Joe Turner Come and Gone

August Wilson’s Joe Turner Come and Gone is a play primarily about African Americans in search of their cultural identity following the repression of American slavery. For Loomis, being enslaved and dealing with negative scenarios during and after his escape from Joe Turner, not only caused him a loss of identity, but it also affected his personal confidence and the psychological aspect of his thoughts. Consequential lack of self-confidence and faith within oneself. However, being around positive people and situations is important aspect for one to rediscover their self which Loomis is able to accomplish with the help of Bynum. Herald Loomis lost his self after being enslaved for seven years. Periodically, Loomis begins to lose his mind. Loomis and his daughter who are in search for his wife Martha reach the boarding house with Bynum and several other characters living in it. “Sixty - something Bynum is a border who is known to the other characters to be root worker/ conjure man, also known as medicine man, have the ability to tap into the force of spirits. This is an ability that allows Bynum to help various characters throughout the course of the play" (Shannon, Williams pg.161). Loomis is one of the individuals Bynum helps find his identity as well as inner peace that Loomis lacks.
Unsure of the reason being a slave of Joe Turner is one of many unanswered questions Loomis is not aware of. Talking to Bynum in search of his wife Martha, Loomis states, "why he got to catch me going down the road by my lonesome? He told me I was worthless. Worthless is something you throw away. Something you don’t bother with. I ain 't see him throw me away. Wouldn 't even let me stay away when I was by my lonesome. I ain 't tried to catch him when he was going down the road. So I must got something he want. What I got?" (Wilson, pg. 73) Loomis is mentally disturbed and is looking for answer he believes his wife will help him find. Though he states he isn’t worthless, Joe

Cited: 1. Sandra Shannon and Dana Williams. August Wilson and Black Aesthetics. Palgrave Macmillan. New York, NY 2004. 2. August Wilson. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Penguin Group. Published 1988