This thesis is an attempt to trace the issue of subjectivity in American ethnic drama. It also investigates how the members of the minority family are constantly struggling in a way or another in an attempt to sustain a particular identity of their own as if their whole life were a journey in search of identity. The main focus is on Clifford Odets’ "Awake and Sing!", August Wilson’s "The Piano Lesson" and Milcha Sanchez-Scott’s "The Cuban Swimmer". This study is mainly a thematic study adopting the approach of cultural criticism. It falls into an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion.
The influence of capitalism is the very core of the creative works of Odets who is more concerned with the influence of poverty on the middle class individuals and their relationships with each other. In fact, since the beginning of his career as a playwright, Odets has been keen on portraying how far the denial and frustration the individuals of the Jewish middle class face in the American society affected their communal bonds with their fellow people.
Table of Contents
1. Chapter One: Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!: Lone Dreamy Voices Refusing to be Hushed.
2. Chapter Two: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson; The Odd Man Out.
3. Chapter Three: Milcha Sanchez-Scott’s The Cuban Swimmer: A Journey of Self-assertion.
4. Conclusion
5. Works Cited
6. Synopsis
Objectives and Themes
The academic work aims to analyze the representation of subjectivity and identity within American ethnic drama, focusing on how minority families struggle to sustain their identity while grappling with cultural displacement. The research investigates the impact of social, historical, and economic pressures on characters from Jewish, African American, and Latin American backgrounds, emphasizing their quest for self-assertion and the preservation of cultural heritage in an often alienating society.
- The influence of capitalism and poverty on familial disintegration and individual alienation.
- The critical role of cultural heritage, oral traditions, and folklore in reclaiming personal and collective identity.
- The struggle for self-assertion by minority individuals against oppressive mainstream cultural paradigms.
- The function of supernatural and metaphorical elements as tools for surviving systemic racism and social marginalization.
Excerpt from the Book
Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!: Lone Dreamy Voices Refusing to be Hushed.
The influence of capitalism is the very core of the creative works of Odets who is more concerned with the influence of poverty on the middle class individuals and their relationships with each other. In fact, since the beginning of his career as a playwright, Odets has been keen on portraying how far the denial and frustration the individuals of the Jewish middle class face in the American society affected their communal bonds with their fellow people. Gholamreza Sami points out, “Marx and Engels accused the bourgeoisie of tearing away from the family its sentimental aspects and reducing family relations to a money relation” (182). During their attempts to get their dreams in a society that denies their simple rights, many of the Jewish Americans became more alienated from their own folks.
In Awake and Sing!, Odets reveals the confusion and disintegration which occurred in the family during the Great Depression, when bad social conditions like poverty exerted pressure on individuals. When these individuals happen to be sensitive young people, the result is discontent and disjunction in the family. When the relationship between the parents and their children lead to the disintegration of the family itself the strained relationship between parents and children, husband-wife, lover-love also is equally responsible for the breaking up of the family. Odets’ selected play can be described as an awful case of the Jewish American family members that suffered depression such as “unemployed husbands who felt powerless to support and control their families, to the youth who became frustrated
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!: Lone Dreamy Voices Refusing to be Hushed.: This chapter examines how economic distress and capitalist pressures during the Great Depression contribute to the disintegration of a Jewish American family, forcing characters to seek their own sense of self-worth.
Chapter Two: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson; The Odd Man Out.: This chapter investigates how African Americans utilize their shared history and cultural heritage as a vital foundation for self-acceptance and spiritual survival against systemic racism.
Chapter Three: Milcha Sanchez-Scott’s The Cuban Swimmer: A Journey of Self-assertion.: This chapter analyzes how members of a displaced Latin American family search for self-assertion and identity, using spirituality and ancestral myths to navigate life in an alienating society.
Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings across the three plays, asserting that minority playwrights use their art—rich in metaphor and folklore—to foster cultural resistance and empower their communities to define themselves outside of dominant white values.
Keywords
Subjectivity, Ethnic Drama, Alienation, Cultural Heritage, Capitalism, Identity, Self-assertion, Depression-era, African American, Jewish American, Latin American, Narrative Technique, Magical Realism, Folklore, Resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research work?
The work focuses on tracing the issue of subjectivity within American ethnic drama, specifically investigating how minority families struggle to sustain their identity while facing social and economic oppression.
Which playwrights are the primary focus of this study?
The primary focus is on Clifford Odets, August Wilson, and Milcha Sanchez-Scott, representing Jewish, African American, and Latin American ethnic perspectives respectively.
What is the central research question or goal?
The goal is to explore how characters in these plays navigate the conflict between their cultural identity and the pressures of the American mainstream society, and how this struggle reflects the playwrights' own subjective experiences.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study adopts an approach rooted in cultural criticism, focusing on thematic analysis and the intersection of social, historical, and personal contexts within the analyzed plays.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers themes such as father-son and husband-wife relationships, the impact of capitalism versus communism, self-acceptance, familial responsibility, and the use of folk traditions like storytelling and music to preserve identity.
Which specific keywords characterize the research?
Key terms include subjectivity, ethnic drama, alienation, cultural heritage, self-assertion, social marginalization, and cultural resistance.
How is the supernatural used in these plays?
The work explains that playwrights use supernatural elements—such as ghosts in Wilson's work or mystical visions in Sanchez-Scott's play—as tools of resistance to capture the "otherness" and psychological reality of marginalized characters.
How does Sanchez-Scott utilize magical realism in The Cuban Swimmer?
Sanchez-Scott integrates folkloric elements and everyday life to highlight the disconnect between the family's traditional roots and the American society they migrated to, positioning magical realism as a means of ideological rebellion.
- Quote paper
- Hamada Yousef (Author), 2017, Jewish American Drama. Healing The Wounds of Alio, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1554664
