Harlem Duet-Modern Play Essay

Harlem Duet-Modern Play Essay
Despite of being declared free and living in a free society, many times characters remain restricted due to their own conflicting matters. This can be seen evidently in the play Harlem Duet through the main character, Billie. Despite all blacks being declared officially free from slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Billie still feels ‘enslaved’ many times due to pressures of external factors, such as racism that still exists in society, and internal factors such as her inability to remain in control of a situation. There are many instances where a character is not in control of the situation and yet it affects them on a regular and frequent basis. These external factors, such as a racist society, can be seen affecting and challenging Billie’s identity in the play. Due to this factor, Billie feels like she is constantly looked down upon and automatically is considered inferior by the society just because she is black, but this doesn’t weaken Billie’s identity, but further strengthens it. The quote in Act1 Scene 4, “I don’t have that...that luxury. When I go into a store, I always know when I’m being watched. I can feel it. They want to see if I’m gonna slip some of their stuff into my pockets. When someone doesn’t serve me, I think it’s because I’m black. When a clerk won’t put the change into my held-out hand, I think it’s because I’m black,” clearly emphasizes the pressures Billie deals with on a regular basis yet she continues to be proud of who and what she is and acknowledges the fact that she is black. This is showed in Act 1 Scene 4 when she says, “We are Black. Whatever we do is Black.” This quote shows Billie’s clear and blunt acceptance of being a black person which shows her deep connection to her roots and she is definitely unafraid to do so in front of a person who wants to run away from his own race. In contrast to Othello, who doesn’t want to be recognized or defined from the colour of his skin, Billie believes that the race of a person is part of who they are and where they come from, and all blacks should be in the struggle together to fight the effects of racism. Due to a racism-exiting society, while it shapes Billie’s identity, it also affects her personals relationships, especially with Othello. Although Billie’s identity is strong despite the racism in society, it weakens her ties with Othello, who does not want to be recognized as a Black person and devalues the black race. Due to their conflicting nature, they are in heated arguments, which make them say and, do things they might not mean to. For example, the quote in Act 1 Scene 4, where Othello says “I’m so tired of this race shit, Billie. There are alternatives--,” shows that he is obviously frustrated with Billie for repeating the same things on race without listening to his perception on race. Billie constantly feels like the society is coming down on black people and it is a duty of a black person to push against those forces, which Othello does not believe. He thinks there is no difference between the whites and blacks and what Billie feels is just an illusion. Because of Billie’s strong connection to her race and Othello’s disinterest towards his race and issues, they share a sharp contrast, and therefore a lot of conflicts take place between the two, some are expressed and some go without. Thus, racism existing in society emphasizes Billie’s and Othello difference in perception, due to which they have never-ending arguments, weakening there already broken relationship.
There are also many internal factors, such as Billie’s inability to take control of a situation, which affects her identity and personal relationships and makes her succumb to the pressures around her eventually. Billie’s incapability to take control makes her individuality of a black woman into a dependent and helpless character. Due to this internal conflict, she seeks refuge in the fire of revenge as it is she interprets it as the only way to gain control of the deteriorating situation which left her identity under rubbles. In Act 1 Scene 7, Othello says, “You don’t want the truth. You want me to tell you what you want to hear. No, no, you want to know the truth? I’ll tell you the truth. Yes, I prefer White women. They are easier-before and after sex. They wanted me and I wanted them. They weren’t filled with hostility about the unequal treatment they were getting at their jobs. We’d make love and I’d fall asleep not having to beware being mistaken for someone’s inattentive father. I’d explain that I wasn’t interested in a committed relationship right now, and not be confused with every lousy lover, or husband that had ever left them lying in a gutter of unresolved emotions,” this leaves Billie shocked and speechless, as if someone stole something precious from her without her consent. In this scenario, Othello directly attacks Billie, by attacking her identity as a black woman and backing it up by saying that he left her because of all that Billie believes and how difficult it is to deal with her “race shit”, as he describes it, leaving her identity of a black woman, shattered. He also implies he is too good to have any black woman in his life when he’s black himself. It is after this scenario when Billie wants to finally take control by seeking revenge through the use of the handkerchief because Othello attacked her identity; but in doing so she lost her own identity and even sanity towards the end of the play. All this severely damages her self-esteem and respect as a person who wants to make place for some colour in society. Therefore her inability to take control of the circumstances which directly attacking her, changes her identity from a strong, independent, black woman to a weak, confused and ultimately, an insane woman who lost herself in the fire of revenge. Due to this internal factor her personal relationship with Othello takes a toll on her. In Act 1 Scene 4, when Othello comes to pack his things in Billie’s apartment, they end up sleeping together. Othello then leaves her once more, when he realizes Mona is still waiting downstairs. This moment shows that Othello sort of ‘used and threw’ Billie. For him it was a moment of satisfaction where he took control and used his “masculinity” while for Billie, it was more emotional rather than physical because she probably believed for an instant that she had gotten Othello back before being slapped in the face by reality. After this incident Billie says in Act 1 Scene 7, “I don’t want anything...Believe in anything. Really. I’ve gotta get out here. I don’t even believe in Harlem in anymore.” This clearly shows that Billie is left broken, and has lost trust not in herself but also her identity, which the city, Harlem symbolises, in which she had many hopes of black prosperity and equality. She did not take control of the situation despite Othello’s infidelity and let Othello take control instead by allowing him become intimate and her not being able to resist his approach. Therefore her inability to take control of situation makes people use and leave her just like Othello.
In conclusion, internal factors such as Billie’s inability to control matters, and external factors such as the racism still existing in society, all lead up to restrict Billie and making her feel “enslaved” to the circumstances that in front of her. They make her feel this way by affecting her identity and her personal relationships and how she ultimately succumbs to the pressures of these factors.