All of the plays we read this week dealt with some form of racism in the past of our country, such as anti-immigration laws and internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War Two and anti-miscegenation laws preventing people of two different races who are in love from getting married. The latter problem is one that still exists today in the form of laws against gay marriage, though the thought of same sex couples is still more accepted than interracial couples in the past. Not only could they not get married, but they received severe discrimination and were shunned by the general public. What was even worse about this is that “prior to the Civil War, white male slave owners considered it their right to have sex with slave women, though white Southern women, constrained by a rigid code of acceptable sexual behavior, did not similarly have sexual relations with black men” (162). The only case when it was acceptable for interracial relations was when white Southern men took advantage of slaves, making the unacceptable cases when a white woman or African American woman wanted to be with someone of the opposite race. This is the situation outlined in Wedding Band by Alice Childress, which also takes an opportunity to look at racist beliefs held by all races.
The play itself illustrates the life of Julia and her lover, Herman. Julia is African American, whereas her lover is white and of German descent. She suffers from the usual discrimination that plagued African Americans of the time, but she is even more prosecuted due to being in a relationship with a white man. People see her as a temptress and even more impure than other African Americans were seen as, especially by Herman’s mother. This relationship also isolates her from fellow African Americans, who also don’t approve, as they see Herman as the bad influence. Julia has to move often and keep her secret hidden, not having any support or anyone to talk to. She is deprived of the right to socialize with blacks and whites as well as the right to get married to the man she loves. Even though she is the main character showing this main problem of the story, the other characters exhibit racism that went on during the same time as anti-miscegenation laws. Herman and his family suffer from taunting about their German heritage due to the war, and there’s also a reference to negative stereotypes brought about by the war when two girls playing jump rope sing about a Chinese man. There’s also a duality to the racism, since Julia’s new African American neighbors discriminate against a white salesman that comes by as well as other white people. They act as their own community and talk about sticking together, while leaving white people out as white people have left them out.
Wedding Band shows the issue of interracial marriage, which I already knew somewhat about, but it also brought a new understanding through the perspective of Julia. It seems like the woman’s perspective would usually be from a white woman believed to be corrupted by a black man and unable to properly be with him. Similarly, a common perspective would be from an African American man who wants to marry the woman he loves, but simply can’t. Never did I consider the trials of the African American woman, who was taken advantage of as a slave and then is unable to truly be with the man she loves. It makes me wonder why white slave owners would think it would be okay for them to be with African American women, since they’re in a way supporting the idea of interracial couples and were perhaps the start/cause of interracial couples wanting to get married after slavery was abolished.
Angie,
ReplyDeleteThe story the Wedding Band was the least easy for me to follow of the four stories, so I am glad you were able to blog about it and give it to me in a different perspective. In your introduction paragraph, I too have realized that even though it was not right for white men to have relationships with black slaves, or pretty much give them any kind of recognition for anything, they were still willing to go as far as having sex with multiple black women.
When you start to address the actual parts and examples from the script, I too don’t understand the ethical reasons of the time of why it is not right for two people of different colors to be together and carry out a relationship of any sort. For Julia to care for Herman and put him in her own bed and care for him is so generous, it is what any loved one would do, but to not be able to call a doctor because of his color is different than the person taking care of him, I think that is just not right. If anything I would think he would have more power because he is the one sick and white versus the scenario being turned around if Herman were taking care of Julia and Julia needed help, the fines of her being in his bed. This probably goes back to what was socially acceptable and like in the plantations, he could have sex or whatever relations with black women as he wanted, but she was not to have a relation with him. This does not however make it any clearer for in the play, it stated that there were to be no such relationships between different races period. This is how in your last paragraph I would address the problems with interracial marriage and how there were many incorrect loop holes at the time.
You present some keen insights in your post Angie. The modern equivalents of anti-miscegenation laws are certainly the codes and state constitutional amendments forbidding same-sex marriage. (Unfortunately, Wisconsin is among the states with such a constitutional ban.) I too found irony in Princess’ rhyme denigrating a Chinese man.
ReplyDeleteWhile her play poignantly conveys the poverty and illiteracy of many southern blacks, Childress also informs us that not all white men were free; Herman is bound to South Carolina by the mortgage on his bakery and thus cannot move north to marry Julia. Even so, Herman is honor-bound to repay his mother just as Julia’s friends (and Herman’s own family) would rather save face than save a life. ‘Most everyone seems willing to pay a high price to uphold their interpretation of dignity.
I found Wedding Band the most riveting of the plays we’ve read so far, partly for its theatrically realistic portrayal of a true love that couldn’t be consummated under the laws of the day. The story also struck a personal chord: My best friend, a white man, is in a serious relationship with an African-American woman. Throughout the reading, I imagined not Herman and Julia, but my buddy and his beloved in their stead. In the end, I’m simultaneously glad that we live in more enlightened times and sorry for all the couples before them who could not fulfill their familial dreams.