Dutchman by Amiri Baraka
Dutchman is
a play written by Amiri Baraka that is played at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village, New York, in March 1964. The setting of place is in the subway train.
The Dutchman involves two players. They are Lula and Clay. There will be also
many passengers in the train later, but the main story is the conversation
between Lula and Clay.
LULA
Lula is
tall, slender, beautiful woman with long hair hanging straight. She is thirty
years old. She is the one who starts conversation with Clay. She came into the
same coach with Clay and started conversation until finally she sat beside
Clay. From the beginning of the conversation, Lula leaned to be temptress.
Lula: (She gets one out of herself) Eating apples
together is always the first step. Or walking uninhabited Seventh Avenue in the
twenties2 on weekends. (Bites and giggles, glancing at Clay and speaking in
loose sing-song) can you get involved…boy! Get us involved. Um-huh. (Mock
seriousness). Would you like to get involved with me, Mister Man?
Lula: (Starts laughing again) Now you say to me, “Lula,
Lula, why don’t you g to this party with me, tonight?
Lula: Then? Well, he we’ll go down the street, late
night, eating apples, and winding very deliberately toward my house.
In many of her saying, she tried to
tempt Clay. Meanwhile, the Lula’s act was not whole tempting, but the
expression was little bit like lunatic person. That’s why Lula’s act needed to
be as temptress and lunatic as the same time. When she tempted Clay, it was
clearly appear not only with her spoil tone, but also from her movement and
gaze. Her expression and movement also could make the spectator slowly
understand about her character. The fact that Lula’s mimic was not smooth as
temptress, but also lunatic and mysterious at the same time make it was not
clear that Lula’s real purpose is to tease Clay or she had another purpose.
Meanwhile, in many of her saying, Lula’s act also quip Clay. It was showed like
many of her saying like:
Lula: I told you I didn’t know anything about you...
you’re a well-known type.
Lula: Oh, really? Good for you. But it’s got to be
Williams. You’re too pretentious to be a Jackson or Johnson.
From what she says to Clay, it
started to show that Lula underestimate Clay in some points. It might be
because she was white and Clay was colored (African-American). Racial issue
started to reveal here. Lula was not just quip Clay, but she was also
explicitly brings the racial issue. It could be seen like in:
Lula: everything you say is wrong. (Mock smile)
That’s what makes you so attractive. Ha. In that funnybook jacket with all the
buttons. (More animate, taking hold of his jacket) What’ve you got that jacket
and tie on in all this heat for? And why’re you wearing jacket and tie like
that? Did your people ever bur witches or start revolution over the price of
tea? Boy, those narrow-shoulder clothes come from a three-button suit and
striped tie? Your grandfather was a slave, he didn’t go to Harvard.
Lula: I bet you never once thought you were a
black nigger. (Mock serious, then she howls with laghter. CLAY is stunned but
after initial reaction, he quickly tries to appreciate the humor. LULA almost
shrieks) A black Baudalaire.
Lula: ‘Cause you’re an escaped nigger.
Lula: You’re afraid of white people. And your father
was. Uncle Tom Big Lip!
From that, it obviously showed that
Lula intentionally mock Clay because he was colored. What Lula has said to Clay
shows that she still thought that white people are still as a master to black
people, so it made them have more power than black people. It shows that even
it was not colonized period anymore, and black people still could be placed
same as white people. Lula enjoyed her position as white, so she treated Clay
as she wants. Then it was not clear that she took conversation with Clay
randomly or intentionally she wanted to show discrimination to colored/black
people. Then when she saw a colored man (Clay) staring her through the window,
she decided to pick Clay as an object she play with. Lula also explicitly showed
her awfulness with saying that Clay as colored man was not proper with the
well-dress because no matter how hard he tried to be like educated or upper
class man, he was still generation of a slave. She also tried to make Clay
realizes that he was not suppose to feel free or peaceful with saying ‘Cause you’re an escaped nigger. It
showed that Lula still can accept that in that time, colored or black people
also could have proper job or better life. When Lula said Clay is well-known
type, she also showed that it is very easy to guess what kind of life or people
that Clay, as a colored, has. It was one of underestimation form for black or
colored people. She also underestimate that black people won’t go to college.
She assumed that black people will still do not suitable with school because
she places them as slaves. Lula kept mock Clay in many ways because it looked
that Clay also did not show any offense. At the end of the Dutchman, when Clay
started to show his anger, Lula stabbed knife to him calmly. Then she asked
other people there to get him off from her.
CLAY
Clay is colored man with well-dress
and good appearance. He was sitting alone holding magazine in the train staring
at the window where there was Lula. He felt that Lula is staring at him, so he was
staring at Lula, too. Then Lula smiled to him. Suddenly, Lula chose to sit
beside Clay and begun conversation with him. Clay showed his welcome having
conversation with Lula. When Lula showed that she knew many things about Clay,
Clay felt curious. The conversation kept going till finally Lula begun to mock
him, he still tried to be patient and appreciate it as humor. It is obviously
shown in:
Lula: I bet you never once thought you were a
black nigger. (Mock serious, then she howls with laghter. CLAY is stunned but after initial reaction, he quickly tries to
appreciate the humor. LULA almost shrieks) A black Baudalaire.
CLAY: That’s right.
It shows that Clay still tried to
control himself from anger although Lula set up the conversation to underestimate
him as colorist. Even after what she’d saying, Clay still paid attention on
what she said and answered her like they still have funny conversation. Clay
also like trapped in Lula’s act when she tempts him. Even Lula continued to mock
Clay’s background that is colorist, Clay still opened up his life story to
Lula.
CLAY: My mother was Republican.
It made Lula has another object to
tease Clay. Meanwhile, Clay acted like Lula is not bending him. Clay even
continued to follow Lula’s game. He even felt so interest when Lula asked him
to go to her house after the party. It shows that even Lula (white people) mocked
him, he pretended like it is not happening and still to have good relation with
her. Even Lula obviously hooked him with half mocking-half joking words, Clay
still controlled himself not to offense her. Then Clay begun to angry and full
of emotion when Lula danced and embarrassed him. It is shown when he says:
Clay: Lula! Sit down. Be cool.
Clay: Lula! Lula! (She is dancing and turning,
still shouting as loud as she can. The DRUNL too is shouting, and waving his
hands wildly) Lula… you dumb bitch.
Why don’t you stop it? (He rushes half stumbling from his seat, and grabs one
of her flailing arms)
From that, Clay changed from calm
man into wild man who cannot control his anger. He did not look to be polite
anymore. He spoke out about his reaction
of Lula’s discrimination to him as colored man. He also said that he can murder
Lula, and he even can murder all white people. He also shows that actually he
realize about what people think about his racial. He realizes that white people
still underestimate him. He is drowning in his long argue react about the
racial issue until finally he decides to get of this train. Meanwhile, all of
sudden Lula stabbed him until he died.
Bibliography
Baraka, A. (n.d.). Dutchman.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutchman_(play).
