As the world of theatre progresses in age we recognize more themes of cultural differences from plays set in both the past and the present. We witness these differences that have led to racism and segregation that has endured for decades. While each culture and ethnicity have experienced their own hardships unique to their culture, many of these cultures are connected by the struggles they have had to overcome and still face. Plays from African American, Latino-American, Asian American and European American cultures often deal with important and relevant issues pertinent to that culture, but they also connect to all cultures in a universal way.
The Colored Museum andA Raisin in the Sun are both plays that depict the discrimination and sufferings faced by African-American’s in the far past and more recently in the 20th century. The Colored Museum details a series of different scenes that depict the severe prejudices faced by African- American’s from the time of slavery up until the modern day. In one of the scenes a man is seen throwing away items from his past to try and forget who he is as a black man and embrace the white culture around him. As he struggles against his younger self to embrace who he is the man states, “being black is too emotionally taxing: therefore I will be black only on weekends and holidays” (Wolfe, 36). A Raisin in the Sun is the narrative of an African-American family who hopes to rise above the prejudices they face and achieve each of their lifelong dreams. Mama quotes her late husband as saying, “Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while’ (Hansberry, 45).
These plays show the injustices the African American community faced in the United States. We do see in these plays, however, having pride in where you came from and a strong sense of self can help to overcome prejudices that individuals are faced with. This is largely played out in the relationship between Beneatha and Joseph Asagai; Asagai helps Beneatha to embrace her African heritage instead of trying to deny her culture while assimilating with white culture. Asagai’s help allows Beneatha to gain a sense of identity in a seemingly white world that denied her based on her skin color.
Latino-American’s often face a different type of discrimination in the United States. They are subjected to unequal pay, harsh working conditions, and inadequate housing; all of this being justified due to their “illegal” immigrant status (Frewing). The Migrant Farmworker’s Son and Zoot Suit are two Latino-American plays that depict the struggles faced by the Hispanic community in America. The Migrant Farmworker’s Son tells the story of a family who has migrated to the United States and works on the farms in harsh conditions to make a living. Henry, the son in this play, has grown up in America and is therefore experiencing the disconnect with his parents that comes with growing up in different cultures. Henry and his father struggle to get along because of these different views and Henry tries to make his father understand, “I’m not like you, Dad. We’re different. Sorry” (Gonzalez, 54). Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez is grounded in the history of the Zoot Suit Riots that took place in Los Angeles in 1943. This play unfolds the events following the Sleepy Lagoon murder and the prejudicial views Americans had of Latino- American’s. Henry Reyna was considered a Pachuco because of his heritage and the zoot suits he wore. Many Americans saw young Mexican Americans as Pachucos and “cultural rebels and delinguents” (PBS) and therefore refused to treat them as equals.
The two plays by David Henry Hwang, Golden Child and FOB, convey the struggles Asian-Americans face when adjusting to western influence and culture. Golden Child speaks of the influence western culture and religion had on a very strict and traditional Chinese family. While the mixing of the cultures did result in the death of two of Eng Tieng-Bin’s three wives not all of the influence was bad. Tieng-Bin’s daughter, Ahn, was forced to bind her feet in an effort to make them smaller and thus more attractive for marriage; as a result of the influence of western culture, Ahn was able to unbind her feet as a young girl and stop the prolonged harmful effects that this harsh practice can have. While this practice is now illegal there are still some who are living with the efects of this. One woman states she regrets having bound her feet at a young age “but at the time, if you didn’t bind your feet, no one would marry you” (Zhou gtd. Lim). FOB expresses the struggle of coming to a new country and not being able to find a place where you frit in. Grace acts as the midpoint between Dale, a second generation Asian American who was born and raised in the United States, and Steve, who has been raised in China his entire life and just recently move to the United States for school.
Grace struggles to find her identity; she feels as though she must choose between being American because she grew up here or embracing her Asian heritage and forsaking the American culture. These two plays show the struggle of living in a country with foreign traditions and customs and the conflict of blending two different cultures when neither side is willing to compromise. The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman is a retelling of a story of two women who are wrongly accused of being homosexual and engaging in these acts while teaching in a school for girls. After a horrible lie spins out of control these women are forced to defend themselves against harsh societal judgements. The wrongful accusation and the ensuing judgement lead one of these women to take her own life. This European-American play shows that the judgements societies places upon people are not purely racial but are driven by a fear of those unlike themselves.
Through these plays in multicultural theatre we see the struggles faced by African American, Latino American, Asian American, and European American. These plays show that each culture is connected by the struggles and hardships they face at the hands of a harsh and judgmental society. An overarching theme of identity comes to the surface after reading and observing each of these play. Each culture struggles to find their identity while overcoming the hardships they face both in the past and the present and what it will mean for their future. While each cultures struggles to overcome their own issues we see that they are all connected by a common theme, finding one’s identity becomes hindered while living in a prejudicial, judgmental society.
Work Cited
- Frewing, Dirk. “The Lives of Migrant Farmworkers.” Rethinking Schools. 2001. Web.
- Gonzalez S., Silvia. “The Migrant Farmworker’s Son.” Multicultural Theatre I. Denver: Meriwether, 1998. 47-93. Print.
- Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Random House, 1959. Print.
- Hellman, Lillian. The Children’s Hour. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1981. Print.
- Hwang, David Henry. Golden Child. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1998. Print.
- Hwang, David Henry. FOB; And, the House of Sleeping Beauties: Two Plays. New York, N.Y Dramatists Play Service, 1983. Print.
- Lim, Louisa. “Painful Memories for China’s Footbinding Survivors.” NPR. NPR, 19 Mar. 2007. Web. “People & Events: The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web.
- Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit. Houston, TX: Arte Público, 1992. Print.
- Wolfe, George C. The Colored Museum. New York, NY: Broadway Play Publ., 1987. Print.
