Baraka's Dutchman and Parks' Topdog/Underdog, though slightly different in their crafting of conflicts and antagonists, are unified in their portrayal of black anger and its existence. It can be argued that both plays show that white supremacy are at the root of this anger and its inevitable expression. In Dutchman, the catalyst for this anger is blatant bigotry, which is demonstrated by a white character (Lula) projecting her beliefs onto a black character (Clay) and eventually mocking his heritage. This prompts Clay to lash out at Lula (justifiably), only to be killed by her when she feels that she has had enough of his tirade. In Topdog/Underdog, the role of white supremacy exists as not something to combat, but as the impetus for some
…show more content…
However, the black main characters, Lincoln and Booth, are left to deal with remnants of white supremacy left within American society. Lincoln and Booth, live in relative poverty, which disproportionately affects black people, and must choose to assimilate into a world where they work for scraps in order to survive, or rebel against the notion that one must work for someone else to make a living. On top of that they must consider realities such as underpayment, and job discrimination, which is rooted in racism, but is accepted as a present reality. This comes up when Booth mentions to Lincoln that he is thinking about changing his name, to which Lincoln responds, “...Pick some thing thats easy to spell and pronounce...no ones gonna hire you if they cant say yr name...you dont want yr new handle to obstruct yr employment possibilities.” (pg. 14) Here, white supremacy has become more insidious, because while there is no outright bigotry being expressed toward Lincoln and Booth, the two are under circumstances where they do have to hide aspects of ethnicity in order to get by, whether it be by adopting neutral (read: white) sounding names, or accepting lower payment because of their race. While Lincoln somewhat accepts that in order to get basic needs met, he must learn to operate within these circumstances, Booth is less open to that notion, and resorts to theft to survive. Between the two, there is this need for dominance, or being the “topdog” especially seen with Booth, who is reliant on Lincoln for rent money. Booth's lack of agency not only within society, but within his own home makes him volatile and impatient of living from paycheck to paycheck with Lincoln. He practices 3-card Monty, a game in which the dealer always wins, hoping to get good enough to make a living off of playing thus becoming independent. However, Booth cannot achieve this independence without the help of Lincoln, who is a retired, but
However, the black main characters, Lincoln and Booth, are left to deal with remnants of white supremacy left within American society. Lincoln and Booth, live in relative poverty, which disproportionately affects black people, and must choose to assimilate into a world where they work for scraps in order to survive, or rebel against the notion that one must work for someone else to make a living. On top of that they must consider realities such as underpayment, and job discrimination, which is rooted in racism, but is accepted as a present reality. This comes up when Booth mentions to Lincoln that he is thinking about changing his name, to which Lincoln responds, “...Pick some thing thats easy to spell and pronounce...no ones gonna hire you if they cant say yr name...you dont want yr new handle to obstruct yr employment possibilities.” (pg. 14) Here, white supremacy has become more insidious, because while there is no outright bigotry being expressed toward Lincoln and Booth, the two are under circumstances where they do have to hide aspects of ethnicity in order to get by, whether it be by adopting neutral (read: white) sounding names, or accepting lower payment because of their race. While Lincoln somewhat accepts that in order to get basic needs met, he must learn to operate within these circumstances, Booth is less open to that notion, and resorts to theft to survive. Between the two, there is this need for dominance, or being the “topdog” especially seen with Booth, who is reliant on Lincoln for rent money. Booth's lack of agency not only within society, but within his own home makes him volatile and impatient of living from paycheck to paycheck with Lincoln. He practices 3-card Monty, a game in which the dealer always wins, hoping to get good enough to make a living off of playing thus becoming independent. However, Booth cannot achieve this independence without the help of Lincoln, who is a retired, but