How to 'Marxist' A Play: The Revolt Of The Beavers

Going back to the thirties of United States, the first thing that springs to mind is the existence of the Great Depression. As it is known that the unrest the country was in. People were getting filled with the idea that capitalism had failed. The idea occupied the perception of people, and the dissatisfaction spread in every area in daily life. A new project to fund the artistic performances, called Federal Theatre Project (FTP), which was a “natural expression to deal with our daily lives and daily problems” (Schwartz, 17) was born in these times. In such a period, there was the FTP as one of the most memorable theatre projects in the history of the United States.

One of the most prominent features of the FTP was the Children’s Theatre Unit it had. That attempt proves that “The Federal Theatre Project, like the Jameses, was also interested in the next generation of audiences” (Guthu). One of the important reasons behind establishing a Children Theatre Unit was that the unit was believed to “change the Federal Theatre Project’s public image” (Guthu). However, there was an outstanding play out of that unit, entitled Revolt of the Beavers, which changed the image of the FTP to a great extent; in the eyes of both, public and authorities.

On the 20^th of May in 1937 (our, 195), the question was started to be asked immediately after the very first run of the play, that was “whether it is a typical fairy tale” (195) or a subversive children’s play; whether it is a “conscientiously produced revolutionary bed-time story” (Atkinson), or a standard tale that reflect to its time. The aim of this paper is to answer these questions and determine what kind of play the Revolt of the Beavers was, from the point of subversiveness.

To analyze the play, some important social conditions of the time must be taken into consideration. First and most important of them is the case of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) of the time. By the decision of Stalin, any connection with the western parties was cut by the Soviet Union, and as a result, CPUSA’s member number fell to a large extent between the years 1928 and 1932 (Post). The decreased number of the members of the party increased very fast after the outcomes of the Great Depression were felt. As it can be understood that there was a circulation in the members of the party, and that might have led the party to be built on the sand. After that period, it was the Popular Front’s establishment that caused a deep leftist effect on the artistic and intellectual life of the Americans. On the other hand, people wanted to raise their voice over the ongoing failure of capitalism. Hence, the combination of a necessity that would be the voice given to the failure of the capitalism, and an alternative way of life that would be the idea of communism came into existence hand in hand. By a consequence of this combination, the idea that adapted a revolutionist way rather than a reformist way was reflected in every product of human mind, including the Revolt of the Beavers.

No alive thing on earth would let something belongs to it worsen. What Americans did was a natural reaction that can be seen in almost every society of the world, even in the beavers’ society in the play. It is their time and labor and whatever comes as a result of these times and labor must belong to them. However, they do have nothing out of long working hours and elbow grease. That is acceptable if it is within the bounds for beavers, as it is so for human kind; that would be the centuries in which people lived under superstitions, feudal system, scholastic thinking and lastly, capitalism. But remember, one of the social consequences of the Paris Commune was the cancellation of night work, which proves that if a power or an authority makes you work more than you should and lefts you with nothing, the consequences would be harsh for that power or authority.  Hereby, it can be said that what irritated French in 1871 is really similar to what irritates the beavers in the play; and what has been intended by the any revolution in the world history is so similar to the beavers’ riot in the play.

But what was the idea children got from the play having regard to these similarities? Although a survey that was done to determine the idea left in the children’s mind after having seen the play by asking the question “what main idea did you get from the play?” (our, 105) concludes that there is only naive ideas left as seen in the answers of children, such as “Beaver Land the hungry beavers” (our, 105) it is a fact that there can be no theatre that would make a child answer the question “what did you get from it?” as “we shouldn’t obey the capitalist government and overthrow it.” The idea here is that there is not so much an ideologically loaded theatre could do to shape a child’s conscious. No body can expect a play to suddenly occupy the minds of children and turn their faces towards the Soviet Union.  In this respect, the Revolt of the Beavers is not a subversive play, but an ideologically loaded left-wing play that did its best to convey an idea. The idea was the acquisition of an understanding that would show itself in the behaviors of children in their lives; that would help making them conscious about the ongoing failure in the U.S; and that would lead them to choose right way if they were forced to go right or left.

Based on the findings of Brooks Atkinson, the play is said to be a revolutionist one as its message conveys the play is “Beavers of the world, unite!” (Atkinson). That aside, a scrutiny over the play would be a great assistant to answer the question that whether it is promoting a revolutionist attitude towards the power, or it is on the side of the idea of reform to improve the conditions of the society. Firstly, let us take a look at the conditions of the beavers in the Beaver Land before they overthrow the Chief. To explain the situation to human beings, Oakleaf says that he suggested making a club for the sad beavers so that all could be glad, but Chief saw this suggestion as an attempt to destroy Beaver Land (page 140). It can be said that the word “sad” stands for “exploited” in the play, sad beavers are the beavers who are being exploited by the Chief, “the power”. Oakleaf sees the situation and wants to do something to change it, but he is not planning to overthrow the Chief firstly, he wants to solve the problem by gathering all the beavers together. This purpose strengthens the idea that Oakleaf’s main objective is to create a power that has a voice in the process of the determination of the issues of the society.

            From another point of view, Oakleaf’s purpose can be said a revolutionist one as Atkinson presents. It is easy to guess that the first goal of a political organization is to be organized to reflect the idea that together we stand divided we fall. The answer to this contradiction would ideally be given by the attitudes of the Chief towards the voices coming from the beaver society. It comes to imagine that all opponent beavers are united before the Chief puts the human beings and the professor beaver into a cell. The Chief accepts all the demands coming from the society and reconstructs the system they live in according to the demands. What would have Oakleaf and his club’s reaction been to that? Would they continue living under the rule of a reformist Chief, or would they want more and more until they get rid of the Chief himself? The answers of these questions would make it easy to determine whether the play adapts a revolutionary touch, or a reformist one. Since there is no clear evidence giving an answer to these questions, an assumption to clarify the attitude of the play must be made. If Saul and Lantz’s primary purpose had been to consolidate the idea of reform in the minds of the audience, then why would have they ended they play like that? Wouldn’t have it been better if the Chief had seen the united force wanting reforms and not been able to escape it, but reform? In this scenario, all the beavers would have been happy by the new regulations they gained by themselves and the message that if you unite and act together, you will have whatever you want (in the boundaries of the system) would have been delivered perfectly. Therefore, it is a strong hypothesis that the aim of the playwrights was to transfer the idea that a revolution by an united force coming from the bottom of the society is the only solution for the sad beavers.

            It has been shown that having a strong influence of communism and a desire to give voice to the continuing depression, being in the need of an evolvement of ideas, and taking cognizance of the importance of next generations, people living in the thirties of the United States tried to spread their ideas through art, especially theatre. The Revolt of the Beavers was one of the plays that conveys an ideologically loaded message and it has been a matter of debate since it was first opened on May 20 in 1937 (our, 195). Personifying the dimensions and the positions of the structure of the capitalist system, and inspiring the idea of a revolution by showing the pathetic conditions of the oppressed, the Revolt of the Beavers tries its best to spread a subversive consciousness, but it only manages to create an awareness since it addresses the children. It is still in question whether the play tries to interiorize a revolutionist sense or a reformist one; however, the symptoms explained above intensify the idea that it was a revolutionist attitude. Apart from all the discussions, it must be said that the play is a very colorful and original play, that enlarges the imaginative world of children.