Isolation In The Dance And The Railroad And The Strong Breed Essays

Isolation In The Dance And The Railroad And The Strong Breed An overall theme of isolation permeates through both Wole Soyinkas The Strong Breed and David Henry Hwangs The Dance and the Railroad. Every character in these two plays suffers from some form of isolation from the rest of their society. Although Hwangs Lone and Soyinkas Girl are isolated for markedly different reasons and take opposite roads in their character growth, they share many similarities including often mirroring their society and some of their treatment of other characters. In The Dance and the Railroad, Lone has self imposed his isolation from the rest of the railroad workers. He describes them to Ma as dead men, believing that they have lost their spirit working for the white devils. Lone does not seem to respect his countrymen and withdraws instead to practice his craft. These feelings change by the end of the play. After the workers are successful with their strike demands, Lone regains his respect for them. He expresses this to Ma: Maybe I was wrong about them(1456). Soyinkas Girl suffers a different isolation. Her isolation stems from the illness that she suffers. She explains to Eman, Dont you know I play alone? The other children dont come near me. Their mothers would beat them(1274). Her isolation symbolically ends near the end of the play, much like Lone. Unlike Lone, however, she accomplishes this through the betrayal of Eman to the village elders. In this she seems to still be a hard character where Lone becomes more compassionate. Although isolated, both of these characters share characteristics with their estranged communities. The Girl, like her fellow villagers, is detached and unaffected by human need. She shares the villages feelings towards strangers and rebukes all of Emans friendly advances. The stage directions describe The Girl as unsmiling. She possesses in fact a kind inscrutability [that] is unsettling(1274). Her treatment of Ifada is merciless. His need makes no impression on her. She says to him, You have a head like a spiders egg, and your mouth dribbles like a roof(1275). When she plays with him, it is entirely for her benefit. She points out in relation to the effigy, just because you are helping me, dont think it is going to cure you(1275). Lone shares characteristics with to railroad workers too. Lones treatment of Ma parallels the treatment he has received from the villagers. He calls Ma a child and an insect interrupting my practice(1446). Ma receives similar treatment from the workers, who belittle him by lying about such things as living underground during the winter and warm snow. While this is similar to how The Girl treats Ifada, the similarities end as Lone grows as a character. Near the end of Hwangs play, Lone not only accepts Ma but also befriends him. He asks Ma: LONE. Will I see you here tonight? MA. Tonight? LONE. I just thought Id ask. (1456) Lone and The Girl share many common characteristics and have many differences. They are both isolated from the others in the play, Lone by choice and The Girl through circumstance. They start the plays with similarities to their respective communities. Both seem to lesson their isolation late in the play, Lone through acceptance of his coworkers and The Girl symbolically through the betrayal of Eman. English Essays