Engstrand’s Hotel Symbol Analysis

The hotel that Engstrand wants to open for sailors is an embodiment of the play’s theme that things aren’t always what they appear to be. Although Engstrand claims that his hotel would be a place for respectable captains and other lauded sailors to stay when they’re ashore, he nonetheless implies that the establishment would function as a brothel, as evidenced by his remark that there should be female employees at the hotel because the guests will want to have “fun” in the evenings. Despite Engstrand’s unseemly vision for the hotel, he still manages to convince Pastor Manders—a man who vehemently condemns all kinds of illicit behavior—to fund the endeavor. In fact, Manders even accepts that the hotel could someday be a “benefit to the town.” Manders’s naïve opinion of this morally questionable establishment represents the ways in which people (especially those who live in a society that values superficial appearances) often fail to see things for what they are, as Manders takes it for granted that Engstrand’s hotel will be an innocent and even helpful place. In turn, the hotel symbolizes how easy it is for people to dupe others simply by pretending to be one thing while behaving like something else altogether.