Accidental Death of an Anarchist Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 2, Scene 1, Part 1 Summary

Act 2, Scene 1, Part 1 Summary

This act begins at the moment when the previous act ended—with the Maniac, Sports Jacket and the superintendent coming to the conclusion of their song. The Maniac congratulates Sports Jacket and the superintendent for coming up with a story that will answer any and all lingering questions about the Anarchist's death, but then asks again what happened in the moments just before the Anarchist jumped out the window. Sports Jacket, the superintendent and the Constable all agree that the Anarchist was laughing, and everyone interrogating him was simply joking with him. The Maniac himself jokes that the higher-ups are going to change the motto of the police service to reflect this change in interrogation techniques, recalling how during another so-called "joking" interrogation those being questioned were crying out for the interrogators to stop, since they felt they were about to die ... from laughing.

The implication here is that those...
(read more)