Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Dutchman: on my analytical level

The binaries evident here are simply overwhelming. Take a look: white/black, male/female, oppressor/oppressed, 20 years of age/ 30 years. The character Lula plays is surprisingly accurate today, in my own opinion, as women are developing a very strong sense of power and using sexuality to their advantage (perhaps they always have). I'm not surprised she is interested in a game of cat and mouse, a "catch me if you can" facade. What is surprising, however, is the turn taken once something of a relationship has been established between Clay and Lula. I feel like this was a criticism of society in '64. Sure, equality was on its way and slavery was abolished. But what does this play say of the way black people were treated? I think Lula is the white, upper class society and represents their false friendly cover which they only commit to for the sake of staying out of trouble. What lies beneath is another personality, one full of rage and profanity. White society continuously was reminding black people of their "place", as Lula does:
"and who do you think you were? who do you think you are now?
"well, in college i thought i was Baudelaire..."
"i bet you never once thought you were a black *man*...a black Baudelaire"
how cruel of her to distinguish a difference between dreams of a writer, and dreams of a black writer. it speaks to the ongoing oppression writers such as Baraka were experiencing even after segregation became illegal, and it evokes sympathy through the inhumane way Lula treats Clay.

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