The visit summary

The story opens with the township of Guellen (which literally means excrement) preparing for the arrival of famed millionairess Claire Zachanassian. The town is In a state of disrepair, and the residents are crucifixion considerable hardship and poverty. They hope that Claire, a native of the small town, will provide them with much- needed funds. Alfred tuberculous, the owner of Guellens general store and the most popular humanness In town, was Claires heatr when they were young, and agrees with the city manager that the task of convincing her to make a donation should fall to him.As the town athers at the railway station to prepare for Claires arrival, they are met with an unexpected surprise when Claire steps off of an earlier train. She Is grand, grotesque, and fantastic, and Is accompanied by two henchmen, her preserve, a hardlyler, and two eunuchs, along with a coffin, a caged black panther, and various pieces of luggage. She begins a flirtatious exchange with threaten ing, and they promptly revlslt their old haunts Petersens Barn and Konrads Village Wood. gravely finds her as delightful as ever, though they are both forthwith in their sixties and significantly overweight.Claire draws Ills attention to her prosthetic leg and artificial hand. aft(prenominal) settling into the Golden Apostle Hotel, Claire joins the rest of the town, who have gathered outside for a homecoming celebration. A band plays, gymnasts perform, and the Mayor gives a speech. Claire tugs the opportunity to announce that she will make a donation of one million dollars, half for the town and half to be shared among the families. The townspeople are overjoyed, but their happiness is dampened when Claires Butler steps forward to reveal her condition. The Butler was once the Lord antique Justice ofGuellen, and had over trancen the paternity suit that Claire had brought against Ill in 1910. In the suit, Ill had produced two false witnesses (who have since been transformed into Claires eunuchs), and the court had ruled in his favor. Ill went on to marry Matilda, who owned the general store, and Claire moved to Hamburg and became a prostitute. She declares to the townspeople that she has come to Guellen to prove that Justice can, indeed, be bought. Her donation is conditional on Ills death. When the Mayor refuses, the town cheers in support, but Claire states rather minously, Ill wait. Ill feels generally confident about his status in the town. However, as time passes, he begins to feel luxuriant about their growing discontent, and thusly increasingly fearful as he begins to notice the proliferation of new yellow shoes on the feet of the townsmen, and the fact that everyone seems to be buying especially expensive items on credit. He goes to see the Policeman to demand that he arrest Claire for having threatened his life, but the Policeman tells him that the threat is nonsense. Ill then turns to the Mayor, who echoes similar sentiments.Both figures are arm ed, because Claires black panther has escaped from his cage and is prowling about the town. This only feeds Ills fear, since my black panther was Claires pet name for him In their youth. He runs to see the Priest, but the Priest seems to be turning away from him as well, as he effectively Ignores Ills fears and Instead draws attention to the magnificent new church bell. Slowly, the tired of living in the town rises, even though the townspeople continue to assure Ill that he is safe. Claire then receives the news that her black panther has beenKlllea, ana sne nas a Tuneral song played In Its memory. In an effort to escape, Ill heads to the railway station, but finds that, strangely, the entire town is gathered there. They ask him where he is going, and he says that he is planning to move to Australia. They wish him well, again assuring him that he has nothing to fear in Guellen, but Ill grows increasingly nervous nonetheless. The train arrives, but he decides not to board, believing that someone will stop him anyway. Paralyzed, he collapses in the crowd, crying, Im lost After some time passes and Claire weds a ew husband in the Guellen Cathedral, the Doctor and the Schoolmaster go to see her and explain that the townspeople have run up considerable debts since her arrival. The Schoolmaster appeals to her sense of humanity and begs her to scourge her desire for vengeance and help the town out of the goodness of her heart. She reveals to them that she already in reality owns all of properties in the town, and that she is the reason the businesses have been shut down and caused stagnation and poverty for the citizens.The Doctor and the Schoolmaster are aghast at this revelation. In the meantime, Ill has been pacing the room above the general store, his terror growing as the townspeople buy more and more expensive products on credit. News reporters, having received word of Claires imminent wedding, are everywhere, and they enter the store to get the scoop up o n Ill, having heard that he was Claires lover back in the day. The Schoolmaster, drunk, tries to inform the press about Claires cruel proposal, but the townspeople stop him. Finally Ill descends the stairs, surprised at the hubbub, but quiet.The reporters clear the room when they hear hat Claire has Just divorced the man she has Just married, and has found a new lover. After the confusion has cleared, the Schoolmaster and Ill have an honest discussion. The Schoolmaster explains that he is certain that Ill will be killed, and admits that he will ultimately fall in the ranks of the murderers. Ill calmly states that he has accepted his guilt, and acknowledges that the towns suffering is his fault. The Schoolmaster leaves, and Ill is confronted by the Mayor, who asks whether Ill will accept the towns Judgment at that evenings meeting. Ill says that he will.The Mayor hen suggests that Ill make things easier on everyone and shoot himself, but Ill refuses, insisting that the town must go through the process of actually Judging and then killing him. Ill goes for a ride in his sons newly-purchased car, accompanied by his wife, Matilda, and his daughter, both of whom are wearing new outfits. As they disgust through Konrads Village Wood, Ill says that he is going to go for a walk through the woods before heading to the town meeting. His family continues on to the characterization theater. In the woods, Ill comes across Claire, who is walking with her newest husband.She asks her husband to leave so that she and Ill can speak privately. They reminisce about the past, and make plans for the future. Claire tells Ill that she plans to take his body away in the coffin to a mausoleum in Capri that overlooks the Mediterranean. She also tells Ill that she has never stopped loving him, but that over time her love has grown into something monstrous. The town meeting is flooded with press, and the town publicly announces their acceptance of Claires donation. They then go through the formality of a vote, which is unanimous, and the Mayor states that they have Ill to thank for their new-found wealth.The press is then ushered out of the auditorium to enjoy refreshments. The doors are locked, and the lights are dimmed. The Priest crosses Ill, and he is killed by the townsmen. Just as a reporter reappears In tne au01torlum, tne Doctor announces tnat II I nas oleo Trom a neart attack. The reporters gather, and declare that Ill has died from Joy. Claire examines the corpse, gives the Mayor his check, and leaves the town with Ills body in the coffin that she brought with her when she arrived in Guellen. Claire boards the train at the railway station, and the visit comes to an end.