I was thoroughly surprised to have
actually enjoyed reading LeRoi Jones’ play Dutchman. I have never been a fan of
play simply because of the fact that there are usually too many characters to
keep tract of thus the dialogue becomes confusing to me. I was intrigued when I
read that there were only two main characters in the short play. And the fact
that the characters were described as a black man and a white women attracted
me to the story. Clay is described as a twenty-year-old black man who is
sitting alone on a subway train. He is dressed in a suit and tie, which could
mean that he is educated. Lula is a thirty-year-old white woman with fiery red
hair and a personality to match. Her strong approach to Clay is what sets the
stage for the whole play and is just a glimpse into her vindictiveness and her
desire to maintain authority.
Dutchman,
which was first performed in 1964, a time when blacks were fighting for equal
rights is the last play written by LeRoi Jones before he changed his name to
Amira Baraka. It is a strong political allegory with a solid sting. At first
glance, I did not see all of the symbolism that this story contains, but after
more reads and a closer examination during class, I took notice at all of the
symbols that this story contains.
To begin
with, the plays own title is a symbol for what is to come. The name Dutchman
comes from the legendary story The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship
that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. Dutchman
(the play) is set on a subway, which travels back and forth through the city of
New York without stop. The two stories go hand in hand.
Another
important symbol in the story is the party that Lula is begging for Clay to
invite and take her to. Before the discussion in class, I just assumed it was
any ordinary party in the city that she wanted to attend. With closer
examination, I see that the party is symbolic of the coming together of the
black and whites. The play is written during a time when the blacks were
starting to get a voice in society and the “party” that both Clay and Lula are
to attend is symbolic of the union of the both society to the white
society.
This play turned out to be an easy
read. The storyline was intriguing and the characters kept me entertained
throughout the entire play. The dialogue was not confusing and since the play
was a relatively short length I did not get bored with it. The play
surprisingly kept me interested and I was surprised that I didn’t get
sidetracked while reading it.
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ReplyDeleteI am always intrigued by how simplistic works can have such deep understandings. I agree the play was easy to read and understand. We got two interesting characters in a closed setting, it was not big enough for the two of them.
DeleteI agree, the fact that there were only two characters allowed the reader/audience to get really involved in the action of the play and focus on character - not just plot -development.
ReplyDeleteI was also intrigued by the simplicity of the play. The most interesting feature I found were the scene directions. Dr. Lennon mentioned this in class, but the "poetic" nature of the scene directions gives the reader knowledge that this isn't going to be a typical play.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this was an interesting play that was easy to read, but think that it was anything but simple. If anything I feel that the appearance of simplicity is what makes it such a great piece. You can read it over and over again and each time get something new from it. Jones created and intricate web of symbolism and allusions. He uses foreshadowing that you don't even realize until you read it over and over. This play is than just a "easy read", it is a delicately crafted work created to yield a distinct social commentary.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the play is both complex and an easy read. Jones represents the conflicts of the time period well and the fact that the play is entertaining enough to breeze through is not a negative aspect. The reader's reflections of the play are most important. The symbolism is the key to this story's purpose, so perhaps the play is entertaining, but it is not so much of an easy read that the reader should disregard the complexities of it.
ReplyDelete