navigation bar to open the Bookmarks side panel. 

• Open the page where you want the bookmark to link to, and adjust the view settings.

Use the Select tool to select the area of the page you want to bookmark:

To bookmark a single image, click in the image or drag a rectangle around the image.

To bookmark a portion of an image, drag a rectangle around the portion.

To bookmark text, drag to select it. The selected text becomes the label of the new bookmark. You can edit the label.

• Select the bookmark under which you want to place the new bookmark. If you don’t select a bookmark, the new bookmark is automatically added at the end of the list.

From the Options menu     in the Bookmarks panel, select  New Bookmark .

In the Bookmarks side panel, type or edit the name of the new bookmark.

Edit a bookmark

In Acrobat Reader, you can make bookmarks easier to read by changing their text appearance.

In Acrobat, you can change a bookmark’s attributes at any time.

Rename a bookmark

Select the bookmark in the Bookmarks side panel, select  Rename Bookmark in the Options menu   , and then enter the new bookmark name.

Wrap text in a long bookmark

Select the bookmark in the Bookmarks side panel, and then select  Wrap Long Bookmarks from the Options menu    .

All the text of long bookmarks shows regardless of the width of the navigation pane. (This option is on when checked, and off when not checked.)

Change the text appearance of a bookmark

You can change the appearance of a bookmark to draw attention to it.

In the Bookmarks side panel, select one or more bookmarks.

(Acrobat only) To change the color and style of the text, choose Properties from the Options menu   and then change the properties in the  Appearance  tab from the Bookmark Properties dialog box.

After you’ve defined a bookmark’s appearance, you can reuse the appearance settings. Select the bookmark, then go to the Options menu   and then select  Use Current Appearance as New Default .

To change the font size, select the Options menu   options, select  Text Size,  and then select your preference.

Change a bookmark’s destination

In the Bookmarks side panel, select the bookmark.

• In the document pane, move to the location you want to specify as the new destination.
• If necessary, adjust the view magnification.

Select  Set Bookmark Destination in the Options menu.

The Set Bookmark Destination option is context-sensitive. It appears only when you have an existing bookmark selected.

Add an action to a bookmark

In the Bookmarks side panel, select a bookmark.

From the Options menu, select  Properties .

In the Bookmark Properties dialog box, select Actions .

Choose an action from the Select Action list, and select Add .

Set the default zoom level for bookmarks

Applicable to acrobat pro and acrobat standard dc.

In the Bookmarks side panel, select the Options menu.

Select Set Default Bookmark Zoom Level , and choose the desired zoom level. By default, the Inherit Zoom option is selected.

Change the page number while adjusting the zoom level of multiple bookmarks

When you adjust the zoom level of multiple bookmarks, the destination page number for the selected bookmarks is retained by default.

To change the destination page number of the bookmarks, do the following:

Select two or more bookmarks that you want to change the zoom level.

Select the Options menu, and then select  Properties .

In the Bookmark Properties dialog, select  Actions .

Choose Go to a page in this document , and then select  Edit .

Deselect the option Use Page Number .

Delete a bookmark

Select a bookmark or range of bookmarks in the Bookmarks side panel, and then press Delete .

Deleting a bookmark deletes any bookmarks that are subordinate to it. Deleting a bookmark doesn’t delete any document text.

Create a bookmark hierarchy

You can nest a list of bookmarks to show a relationship between topics. Nesting creates a parent/child relationship. You can expand and collapse this hierarchical list as desired.

Nest one or more bookmarks

• Select the bookmark or range of bookmarks that you want to nest.

Drag the icon or icons directly underneath the parent bookmark icon. The Line icon shows the position of the icon or icons.

The bookmark is nested; however, the actual page remains in its original location in the document.

Move bookmarks out of a nested position

• Select the bookmark or range of bookmarks that you want to move.

Drag the icon or icons, positioning the arrow directly under the label of the parent bookmark.

Choose Cut from the Options menu, select the parent bookmark, and then choose Paste under Selected Bookmark from the Options menu.

Expand or collapse all top-level bookmarks

From the Options menu, select  Expand Top-Level Bookmarks or Collapse Top-Level Bookmarks .

Add tagged bookmarks

Tagged bookmarks give you greater control over page content than regular bookmarks. Tagged bookmarks use the underlying structural information of the document elements (for example, heading levels, paragraphs, and table titles). You can use it to edit the document. It includes rearranging the corresponding pages in the PDF or deleting pages. If you move or delete a parent-tagged bookmark, its children-tagged bookmarks are moved or deleted.

Many desktop publishing applications, such as Adobe InDesign® and Microsoft® Word , create structured documents. When you convert these documents to PDF, the structure is converted to tags, which support the addition of tagged bookmarks. Converted web pages typically include tagged bookmarks.

You can always add tags if your document doesn’t include tags in Acrobat.

Open the Bookmarks side panel. Choose New Bookmarks From Structure from the Options menu. (If this option isn’t available, the document isn’t structured).

The tagged bookmarks are nested under a new, untitled bookmark.

More like this

• Adobe PostScript options
• About tags, accessibility, reading order, and reflow
• Action types
• Edit tags with the Tags panel (Acrobat Pro)
• Links and bookmarks in web pages
• Learn more about creating PDF files

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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“Our last remaining pleasure: watching trains go by.”

A group of the men from Guellen are gathered at the train station where Claire will soon arrive. Although one of the men has made a welcome banner, they are there to watch the trains. They know the names of each of the express trains that rush by, several of which used to stop in Guellen. Now, even most of the commuter trains don’t stop there. By no longer stopping, the transit system is recognizing that Guellen is not worth visiting, and it’s also limiting the townspeople’s options for getting out, acknowledging that they are too poor to travel. Watching trains seems like a rather dull pleasure, but for the townspeople, it equates to dreaming about participating in the world.

“The country’s booming and Guellen has the Sunshine Foundry. But Guellen goes bankrupt.”

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