German Expressionism In John F Kennedy's Short Stories

whose mother is fair-skinned” (Wilkerson 71). In this way Kennedy dejects the conflict Sarah finds herself in. She is torn between two cultures; the African and European. She cannot accept her blackness, and can’t find acceptance in the white society. Wilkerson explains that this struggle is “metaphorical and symptomatic of ambiguous state of people who were created out the clash of African and European cultures” (71). Kennedy's characters represent the selection between the two cultures; the European and the African. They represent the conflict between them. They are caught between their desire to identify the white European culture and their actual heritage of the African culture. This dilemma is best represented in Kennedy’s plays by using the surrealistic dream- like scenes. All her characters live in a dream-like almost nightmarish life. They are trapped in fantasy and …show more content…
German expressionism can be defined as “the attempt to express on inner reality by creating the essence rather than the appearance of reality through the use of non-realistic symbols and juxtaposition of ordinary non-selected realistic symbols” (Elwood 87). Kennedy uses this technique to reveal the inner self of her characters. She creates powerful images of human existence that fells his deep need for identity recognition and psyche healing. By using German expressionism technique, Kennedy is able to portray the exploration of the unconscious mind in order to represent higher levels of truth and reality. One major element of the expressionistic technique in Kennedy plays is the usage of the spirit instead of the dramatic action. Throughout her plays, Kennedy represents the conflict between the soul and the outside world. The soul leads the matter as she uses the physical universe to achieve the desire of the