King Jasper

King Jasper, blank‐verse narrative by E.A. Robinson, posthumously published in 1935. The symbolism is considered to refer to the destruction of the capitalistic social structure by vengeful acts of the disinherited, who also perish in the holocaust, leaving only the enduring creative principle of life itself.

The industrialist “King” Jasper, at the climax of a ruthless career, is apparently satisfied by his power, but actually is disturbed by the neurotic obsession of his wife Honoria, and by his knowledge that “…there are somewhere some hands at work That may destroy us if we live too long.” The dignified, tradition‐bound Honoria is troubled by the love of their son for Zoë, an orphan girl of exotic beauty and cryptic wisdom. Shocked by the fact that the couple is not legally married, and frightened by Zoë's “evil” power, Honoria refuses to recognize the girl, even when she joins the household. The elder Jasper finds Zoë's charm irresistible and takes her into his confidence, confessing his dream in which his dead friend Hebron, an inventor whose work he stole, appeared to haunt him and ride his shoulders like Sinbad's Old Man of the Sea. This dream is fulfilled when Hebron's son arrives to seek revenge, and destroys Jasper's kingdom. As the symbolic factory chimneys fall, Honoria quietly commits suicide. Jasper grimly awaits his doom, which comes when Hebron shoots him and his son, and seizes Zoë. Knowing in her mysterious way that she is destined to go on living, but “alone,” Zoë kills Hebron, and escapes into the night.