Themes in Othello, Everyday Use and The Lesson - Essay Example

Themes in “Othello”, “Everyday Use” and “The Lesson” Roll No: Teacher: 29th January 2009 Themes in “Othello”, “Everyday Use” and “The Lesson” The three works, Othello by William Shakespeare, Everyday Use by Alice Walker and The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara are quite different in their story outline but there is resemblance in the themes of the three genres. The themes of isolation and alienation are found in all the three works, the theme of race is also prominent in all the three works, the theme of materialism and monetary value is also discussed in all the three and all the three works take characters that have a background with African origin. In this essay, the themes of isolation and alienation, materialism and social position, race and African identity will be discussed by means of the three works and their analysis. Othello’s being an Alien in Venice and the gulf of culture, race and complexion—that exists between him and the Venetians—in an important theme in the tragedy in Othello. The theme of race and the themes of isolation and alienation can be combined because it is because of the race that the character of Othello considers himself alienated from the Venetian society. Shakespeare forced his audience to see Othello with the “bodily eye” of Iago. Othello tries to attach himself to the Venetian society on the basis of universal virtues such as love and loyalty. However, Iago’s attempt in realizing himself as an alien makes him to a step that takes him to his tragedy. Othello considers Desdemona disloyal to him on the basis of his race and color. He acknowledges the racial difference that is between him and his wife Desdemona as he says, “…………………..Haply, for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have or for I am declin’d Into the vale of years, -- yet that’s not much – She’s gone, I am abus’d, and my relief Must be to loathe her: O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours…………….” (Othello, 267-273, Act III, Scene III) Therefore, it is quite clear that Othello has evidently awareness of his race and color as different to Desdemona. This racial difference becomes a cause for his consideration that Desdemona has illicit relationships with Cassio. He also considers himself alienated from a society, which is not his. He tries to be a part of that society but he is always aware of his being different due to which, he is alienated and isolated. Like Othello, the themes of isolation and alienation in Everyday Use can also be assembled with the theme of race. The family of Maggie and Dee has an African background while Maggie remains stick to her traditions and culture while Dee wants to stay away from her culture, which is quite impossible. Dee belongs to African culture and she cannot deny this fact. Dee makes many friends, out of which, no one is sincere to her according to Maggie. Due to this fact, Dee is alienated from the society in which, she lives because of her racial identity for having an African background. Dee wants to connect to another culture and wants to leave her due to which, not only she becomes an alien to the new culture she wants to adopt but to her own culture too. She changes her name from Dee to Wangero because she wants to look and sound different from her origin. Her name connects her to her family and her tradition due to which, she changed it. She says in relation to her name, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” Her belonging makes her remember her being oppressed which is all because of her race. For her, her tradition is just a showpiece that can be employed to gain appreciations from people such as the quilt, which her mother gives to Maggie in place of her because Maggie wants to use the quilt unlike Dee. She is alienated and isolated from her tradition and background and also from the new society to which, she wishes to attach herself. Racial awareness is also depicted by Maggie’s mother claim that she wants to stay away from places where she finds white faced people. She says at one point, “It seems to me I have talked to them always with one foot raised in flight, and with my head turned in whichever way is farthest from them”. She hesitates when she meets people belonging to other races because of her belonging to African background. She is fully aware of her being black due to which, she is unable to face the eyes of white people. In the short story, The Lesson, the characters are from African American origin and are aware of their race fully. Sylvia regards Miss Moore as “black like hell” and also regards her not a part of her community because she takes actions that are not African Americans due to which, she is disliked by the people of her community. The issues of inequality are mentioned in the story which, again indicate towards racial differences that exist in the American society. Miss Moore says to her children about monetary inequality that “money ain’t divided up right in this country in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven.” Sylvia also regards that white people keep more money and spend it on extravagances with no real purpose for the expenditure. At one place, Sylvia claims, “White folks crazy” by which, it is quite clear that she does not keep good opinion about the white and has kept a stereotypical image of white people in her mind. She claims that white people are foolish on the basis of their showiness that they do in terms of wearing white furs in the hot weather. Miss Moore is regarded as alienated and isolated by Sylvia on the basis of her differences as compared to other African Americans. Miss Moore has gained college education which, most African Americans are unable to take. She does not straighten her hair like the other African Americans; she keeps them curled as they are originally. She also makes use of her last name in place of her first name. The characters of The Lesson, consider themselves affected by the inequality which is there between the white and black people. The white people have more money while the black are deprived of the needed money for their leading lives. The theme of materialism can be connected to the theme of race and themes of isolation and alienation in The Lesson because it is the material weakness that informs the African Americans that they are dealt unequally by the society on the basis of their race, which is considered inferior as compared to the white. Monetary deficiency is felt by all the characters of The Lesson because they are the residents of the slums and have to lead a very difficult and hand to mouth life. They belong to an intensely poor area and are also unable to fulfill their basic needs. The factor of materialism is quite dominant theme of the story as the white people are shown to enjoy their lives with all the monetary success while the African Americans are unable to fulfill their basic needs of life. They are shown as socially deprived because of their race and color. In Othello, the personal qualities of Othello make his social position seem much higher than what he really is. He is employed by the Venetian republic as a professional soldier, a mercenary and has become its most reliable and popular general. In his own country, he was descended “from men of royal siege”, and he can say without boasting that he merits the position, he has reached. Yet in Roderigo’s words, he is “an extravagant and wheeling stranger”, who has lived in Venice, as distinct from the camp, for less than a year. Therefore, it is quite clear that Othello did not enjoy a good position in his own country due to which, he came to Venice for his social position. He wanted to have success in his social life on the basis of his merits. He married Desdemona not because she was the senator’s daughter and he wanted to gain reputation but because he was fallen in her love. It is quite clear that Othello as a noble character was interested to get a good social position but he wanted to do so, on the basis of his skills and hard work and not by adopting any short cut. He is depicted as a Moor of African background. The theme of African identity is quite prominent in Othello. Othello himself describes about his color being black as compared to Desdemona’s skin color that is according to Othello “Nor scar that whiter skin of hen than snow, And smooth, as monumental alabaster;” (Othello, 4-5, Act V, Scene II) Brabantio thinks his daughter must have been bewitched to make her want to do anything as “unnatural” as marrying a black man, and throughout the play, the characters that dislike Othello tend to make it an additional point against him that he is a “Negro”. Therefore, the African identity of Othello is described many times in the play. In Everyday Use, the character of Dee is showing concern for materialism as from a very age, she wished for nicer things such as clothes to wear and other accessories. She showed interests towards styles’ maintenance that were dissimilar to her origin or traditions. She felt the poverty and lack of wealth at her home to a great extent and regarded her home as not something good. She used to put on convoluted clothes and gold jewelry because she showed utmost concern for materialistic aspects of life. For her, the traditional items of her family were priceless objects and should not be taken for everyday use but they can be employed as a showpiece. The characters of the story Everyday Use, do not enjoy a good social position as is evident from their household and their narration. The mother of the Maggie and Dee feels embarrassed when she is in the company of white people because she dislikes them seeing towards her, which is a clear indication that she is socially deprived. Maggie also lacks confidence like her mother and gets frightened when people try to talk to her. Dee is shown as a character that is very confident and wants to have a well-defined social position due to which, she wants to go away from her roots. Maggie, Dee and their mother, all are of African origin and their cultural identity is quite dominant in the story. All the women are aware of their African identity. Maggie and her mother want to remain connected to their African identity but feel somewhat deprived socially while Dee wants to let herself lose from her identity. In the short story, The Lesson, all the characters of the story have African identity. All of the characters feel that on the basis of their African identity, they are dealt unequally socially. They are quite aware of their African identity and are attached to it. They are residents of slums due to which, they are deprived of their basic rights as human beings. They are also citizens of America but unlike the white citizens, they are dealt unequally. White people have enough money to spend on their extravagances while the African Americans are unable to get their basic needs fulfilled. After analyzing the themes of the three works, Othello by William Shakespeare, Everyday Use by Alice Walker and The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara, it is quite clear that all the works make use of themes of isolation, alienation, materialism and social position, race and African identity due to which, they can be found some similarities in all the works but the themes are dealt differently by the writers as is evident from the analysis. References Bambara, Toni Cade. (1972). “The Lesson”. Gorilla, My Love. New York: Random House, pp. 85-96. Shakespeare, William. (1988). Othello. London: Bantam Books. Walker, Alice. (1994). “Everyday Use”. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Fort Worth: Harcourt, pp. 288-295. Read More