Al-Hakim’s Fate of a Cockroach was first published in 1966. In my opinion, Al-Hakim asserts that man has no control over his own fate as the central theme of his play. The belief that one can control their fate consequently leads to an obsession with attaining knowledge and power. Through his male characters, Al-Hakim intended to describe the nature of man as presumptuous, self-centered, and obsessed with scientific pursuits. Alternatively, the women in his play closely epitomize the humbling phenomena of nature.
Within the play Fate of a Cockroach,” the Queen cockroach and Samia are characterized as ego-effacing in events of their husbands’ self-aggrandizement. Similarly, we are all confronted with our insignificance in the world when the powerful hand of nature crashes down upon us in the event of a natural disaster. Thus, it can be concluded that al-Hakim believes nature is where true power lies in our world. In terms of “Fate of a Cockroach,” man’s greatest flaw is the created ideology that we are significant enough to control our own fate.
Al-Hakim’s play is divided into two instances that exist in different worlds, yet both have a significant impact on the other. Act I takes place in Adil and Samia’s bathroom, where the main human characters are observed through the eyes of the King and Queen cockroach and their subjects. In Act II, we witness a chaotic morning between husband and wife as they prepare for their day. Adil embodies Al-Hakim’s ‘personified cockroach’, as he becomes engrossed in the King cockroach’s struggle to climb up the slippery walls of the porcelain tub while also feeling connected to its persistent will to survive.
By understanding this, the audience can infer that the world of cockroaches is a microcosm of modern human society. Thus, any conclusions drawn about the nature of the cockroach and its kingdom can be paralleled to that of humans and civilization. The play’s opening scene illustrates power distribution within the king and queen’s marriage. The King cockroach believes that his long whiskers are inherent proof that he is superior to all other cockroaches, including his wife.
Although he asserts his authority over his royal” subjects – the Savant, the Priest, and the Minister – the Queen shows that she cannot be easily dominated by her husband. The first example of this can be seen in a conversation between the two at the beginning of the play.
Queen: I’m exactly the same as you – there’s no difference between us at all!
King: There is a difference.
Queen: And what, prithee, might this difference be?
King: My whiskers.
Queen: Just as you have whiskers, so have I.
King: Yes, but my whiskers are longer than yours.
Queen: That is a trifling difference.
KING: So it seems to you.
KING: To you rather. It is your sickly imagination that always makes it appear to you that there is a difference between us.
Through this conversation, the audience sees that the King argues that his supreme authority is obvious to whoever looks at his whiskers, even though the difference is trivial. On the other hand, the Queen cannot see the validity in this argument because it is merely based on his perception that there is any difference between them. She demeans her husband, belittles his boasting and questions his authority to keep him mindful that he is as insignificant as everyone else. The play goes on to introduce more characters: the Minister, Savant and Priest.
Not only do these three serve the king, but he also appointed them for their unique talents. For instance, the Minister was nominated for his consummate concern with proposing disconcerting problems and producing unpleasant news.” This is proven true as he enters the play bearing terrible news that the ants have killed his son. Although seen as inferior to cockroaches, as stated by the Savant because they are solely concerned with acquiring food, ants pose a significant threat to the existence of cockroaches.
When a cockroach slips onto its back, ants immediately attack and carry it away to be stored for food. I find this ironic because even though ants are seen as insignificant in the cockroach’s world, they prove to be integral components in deciding the fate of the cockroach. After the Minister announces his son’s death, it is the Queen who asserts that a solution to the ant problem must be pursued, while the King says no solution exists.
Once again, the King’s significance is undermined as he fails to rise to the challenging occasion or fulfill his official functions” (pg. 8). Throughout the play, this superiority complex is exemplified by the cockroaches who refuse to adapt to the ways of their “inferior” counterparts, the ants. This attitude prevents them from finding a solution to their problem. However, in a moment of clarity, the Minister suggests mobilizing armies and attacking the ants with great force: “They attack us with huge armies. Now if we were able to mobilize ourselves and assemble in great numbers we’d find it easy to attack them, scatter them and crush them under our feet.” (pg.)
Immediately, the King applies his authority and rebukes the Minister’s notion, cutting him down because it is a stupid” idea. According to the King, in the long history of cockroaches, they have never gathered together in a group big enough to form an army. This declaration upholds that the nature of cockroaches is to be self-centered and live a life of solitude. By sticking to themselves, they are not constantly reminded that they are all the same and should be working together to solve the problem of ants. This individualistic mentality keeps them from taking control over their lives.
Instead, they are preoccupied with rationalizing ideas of grandeur through scientific equations. For example, why the tub fills up when there is light and empties when it is dark. When a procession of ants marches by chanting a song of togetherness (There is amongst us none who says ‘I am not concerned with others’” (pg. 16)), the cockroaches hear nothing. The ants’ voices may be small, but their words hold weighty philosophy that the cockroaches cannot understand because they trivialize the ants’ significance. Close to the end of Act I, the Queen implores the knowledge of “eminent” Savant.
On page 19, she wonders why cockroaches still suffer despite being considered superior to ants. She also refers to those other, inferior creatures.” The Savant responds that patience is key since they cannot elevate lower creatures to the same level of civilization as themselves. He goes on to explain that unlike ants who only care about food, cockroaches use their whiskers to touch things beyond food in order to discover their nature and reality out of curiosity and a desire for knowledge.
It cannot be refuted that cockroaches have high aspirations. However, what they aspire to understand is not always within their realm of perception. Similar to the voices of ants, they cannot see Adil and Samia, whose bathroom they call their kingdom. They also cannot see Umm Attiya’s wet rag, which she uses to wipe cockroaches and ants out of existence while cleaning that very bathroom. Nonetheless, the cockroaches consider it their obligation to explain natural phenomena” when they occur.
Ironically, their egotistical view of the world leads them to believe that the link to the occurrence of these catastrophes lies in the fact that cockroaches were present at that moment in time (pg. 12). However, this unquenchable curiosity and itch for discovery leads the King to his ultimate downfall. While exploring the lake,” which is no more than Adil and Samia’s bathtub, he loses control of his footing and slips into the abyss of the tub where no one can or tries to save him. This concludes Act I and begins introducing Adil, his wife Samia, their Cook Umm Attiya, and Doctor.
Act II opens with Adil and Samia rising from bed and beginning their morning rituals. However, it doesn’t take long before the marital bickering starts. Samia is extremely critical and domineering over Adil, even barking out orders while she’s in the bathroom. It’s clear that she has most of the control in their relationship, but Adil finds comfort in justifying his submission to her by saying that he believes women are weaker than men. He entertains her delusions despite this fact (pg. 25).
Just like cockroaches and ants, Adil feels unable to break free from the tense hold Samia has on his life. Despite this, he believes he is superior to her. As the play progresses, Samia discovers the King cockroach inside their bathtub, still struggling to climb up its slippery walls. She calls for Adil’s help and he comes to her aid. While in the bathroom, he strategically locks Samia out when she goes to get insecticide from the kitchen. Adil becomes mesmerized by the King cockroach’s struggle and even begins cheering him on with words of encouragement like Stick to it! Stick to it!
Struggle for your life!” (pg. 32). Adil projects his marital strife onto a cockroach, finding hope for himself through the beetle’s fight for survival. Adil identifies with the tragic struggle of the cockroach, which is beyond its strength, and rebels against Samia’s commands to open the door. “Open the door, Adil! Open up, I tell you!” (pg. 32). He realizes that even though she has emasculated him and reduced him to the status of a cockroach, he can still rebel like one. Though ultimately futile, identifying with the cockroach allows him to feel human again.
This is a valuable lesson learned. Unlike the King cockroach, Adil has found significant purpose in something that might have otherwise seemed trivial and worthless to a man’s life. From that point on in the play, Adil feels secure with himself. He is no longer angered or affected by his wife’s harassment and does not allow the Doctor, who Samia calls to the house, to dominate him with his scientific inquiries. In the end, it is the Cook who draws the bathwater and unintentionally drowns the King cockroach. The Cook symbolizes external forces of nature that make changes in life.
Just like natural phenomena on Earth are impartial to the fate of man, she is neutral to the struggle of the cockroach. She is only doing her job cleaning the bathroom. Al-Hakim’s message unifies the fate of a cockroach with that of a man. If a man is to make it in this world, he has to recognize his limits. During the play, we scoff at the cockroach’s egotistical ignorance, but since there exists a connection between the King cockroach and Adil, should we not also scoff at ours? We insist that we are in control of our fate because we are scared to suppose that there is something bigger than us which actually does.
In the play, Nature symbolizes a metaphysical force much greater than us that makes real changes to the world. Men who are absorbed by the obsession of attaining knowledge and power should be quick to squash that part of themselves before they become infected with delusions of grandeur. As portrayed in the play through the fate of King Cockroach, even a man who attains absolute power over others – whether it be his wife or kinsmen – will eventually come face-to-face with life’s equalizer: death.
