This study will discuss the themes of August Strindberg's play The Father from a philosophical point of view, focusing on the significance and meaning of those themes for both the original audience and today's audience. The narrow theme of the play is the doubt that men may have about their own role in the origins of their children--i.e., can a man ever be certain that he is the biological father of his child or children? In broader terms, however, the theme is the war which exists between the sexes, especially in a marriage and particularly in a marriage with children.
The theme of marital discord is certainly not a new one, although Strindberg makes it utterly fresh in this play with his unique characterization of the marital couple, the Captain and Laura.
The Captain seems to be alternately a fool (in not seeing what a monster Laura is long before the marriage has reached the late stage as it is portrayed in the play) and a knowing and willing partner in his own destruction. In fact, Captain Adolf does seem to be at least partially as mentally unstable as Laura tries to depict him to other characters. He is hardly the "Captain" of his soul or destiny but instead is a helpless victim in the marriage.
Laura, on the other hand, behaves like a black widow spider, devouring her mate after he has served the purpose of giving her offspring. She seems stupid at times (as when the doctor is explaining the repercussions of her plan to her), but her primary trait is her bull-like determination to destroy her husband and win complete control over their daughter and her upbringing, education, and career.
Laura may indeed be a simple woman, even stupid in terms of formal education, but there is no doubt in her mind that she as a woman is more powerful than men in the gender war, and especially in a marriage in which a child is present. At one point, she says to her husband, "I have never been able to look at a man without feeling ...