Susan Parks novel Topdog/Underdog contains historic undertones beginning with the main characters names—Lincoln and Booth. Booth is cocky and easily provoked, which Parks references to John Wilkes Booth—a confederate supporter who murdered Abraham Lincoln with the hopes of overcoming the Union and winning the Civil War. On the other hand, Lincoln is cool as a cucumber and resembles Abraham Lincoln’s thoughtfulness and patience. By using these names, Parks foreshadows the inevitable death of Lincoln at the play’s end. More importantly, Parks suggests history never dies, but takes root in the memories of the living. Both brothers are haunted by a past wrought with feelings of abandonment and identity issues. Parks shows how history in Topdog/Underdog
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Booth’s romantic relationship with Grace shows the audience Booth is unable to accept the past. Booth says to Lincoln,
“Grace Grace Grace. Grace. She wants me back. She wants me back so bad she wiped her hand over the past where we wasn’t together just so she could say we aint never been apart. She wiped her hand over our breakup. She wiped her hand over her childhood, her childhood years, her first boyfriend, just so she could say that she been mine since the dawn of time.” (Parks 42).
Since Grace never makes an appearance throughout the play, one can draw conclusions that Booth’s recall of Grace is imaginary. Therefore, when Booth describes Grace “wip[ing] her hand over the past”, he is once again trying to ignore unpleasant associations with his past. Booth’s obsession with being top dog obscures his capability to associate with past experiences and reasonably confront his problems in the present. Moreover, Booth’s obsession with being top dog leads to him killing off Grace to ensure Lincoln doesn’t discover the truth of her nonexistence. Unlike Booth talking about erasing the past, he drastically takes action and murders Grace to maintain dominance over Lincoln. Parks illustration of Booth and Grace shows Booth’s consistent approach to wiping away the past. Rather than ending the relationship, Booth goes to the extreme of murdering Grace to pompously express his masculinity to Lincoln and reassure himself that no woman—most importantly, his mother who abandoned Booth—will have power over
Booth’s romantic relationship with Grace shows the audience Booth is unable to accept the past. Booth says to Lincoln,
“Grace Grace Grace. Grace. She wants me back. She wants me back so bad she wiped her hand over the past where we wasn’t together just so she could say we aint never been apart. She wiped her hand over our breakup. She wiped her hand over her childhood, her childhood years, her first boyfriend, just so she could say that she been mine since the dawn of time.” (Parks 42).
Since Grace never makes an appearance throughout the play, one can draw conclusions that Booth’s recall of Grace is imaginary. Therefore, when Booth describes Grace “wip[ing] her hand over the past”, he is once again trying to ignore unpleasant associations with his past. Booth’s obsession with being top dog obscures his capability to associate with past experiences and reasonably confront his problems in the present. Moreover, Booth’s obsession with being top dog leads to him killing off Grace to ensure Lincoln doesn’t discover the truth of her nonexistence. Unlike Booth talking about erasing the past, he drastically takes action and murders Grace to maintain dominance over Lincoln. Parks illustration of Booth and Grace shows Booth’s consistent approach to wiping away the past. Rather than ending the relationship, Booth goes to the extreme of murdering Grace to pompously express his masculinity to Lincoln and reassure himself that no woman—most importantly, his mother who abandoned Booth—will have power over