Historical Context
In October 1929, the American financial markets experienced a devastating crash. By Christmas that year, the Great Depression had commenced, and by the time Mule Bone was penned two years later, the United States was deep in the throes of a massive economic downturn impacting nearly everyone. The post-World War I era had been a time of prosperity for Americans, marked by high employment and a booming economy driven by demand for new products. For the first time, credit became a widely accepted method for purchasing durable goods. When people didn't have enough money for purchases, they borrowed against future earnings. This increased demand for goods, boosted job creation, and reduced unemployment. However, when the market crashed, jobs were lost, leaving many unable to repay creditors. The U.S. economy swiftly collapsed, banks shut down, and people's lifelong savings vanished.
In the rural South, the use of credit for buying cars or household items never reached the levels seen in the larger Northern cities. Instead, credit functioned more like it did in Mule Bone; small country stores offered short lines of credit to loyal customers. In times when cash was scarce, people often relied on credit at local grocery stores for survival. This option was unavailable in many other parts of America. Hunger became a grave issue, with many people lacking even the basic food necessary for nutrition. The United States saw a decline in birth rates during the Depression because a lack of essential nourishment made sustaining life difficult.
Hardships intensified for African Americans, many of whom had migrated to Northern cities from the rural South. Racism was at its peak during the Depression as job opportunities dwindled. African Americans faced increased competition for scarce jobs. However, they weren't the only victims of discrimination in a shrinking job market. All racial minorities, including Hispanics and Native Americans, found that employment was often reserved for white males. Even women, who traditionally worked as domestics, found few job opportunities. To worsen the grim situation, a severe drought in the Southeastern United States turned once fertile farmland into a dust bowl, exacerbating poverty and hunger.
African Americans had always been marginalized in the rural South, and little had changed since the Civil War's end. Despite black men serving in the army and navy during World War I, they returned to a segregated America, much like it was before the war. Although they were told they were fighting for liberty and democracy, they encountered little of either. Racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan gained renewed strength in the post-war years, leading to an increase in lynchings and violence against African Americans.
The severity of this racism was highlighted in the Scottsboro case, where nine Black teenagers were accused of raping two white women on a freight train in Alabama. The trial was marred by dubious evidence, inadequate legal defense, and jury issues, leading to numerous trials and appeals. Ultimately, all defendants were convicted and collectively served 130 years in prison. During the Great Depression, Black individuals not only faced starvation and poverty but also had to contend with intense racism to endure.
Literary Style
Audience
Authors often write with a specific audience in mind. Hughes and Hurston
created Mule Bone to introduce southern black comedy to a broader
audience. They aimed to preserve black vernacular English and the rural
folktales of southern black communities.
Character
A story is built around the actions of its characters. The concept of character also encompasses an individual's morality. Characters can range from simple, stereotypical figures to complex, multi-dimensional ones. They may be defined by personality traits, such as the rogue...
(This entire section contains 470 words.)
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or the damsel in distress. Characterization involves crafting a realistic person from an author's imagination. To achieve this, the author gives the character personality traits that shape their identity and behavior in various situations.
Drama
Drama is typically defined as any work intended for stage performance. It
includes a narrative, actors portraying characters, and action. Historically,
drama has also encompassed tragedy, comedy, religious pageants, and spectacles.
In contemporary usage, drama addresses serious topics and themes but does not
reach the intensity of tragedy.
Genre
Genres serve as a method for classifying literature. The term "genre" is French
for "kind" or "type." It can refer to categories of literature such as tragedy,
comedy, epic poetry, or pastoral works. It also includes modern forms like
drama, novels, or short stories. Additionally, it encompasses types like
mystery, science fiction, comedy, or romance. While Mule Bone contains
elements of drama, it is primarily considered a comedy.
Plot
The plot is the sequence of events in a play. Generally, plots have a
beginning, middle, and end, but they can also be a series of thematically
connected episodes, as seen in the epic plays of Bertolt Brecht, like Mother
Courage and Her Children. Essentially, the plot allows the author to delve
into central themes. Students often confuse plot and theme; themes explore
ideas, while plots simply recount what happens. The plot of Mule Bone
involves a fight and the subsequent trial, whereas the themes revolve around
religious tolerance, friendship, and success.
Scene
Scenes are sections within an act. A scene may change when all main characters
either enter or leave the stage. A scene change can also signify a shift in
time. In Mule Bone, Act II includes two scenes, which are set in two
different locations: a street and the interior of the Baptist church.
Setting
The setting of a play refers to the time, place, and cultural context in which
the events unfold. This can encompass geographic locations, physical or mental
environments, dominant cultural beliefs, or the historical period in which the
story is set. In Mule Bone, all scenes take place in or around a small
village. Notable locations include the front porch of Clarke’s store, a street,
the Baptist church, and the railroad tracks just beyond the town limits. The
entire narrative unfolds over a span of twenty-four hours.
Compare and Contrast
1931: Unemployment in the U.S. surpasses 8 million people.
Today: While unemployment rates are currently very low, many employers report difficulties in filling positions, particularly those that are low-paying and involve menial tasks. Similar to the past, these jobs are often occupied by immigrants and minorities.
1931: Detroit dismisses an additional 100,000 workers, bringing the total reduction in auto plant employment to 225,000 over two years.
Today: Over the last seventy years, employment in the automotive manufacturing industry has seen significant transformations. Production lines are now more automated, and there have been occasional layoffs due to changing demand. However, America's love for cars has sustained a consistent demand, resulting in relatively stable employment in this sector.
1931: The U.S. wheat harvest reaches unprecedented levels, causing prices to plummet. This forces many farmers off their lands as banks foreclose on mortgages, worsening the poverty and food shortages during the Great Depression.
Today: The number of farmers has dwindled to historic lows. Large-scale commercial farming operations have made it challenging for smaller farms to compete, prompting many small farmers to sell their properties and relocate to urban areas.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Barnes, Clive. Review of Mule Bone in the New York Post,
February 15, 1991.
Beaufort, John. Review of Mule Bone in the Christian Science Monitor, February 26, 1991.
Boyd, Lisa. "The Folk, the Blues, and the Problems of Mule Bone" in the Langston Hughes Review, Vol. 13, no. 19, Fall 1994, pp. 33-44.
Gates, Henry Louis Jr. Review of Mule Bone in the New York Times, February 10, 1991, pp. 5, 8.
Hemenway, Robert E. Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography, University of Illinois Press, 1977, pp. 136-58.
Kissel, Howard. Review of Mule Bone in the Daily News, February 15, 1991.
Lowe, John. ‘‘From Mule Bones to Funny Bones: The Plays of Zora Neale Hurston’’ in Southern Quarterly: A Journal of the Arts in the South, Vol. 33, nos. 2-3, 1995, pp. 65-78.
Rich, Frank. Review of Mule Bone in the New York Times, February 15, 1991.
Short, Randall. Review of Mule Bone in Mirabella, March 1991, p. 72.
Stearnes, David Patrick. Review of Mule Bone in USA Today, February 13, 1991.
Watt, Doug. Review of Mule Bone in the Daily News, February 22, 1991.
Further Reading
Hughes, Langston, and Zora Neale Hurston. Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro
Life, edited by George Houston Bass and Henry Louis Gates, Harper, 1991.
This book includes the complete script of the play and a collection of articles
discussing the controversies surrounding its creation and the legal disputes
that ensued.
Kellner, Bruce, editor. The Harlem Renaissance: A Historical Dictionary, Greenwood, 1984. This work provides concise literary biographies of artists who were contemporaries of Hurston and Hughes.
Pryse, Marjorie, and Hortense J. Spillers, editors. Conjuring, Black Women, Fiction, and Literary Tradition, Indiana University Press, 1985. This essay collection seeks to position Hurston among other American black women writers, highlighting her impact on subsequent generations of female authors.
Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes, 1902-1941, Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 1986. Rampersad explores Hughes’s relationship with Hurston.
Watson, Carol McAlpine. Prologue: The Novels of Black American Women, 1891-1965, Greenwood, 1985. Watson examines Hurston in comparison to other authors, arguing that she stood out among black women writers.