Play Intimate Apparel by Lynn

¶ … play Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage

Intimate Apparel

Lynn Nottage's play Intimate Apparel employs a series of theatrical techniques with the purpose of presenting the audience with an episode in the lives of diverse individuals residing in New York.

In spite of the fact that each of the people in the play (take away Mayme who claims "I ain't waitin' for anybody to come rescue me") hopes that their lives would one day change for the better, they are all let down when they realize that everything does not turn now as they expected it to. To a certain extent, the difficulties experienced by the African-Americans in the play can be attributed to the fact that the aftermath of slavery was still felt in 1905's New York (New York State Writers' Program, 1940, p. 586).

Nottage addresses more than one stereotype that is typical for the first decade of the twentieth century. Particularly focusing on race and gender and on how these two factors can have a strong influence on a person's life, the writer manages to put across suffering and disappointment through a well-written play. In addition to race and gender, Nottage also relates to concepts like religion and history, stressing their importance and the influence these two can have on people.

The first act introduces Esther, an African-American 35-year-old woman working as a dressmaker in New York in 1905. Esther's range of clients is very diverse, starting with Mayme- an African-American prostitute, and ending with Mrs. Van Buren, the wife of a wealthy businessman. Esther's social position is impressive for a black person living in New York at the time. She is a woman who achieved economic independence and who does not depend on anyone.

Esther's work serves as a tool allowing her to meet all kinds of people whom she would have little to no chances of meeting. Mayme, the prostitute, is yet another African-American woman who does not depend on a man, given that the money she makes provide her with numerous privileges. In contrast, Mrs. Van Buren is a white woman that would have had more chances to achieve independence than Esther and Mayme. However, she ended up being the wife of a wealthy individual who appears to be disappointed with his wife's abilities to procreate. Similar to Mrs. Van Buren, Mrs. Dickson, Esther's landlady, is not happy with her marriage, but accepts her condition. The two white women were unable to accomplish what Esther and Mayme had, as they considered that their only chance at success (financially, since they did not consider sentiments to be of extreme importance) to be principally related to their financial status. In spite of the way they shaped their lives, the two white women are however supportive toward love and encourage Esther.

In spite of being illiterate, Esther appears to have a thorough understanding of moral values and manages to create unique relationships with her customers, even with the fact that these relationships are mainly based on business. Consequent to becoming familiar with Esther, the audience is presented with the others characters in the play, as the seamstress proceeds to describe each character and their lives.

Esther's talent in producing underwear is unmatched, given that she employs the best sowing methods and extravagant fabrics in her products. The dressmaker does not hesitate to make good-quality undergarments for all of her customers, regardless of their social statute. In spite of the fact that her fate offered little successes until her present age, Esther nonetheless devised impressive plans for her future. The dressmaking job is apparently just a way to prepare her financially and socially for the beauty parlor she hopes to open one day.

Feeling that African-American women are often ignored when it comes to fashion, Esther wants to make a change by creating a place where all black women can come and emphasis their beauty. It is most probably because of her condition that Esther wants to raise money for establishing a beauty parlor. Given that she reached the age of 35 and had never had a man in her life, she is apparently distressed and wants other women to live their lives differently from hers. She believes that she too would have had more chances of meeting a man if it weren't for her limited chances of taking care of herself.

In spite of the fact that Esther's physical features were not properly accentuated across her life, she is a well-organized individual, as order is one of the main elements guiding her through life. If one could describe Esther with the help of one word- that word would most probably by simplicity.

While it initially appears that there is nothing more one could add to Esther's well-organized life, it gradually becomes clear as the play progresses that the African-American women is in desperate need for love. Moreover, it appears that she wants to direct all of her energy toward her job in order to refrain from thinking about her condition. Surprisingly, Esther becomes a successful woman as she struggles to ignore the fact that she does not find the love she wants. Esther's strong determination to work and her energetic character are quickly brought down in the moments when she realizes that she is not yet married.

Esther's only connection with a man is that she experiences with the man providing her fabric, the Jewish merchant named Mr. Marks. Marks seems like the best man there is to Esther, especially given that they are both dedicated toward appreciating good fabrics. Moreover, the Jewish tailor is single, making it even more difficult for Esther to keep from expressing her affection for him. However, everything between the two has to stay as it is, as Marks's religion does not allow the man to even touch Esther.

Consequent to seeing the play, one can go as far as claiming that Mayme does not actually want her life to change. Moreover, it seems that she is aware of her condition and feels that there is nothing she can do to change it, thus making it useless for her to even try to transform her way of living.

Mayme's dreams of becoming a pianist are just flights of the imagination. She believes that her race, her social statue, and her background will never help her in achieving her dream. Mayme puts across realist convictions, bearing in mind that she has dreams but she realizes that it is impossible for her to ever become what she wants. Considering the way African-Americans were seen during the period, and given that Mayme's past as a prostitute would certainly damage her potential to become a concert pianist, it is obvious that the black woman was right in thinking that her dream was unachievable (Kramer, 2006). The African-American prostitute is basically in pursuit of something she will never find.

Mrs. Van Buren and Mayme both consider that Esther's room is similar to a confessional, given that Esther is a very good listener and also gives good advices. However, matters change when Esther's life becomes the main topic of discussion and both of her customers start to share the experience they accumulated throughout their lives with the dressmaker.

In contrast to Van Buren and Mayme, who want Esther to find real love and are passionately involved in helping her, Mrs. Dickson is mainly interested in helping Esther find a man who would have what it takes to support her financially. The landlady is realistic in her approach, as she simply sees love as something of little importance.

Esther's condition makes her more naive when regarding her relationship with men in general. When she comes across the letter sent by George Armstrong, a black man working on the Panama Canal, she is filled with joy and fails to see that matters are not to be rushed in such conditions. Again, if one were to consider Mrs. Dickson's advices, he or she would realize that marriage should not be perceived as an official connection between two individuals who love each other. Instead, it consists of several other factors, such as the two partners offering financial support to each other and knowing each other well.

Urged by Van Buren and Mayme, Esther does not hesitate to begin corresponding with George, starting what she and George both perceive to be a love story. To a degree, the audience is likely to predict the way the relationship between George and Esther will eventually end.

The fact that Esther first turns to Van Buren for advice in spite of the fact that Mayme is her best friend can be associated to the fact that she considered the white woman to be a better advisor than the black prostitute. However, considering that Esther was well aware of Van Buren's unhappy marriage, it seems uncertain why she looked for advice in someone who failed to help themselves. All across the nineteenth century, when the institution of slavery was flourishing, society promoted the concept that white people were superior to black people when considering each group's cerebral abilities (Kramer, 2006). To a certain extent, this might be true only because of the fact that white individuals had unlimited access to information while blacks were limited by their masters and by their condition in general.

Even in the twentieth century, when slavery was but a thing of the past, there were seemingly more white intellectuals than black intellectuals (Kramer, 2006). Is thus explainable why Esther believed that she would find better support in Van Buren. In addition to the fact that she was white, Van Buren also seemed to be the best person to help Esther because she belonged to the upper class, whereas Mayme had a substandard social statute.

The racial factor is frequently referred to during the play, in spite of the fact that slavery was long gone from New York, which was recognized as one of the states in which anti-abolitionists resided in great numbers (Kramer, 2006). Furthermore, Esther's social statute was limited in providing her with the opportunity to claim her rights as a person that was equal to everyone else.

With the opportunity she finds in raising money through selling garments Esther wants to change more than her condition. She wants to change everything about the African-American community living in New York at the time. She is aware of the little opportunities black women have regarding fashion saloons and believes that by establishing a beauty parlor that would also allow black women matters will change for the good.

The beauty parlor can be understood as a tool that would better conditions for all African-Americans, not just for women who want to improve their looks. It would be a place where discrimination would not be present and everyone would have the chance to accomplish their dreams, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, social status, color, or gender.

Everything in Esther's life turns to chaos as George is presented to the audience. He is a totally unexpected factor and makes it difficult for the woman to be able to deal with her plans. Her singleness appears to be stronger than her will to establish the beauty parlor and confuses her to the point where she cannot decide for herself and another dream springs into her life. The dream of finding love is much more intense than her desire to set up the parlor.

At his arrival in New York George discovers that the city is not as welcoming as it seemed and that it is not exactly the land of his dreams. The First Act of the play is filled with concepts that influence the audience in believing that everything is going to be OK eventually with Esther and George meeting each other, marrying, and establish a happy family. This can be associated with the naive nature present in both characters, with their situations being desperate and them being willing to take advantage of the slightest opportunity they encounter in order to accomplish their dreams. The two are enthusiastic about marrying each other in spite of the fact that they are complete strangers and the letters are their only connection.

It appears that George's character is more complex than that of Esther, even with the fact that the former's life is more unsystematic than the latter's. George's charismatic character is no match for the discriminatory first century of the twentieth century, being too little for him to get employed. The character's power appears to be more than enough to help him through the harsh times he might experience in New York.

All across the first act, the audience is expected to encourage George's behavior and develop softness for the coupe that has yet to meet. It is as if the audience hopes that everything will turn for the better and that life is not as bleak as Mayme describes it.

George and Esther write to each other in spite of the fact that they are both illiterate. It is uncertain whether the words in their letters actually reflect their thinking or if they are just what their advisors want to express. George's letters virtually manage to shake the system Esther struggled to construct across her life, as she can no longer manage her aspirations and passion takes over. Esther's simple life finds color in George's letters, as they are filled with impressive stories and depictions of the Panama life.

Esther and George are perfect examples of African-Americans at the turn of the twentieth century. They naively believe that discrimination is synonymous to slavery and that both went away in 1865 (Dickerson). However, they slowly but surely discover the strong influence discrimination has on their lives. George's desire for the touch of a woman is equaled by Esther's excitement for the shelter she will find in her husband. They are both disappointed though, with George being less impressive than Esther pictured him and Esther's shyness being displeasing for George.

George's frustration soon takes over the couple's life especially because it is strongly contrasted by Esther's successful business. Even though African-Americans were awarded with legal benefits consequent to the abolishment of slavery, matters changed for the worse as regards the appreciation society showed them (Kramer, 2006). The fact that Esther is an independent woman is not very helpful toward her, as the masses have not changed their convictions a propos African-Americans (New York State Writers' Program, 1940, p. 393).