ঋত্বিক ঘটকের ‘জ্বালা’ নাটকে অভিব্যক্তিবাদের প্রসঙ্গ/ Ritwik Ghataker ‘Jwala’ Natoke Avibyaktibader Prosongo

Abstract

This paper studies how Expressionist ideas appear in Ritwik Ghatak’s Bengali play ‘Jwala’. Expressionism was an art movement in early twentieth-century Europe, especially around the First World War. It focused on showing deep feelings rather than realistic details. Expressionist artists often used strange shapes, exaggeration, distortion, and strong images to express fear, pain, tension, and the emotional struggles of a changing world. This paper explains how similar elements are found in ‘Jwala’. The play tells the story of six characters, and five of them are already dead. Each one had taken their own life because of poverty, unemployment, illness, displacement, or personal failure. Their spirits come together and speak about their past lives. Through their conversations, they try to understand what caused their suffering and what pushed them toward death. The stage design, character descriptions, and the way the dialogues are written all show Expressionist features. The stage feels dark and uncomfortable. The characters appear in strange, sometimes frightening forms. Their speech is emotional, broken, and often exaggerated. These techniques help us feel their inner pain more clearly and show the heavy emotional burden they carried when they were alive. However, the paper argues that Ghatak did not want to create a fully Expressionist play. He used Expressionist methods only as tools to express something bigger. His main aim was to highlight the serious social problems of post-independence India—such as poverty, displacement, and social injustice. He also wanted to show the need for unity, awareness, and collective struggle. Because of this, ‘Jwala’ should be understood as a socially conscious play influenced by Expressionism, not as a pure Expressionist work.