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Native American Analysis Paper & Outline

Plot summary of the Play

Wine in the Wilderness occurs during riots based on race in Harlem in New York City. In

his studio, Bill Jameson sits in his studio apartment. The African American painter crouches

down below the windows to avoid stray bullets. Cynthia and Sonnyman, his friends, cannot

return home since they are stuck in a bar because of the riot. His friends called him because they

met a lady (Tommy) that would be a perfect model for the painting Bill was planning. The

painting is one of the three paintings Bill worked on, which he refers to as 'triptych.' The third

painting is one for an African American woman who is lost, a condition that the society has

made for its women. Tommy likes Bill and thinks she is interested in asking her out, but Bill

wants to paint her. Bill goes with Tommy's idea of him liking her so that she allows him to paint

her. Bill, however, later finds out how beautiful Tommy is, and he gets attracted to her. To his

disappointment, Tommy finds out that Tommy does not bring out the image Bill portrayed her in

his painting and resolves to kiss her instead. Later on, Tommy finds out that Bill and his friend's

intention with her was not pure but one-sided. She is angry at them but realizes that she is the

true African Queen or the Wine in the Wilderness. In this mood, Tommy blurts out that she loves
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Bill, who realizes that she is his ideal 'Wine in the Wilderness. Oldtimer, the friends, and Tommy

agree to pose for a new painting based on Bill's version of the African American woman.

Social Climate of the Play

One of the social climates in the play is Bill Jameson. He is a thirty-three-year-old artist

living in an apartment in Harlem. The character works in three paintings to represent his

statement on black womanhood. He has been looking for a woman to complete his painting and

falling in love with her. The woman is called Tommy, a thirty-year-old woman who leaves in a

store burnt out in the riot. She is intelligent but less educated than Bill and his two friends.

Tommy is the representative of the ideal African American woman. Sonny-man represents the

arrogance and condescending attitude some middle-class people hold. Other social climates

include; Oldtimer, who is in his sixties, Cynthia and Sonny, who are Bills' friends, Tomorrow

Marie, Edmond Lorenzo, Poet Omar, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Brown, and Coreen.

Cultural Climate of the Play

Different cultural elements are depicted in the play Wine in the Wilderness. One of the

cultural elements is the African throw presented in the award-winning play. The play is basically

about an African American woman who is to be painted by an African American artist who

intends to portray how society has affected women. Another element is feminity seen where Bill,

through his art, tries to give voice to the female gender by symbolically representing the

confusion and despair of the social impacts to females. Another notable cultural element is the

social standards of individuals within the play. For instance, Tommy was notably lower

economic and educational capability than Bill and his two friends. Other cultural elements in the

play include; matriarchal society, painting, poetry, religion, jive, blues, and Abyssinians maiden.
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Political Climate of the Play

The play Wine in the darkness takes place in the civil rights error in American history.

During this era, various leaders rose to prominence. The African American leaders aimed at

creating more and better opportunities for African American individuals in the region. The play

is also filled with riots and war witnessed from as early as its preliminaries meaning there is

political instability. Through the various characters in the lay, leaders like Martin Luther King

are discussed. Martin Luther was vastly known for his well-organized nonviolent protests. He

also spoke out against segregation in the South and was awarded the Nobel prize for peace in

1963. In the play, Margaret Walker is mentioned by Bill. Margaret Walker, whose career spans

the era of the Black Arts Movement.

Economic Climate of the Play

The play Wine in the Desert exhibits scenes filled with the economic climate. The play

starts when Oldtimer enters Bills' apartment carrying a bundle of loot he took during the chaos of

the riot. Individuals in the play also have different economical statuses exhibited in different

scenes. For instance, Tommy's financial status is lower than Bills and his two friends. The play

presents the region's economic climate when it says that Tommy works as a factory worker. The

region benefits economically through industries and businesses. Tommy's apartment is destroyed

during the riot, and she is not economically capable of getting another.

The Theme of Play

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The central theme in the play is the class difference between the African-American

community as depicted by the characters. Based on their professions', Cynthia, Bill, and Sonny-

man belong to the middle-class. On the other side, Timer and Oldtimer are poor. This is a

significant cause of friction between the two classes. This is mainly because those in the middle

don't recognize those in the lower class. This can be shown by how they disrespect them while

still pretending to be friends. In one of the instances, they even don't respect their elder,

Oldtimer. The difference in education is a significant factor where African-Americans' education

is lower than that of the middle class.

Another central theme is African-American womanhood. The three paintings represent

Bill expressing his views on black womanhood. There is a dividing opinion between the

characters, especially on the impact of African-American women on African-American men.

Cynthia, for example, believes that the woman has robbed the man of his masculinity. On the

other hand, Tommy argues that it is possible to give back something you have not taken away.

Perception of Reality of the play

Perception is a mindset from which individuals view the world and elements within.

Although perceptions may seem realistic, it does not qualify them to be factual. The play

presents a lot of scenes that use the phrase 'Wine in the Wilderness' to represent the ideal image

of black womanhood, which is not factual. However, by the end of the play, Tommy realizes that

within herself is ideal black womanhood which is not necessarily physical beauty but an

authentic African American woman facing every day with determination and courage. Bill also

does not view Tommy as attractive during their first encounter but comes to realize her beauty

and falls in love with her as his ideal woman.

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How are Bias, Stereotypes, and Prejudices dealt with in the play?

Throughout the play, the author has employed comedy to build her themes that are

central to the play. Some of the major themes that have used humor include the male-female

relationship and the social disparities that exist among the Africa-American. The truth is that

Childress is seriously concerned about the issues. She employs humor for more accessible

communication because of entertainment and, at the same time, puts it across in a light-hearted

way. A character that can be used as an example, in this case, is the characterization of Tommy

as the African-American Heroine. Other characters in the play have been depicted as courageous,

vulnerable, and optimistic, ultimately depicting them as real humans (Hatch et al. n.p.).

Playwright's Attributes

Wine in the Wilderness is one of the few award-winning plays of its time. Alice Childress

wrote the play. Alice was born on October 12, 1916, and died on August 14, 1994. Alice took

odd jobs to pay for herself during her early life hood. Some of the jobs she took included sales

lady, machinist, and insurance agent. As of 1939, she studied drama in the American Negro

Theatre. In 1940, she featured in 'On Strivers Row,' a year later in the Natural Man and in Anna

Lucasta in 1944. Her first play was in 1950, followed by many more. Her next play, Just a Little

Simple, was done in 1950 produced in Harlem at the Club Baron Theatre. The next one was in

1952 and was called Gold Through the Trees. Her subsequent work, the Wedding Band, was

completed in 1962. In 1965, she was featured in the BBC presentation The Negro in the

American Theatre. In conjunction with her composer husband, Nathan Woodard, she wrote

several musical plays, including Sea Island Song and Young Martin Luther King.
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Works Cited

Hatch, James V., and Ted Shine, eds. Black Theatre USA Revised and Expanded Edition, Vol. 1:

Plays by African Americans from 1847 to Today. Vol. 1. Simon and Schuster, 1996.

https://books.google.com/books?

hl=en&lr=&id=1o6xz3IzKCoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Black+Theatre+USA&ots=rWeZ

rRrFKz&sig=zuOQ_un-IsvruM3DJwi0hlE0COM