American Theater History - Literature review Example

American Theater History AMERICAN THEATER HISTORY A Raisin in the Sun The “A Raisin in the Sun” is borrowed from a poem by Langston Hughes about the dreams people have, as well as what happens when the dreams fail to materialize. The poem asks what happens to deferred dreams and whether they dry up like a raisin in the sun. In the play, the Younger family dream of owning a house and transcending racism in order to achieve the American Dream (Bloom, 2010). In order to prevent their dream from drying up like a raisin in the sun, the family has to work hard in nurturing their dream. However, people like the Younger family are frustrated because of racial factors, which postpone their dream as it slowly slips away. In the poem by Langston Hughes, he creates portraits of dreams that cannot be achieved and the resulting frustration and sadness (Bloom, 2010). These fading dreams are what the play refers to as a raisin in the sun. The play is essentially about Walter Lee Younger, also known as Brother, who is ambitious, passionate, and bursting with energy in the pursuit of his dreams. However, he is also desperately shackled by prejudice and poverty, as well as obsessed with an entrepreneurial venture he believes will solve his social and economic problems (Bloom, 2010). Walter is both the antagonist and protagonist of the play, which revolves around his actions and how his character evolves. Although his mistakes and actions greatly hurt his family, his belated achievement of manhood rescues him as a hero at the last. Walter provides the perspective of ordinary African-American males in the mid-20th century, especially as he struggles to provide for his family and secure economic stability. While he believes in the importance of money if he is to solve his problems, he is, however, rarely successful with the money he makes. Throughout the play, Walter’s main weakness is his obsession with wealth and materialism, which clouds his judgments in relation to the family’s real needs. He, for example, believes that his business idea to open a liquor store will provide him with all the money he needs, giving him pride, dignity, and respect, although this is at the expense of his family (Bloom, 2010). However, Walter’s strength lies in his belief and perseverance that he can achieve the dreams to own a business. There are two major themes in the play, which are racial discrimination and importance of family. Mr. Lindner’s character in the play is a prominent aspect of racial discrimination, especially in his relations with the Younger family. Mr. Lindner is sent by the Clybourne Park Improvement Association’s governing body to persuade the Younger family not to move into the white neighborhood (Bloom, 2010). These people can only see the Younger family’s skin color, turning to the use of bribery in order to prevent black people from moving into their neighborhood. The theme of family is also prevalent in the play with the Younger’s uniting at the end of the play despite having suffered together economically and socially. Mama believes in the family’s importance and teaches this to her family in order to keep it functional and together, a lesson which Beneatha and Walter learn when she denies Walter as her brother and he loses the stolen insurance money respectively (Bloom, 2010). They come together to reject the racist overtures from Mr. Lindner, functioning as a family at last. The Piano Lesson The title “The Piano Lesson” has a double meaning, one of which refers to the lessons that a teacher gives to students for them to learn how to play a piano. The second meaning of the title is the lesson taught by the piano teacher in relation to the past of the Charles family, as well as their suffering (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). “The Piano Lesson” is also the title of a painting by Romare Bearden, which is a collage of African American life and their history. The piano used by Berniece to exorcise the ghost of Sutter symbolizes their family history, as well as that of all African-Americans. Although Berniece has tried to forget the history of her family, attempting to forget it ever occurred, she is forced to once again play the piano and learns of the strength presented by embracing and appreciating one’s roots (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). The piano lesson, as such, is that African-American lessons must celebrate and embrace their past for them to build a future. Boy Willie, as one of the play’s characters, is stubborn, loud, and unafraid to fight when he wants something in spite of the consequences, including breaking the law. He is especially outspoken on racial matters and claims to be equal to white people, with his sister Berniece thinking him to be full of bravado and bluster without any real actions (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). However, one of his strengths is that he is a man of action, where he is determined purchase the Sutter land that once employed his family as slave labor. While Boy Willie can be accused of insensitivity, he also values his family history and the memory of those who came before him, which is particularly evident when he tells his niece Maretha about their family history. However, Walter’s main weakness is that he is impulsive, especially in his attempts to capitalize on the family heirloom, in turn denying his family’s traumatic past. He also approaches most matters in a brash, crude nature, considering that he believes himself to have the power of death overt the white man and has the power to equalize all men by killing where necessary and risking his own life (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). Still, he argues that he can only follow just laws despite the white man wielding political and legal authority needed to punish him. One of the main themes in “The Piano Lesson” is the importance of leaving a mark in the world, which is evidenced by the importance the Charles family’s men put on doing something in the world that would last. For instance, Boy Willie marks a tree with the phrase “Boy Willie was here”, which can also be harkened to the piano on which his great-grandfather left a mark saying “we were here” (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). However, Boy Willie’s wish to sell this piano is ironic because he is also doing it to leave a mark. Another important theme is that of property and ownership, which is densely interwoven into “The Piano Lesson”. The concept of property and what people can own is explored in the facts that the family was once someone’s property, Boy Willie wanting to own land, and the belief in property as the key to social and economic success (Bogumil & Bruccoli, 2011). The piano, however, defies the concept of property as it has a life of its own and is imbued with spirits. The Little Foxes The title “The Little Foxes” is appropriated from Songs of Solomon 2:15 in the bible, which asks God to take us the little foxes that spoil the vines because our vines have tender grapes (Kessler-Harris, 2012). While all of the play’s characters are human, they are shown to possess traits that are usually associated with foxes, especially as the play focuses on a family business and the struggle for its control. This metaphor is appropriate for the play’s setting in the US’ South in the 1900s, which was only 35 years after the Civil War that hand destroyed the economy and cost numerous lives. In this context, the once-prosperous Southerners were ready to believe anyone or anything to recapture lost happiness, including promises of help by marrying someone from the North or getting capital from the North, which were readily accepted by the destitute Southerners. The tender grapes refer to growth of a new Southern society struggling to once again become productive, while the little foxes refer to the Hubbards that want to make a profit at any cost (Kessler-Harris, 2012). Just as the society is most vulnerable, the foxes sense their greatest opportunities. Regina Hubbard Giddens is one of the main characters depicted as a grasping, conniving woman and the very definition of a little fox. Indeed, she is so eager for a share of profits from the cotton mill proposed for the town that she plots to have Horace, her fatally ill spouse, to be brought home from hospital so that her family can take care of him (Kessler-Harris, 2012). In turn, she expects that this will give her a share of the investment needed for the cotton mill. Moreover, she even refuses to give him his medicine when he is on the verge of a fatal attack because Horace refuses to invest in the project, for which she taunts him mercilessly. This is evidence of her greatest weakness, which is greed and insensitivity. She is also vain, although this can be attributed to the society she lives in where her only purpose, or so she has been told, is to look pretty. Her desperation to share in the cotton mill’s profits, however, makes her a fierce and red-blooded competitor who uses her guile, sexuality, charm, and wit to get her dues (Kessler-Harris, 2012). She is also cold and manipulative as evidenced by her willingness to marry get money by marrying her daughter off to her brother’s son. “The Little Foxes” is a continuation of the earlier group theater’s mission in that it seeks to engage a diverse audience, specifically in presenting untold stories unfolding in the world. In this case, the story of the Civil War and its negative effects on the South have been told over and over, but this play delved into what disenfranchised women that could not inherit property went through in the South’s destitute conditions (Chinoy et al., 2013). It also shows how destitution in an entire society can trigger numerous negative effects, such as when Horace’s refusal to be part of the industrialized cotton mill sets off betrayals that shatter the genteel façade of the Hubbard clan as they ruthlessly pursue money. Moreover, the play follows in the group theater’s mission by illuminating the corrupting power of wealth and the American Dream’s dark side. Finally, it is also reflective of racial and social attitudes prevalent in the South, depicting references and language that acts as a harsh reminder of that period’s attitudes (Chinoy et al., 2013). References Bloom, H. (2010). Lorraine Hansberrys A raisin in the sun. New York: Blooms Literary Criticism Bogumil, M. L., & Bruccoli, M. J. (2011). Understanding August Wilson. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press Chinoy, H. K., Wilmeth, D. B., & Barranger, M. S. (2013). The Group Theatre: Passion, politics, and performance in the Depression era. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Kessler-Harris, A. (2012). A difficult woman: The challenging life and times of Lillian Hellman. New York: Bloomsbury Press Read More