Themes: Clay's Struggle and Identity
Clay finally makes a stand against Lula and what she represents in his great climactic speech. He sees with frightening lucidity and articulates with dreadful clarity the rage he has concealed, that is concealed at the heart of black culture, but that he knows in every breath and pulse beat. Suddenly, and briefly, Clay takes control of the situation, and of his life and being. He speaks out of a fully realized awareness of himself as a black man.
Lula has been waiting for this, and she quickly disposes of Clay with the help of the other passengers, who are, it must be remembered, both black and white. Clay has survived only as long as he has denied the deepest truth about himself. Forced to remove his mask, he is destroyed as he achieves one moment of authenticity.
Even as he realizes this moment, Clay remains vulnerable. He is defenseless. Here, as elsewhere, he is reacting, rather than initiating action. His reaction remains individual and therefore isolated, and in the moment, without consequence, as the end of the play suggests.
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