Though for the most part grounded in history, August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean contains a number of fantastical elements. One only has to think of the protagonist, Aunt Ester Tyler, being 287 years old.
Another fantastical element in the play is the City of Bones. This is a mythical place in the Atlantic Ocean built from the bones of African slaves. The Atlantic was the main route for the transportation of slaves from Africa to the United States. In the City of Bones, we can therefore see an intersection between the factual and the fantastical, the historical and the magical.
The City of Bones is a place of redemption where Citizen Barlow believes he can redeem his sins. And those sins are very serious indeed. Citizen is responsible for the death of Garret Brown. Brown died of drowning while trying to avoid arrest for the theft of...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
a box of nails. As it turns out, it was Citizen who stole the nails as a way of getting back as his cheapskate employers. He is therefore morally responsible for Brown's death.
And so Citizen feels that he must go to the City of Bones. He will be guided in his journey by Aunt Ester, whose great age enables her to act as a link between past and present, between the real world and the spirit world, and between Africa and America.
What is the City of Bones in Gem of the Ocean?
In August Wilson's 2003 play Gem of the Ocean, the City of Bones is a strange, mystical city that Citizen Barlow must go to in order to deliver himself from his sins. The City of Bones is located in the Atlantic Ocean and it was built from the bones of the African slaves who died aboard the many slave ships that were transporting the slaves from their homes in Africa to America.
Citizen Barlow must go to the City of Bones to find salvation and redemption and to uncover his worth and his true self. He seeks redemption because he's responsible for the death of one of his colleagues at work, Garret Brown. Garret Brown lost his life as punishment for stealing a box of nails that was actually stolen by Citizen, who simply wanted to get back at his bosses for being exploitative and for using him. Thus, Citizen is technically to blame for the tragic and unjust death of his colleague—hence his journey of redemption to the City of Bones.
Aunt Ester, who claims to be 285 years sold, is the only one who can show him the way (both literally and metaphorically) and lead him there, as she represents the connection between reality and spirituality, Africa and America, and wisdom and mysticism.