Summary
The play "Two Trains Running" immerses the audience into the life of a neighborhood on the brink of change. It unravels the struggles, dreams, and dynamics between a group of people revolving around a restaurant set against the backdrop of societal issues. Within this microcosm, personal stories intertwine with larger social movements, revealing the challenges and resilience of those involved.
Act 1, Scene 1
In a bustling restaurant situated across from West's Funeral Home and Lutz's Meat Market, West is engrossed in a phone call discussing his involvement in an underground betting scheme. Memphis, the restaurant's owner, insists he hang up, while Risa critiques the ethics of such activities. The conversation shifts as Memphis shares the reasons behind his wife's departure, just as Holloway enters with news of crowds gathering at the funeral home to see the revered Prophet Samuel. It appears that people were initially charged for this viewing until West put an end to it, prompting speculation about West's wealth and his alleged habit of stealing valuables from the deceased. Memphis highlights West's long-standing desire to acquire his land, which the city now plans to seize, and vows not to settle for anything less than twenty-five thousand dollars, while the discussion of West's avarice continues.
Hambone arrives, relentlessly chanting his demand for the ham he is owed, drawing Risa's sympathy. Sterling makes an entrance, pointing out the lack of food options, and recognizes Risa as the sister of an old acquaintance. He flirts with her, revealing his prison past, while the men advise him on job prospects, though Sterling has already encountered numerous setbacks. They discuss local beliefs in fortune brought on by touching Prophet Samuel's head, and Holloway suggests visiting Aunt Ester as a wiser alternative. The group recounts Hambone's decade-long quest for the ham Lutz promised for painting a fence, but who only gave him a chicken instead. Holloway praises the bond Aunt Ester and Prophet Samuel have formed with the community before Sterling departs to seek out Aunt Ester.
Act 1, Scene 2
The scene unfolds with Hambone once more confronting Lutz, and Holloway admiring Hambone's refusal to accept inferior treatment from "the white man." Memphis recounts his harrowing eviction from Jackson, Mississippi, and expresses bewilderment over Risa's self-mutilation to deter attention from her attractiveness. The conversation shifts to revelations about Sterling's criminal past, as Holloway argues that systemic inequalities, not laziness, force the Black community to surrender their earnings to white people, a cycle rooted in slavery's legacy.
West enters, justifying his prosperous business and proposing to purchase the restaurant for fifteen thousand dollars, warning Memphis that the city won't offer more than ten thousand. Sterling returns, having failed to connect with Aunt Ester, and invites everyone to a Malcolm X birthday rally. Conversations about Malcolm X and the Black Power movement ensue, with Memphis expressing skepticism towards political activism. Hambone reappears, and a frustrated Memphis ejects him from the premises.
Act 1, Scene 3
Sterling, unable to secure employment, chats with Risa about his history, invites her to the Malcolm X rally, and predicts marriage if her lottery number wins. He and Holloway argue that Hambone's well-executed fence painting rightfully earns him the ham he seeks. West arrives bearing gifts for Risa and Memphis, and Sterling requests a loan to gamble on a number. Sterling and Wolf agree on the world's chaos and futility, while Holloway warns Sterling of inevitable imprisonment, to which Sterling responds with resignation.
A collection is initiated by Wolf to help Bubba Boy attend his wife's funeral, and Sterling teaches Hambone the phrase "Black is beautiful." Memphis, exasperated by...
(This entire section contains 1147 words.)
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the city's fifteen thousand dollar offer, dismisses his Black lawyer in favor of a white one. He reflects on the personal cost of missed opportunities, including his mother's death, due to financial constraints, resolving to have the city meet his price.
Act 2, Scene 1
Sterling steals flowers for Risa from Prophet Samuel's service, along with a can of gasoline. He imparts Black Power slogans to Hambone and sells the gasoline to Memphis. Memphis grows irritable with his clientele, and Wolf sells Sterling a gun on credit. Memphis, annoyed by constant calls for Wolf, ends a call and decrees that calls for Wolf are no longer allowed at the restaurant.
West arrives complaining about vandalism at his funeral home, offering Memphis twenty thousand for the restaurant, with conditions. Memphis recounts his land being seized in Jackson, the destruction of his property, and the systemic racism he faced. Sterling seeks employment as a driver from West, who declines, sharing a personal anecdote involving Aunt Ester. Holloway reflects on his own experience with Aunt Ester, who he visited due to a desire for retribution against his grandfather, a man subservient to white men. Sterling proposes a chicken-selling partnership, but Memphis is uninterested.
Act 2, Scene 2
Holloway notes Hambone's absence from his usual confrontation with Lutz and describes Prophet Samuel's funeral. Wolf shares his romantic entanglements in Atlanta, revealing financial deception, and informs them that Sterling's lottery winnings were reduced by a rigged game. Holloway refuses to explain this to Sterling, and Memphis angrily removes a Black Power poster Sterling installed. Sterling describes the funeral, while Memphis accuses Prophet Samuel of swindling people, and Sterling voices apocalyptic beliefs. Memphis compensates Risa and inquires about Aunt Ester's residence.
Act 2, Scene 3
Holloway informs the group of Hambone's death, prompting Risa to shoo Wolf with her broom. West enters, detailing his retrieval of Hambone's remains, and Risa insists on a dignified burial. West deems it financially unfeasible. Sterling urges West to gamble with him in Las Vegas, but West declines, advising Sterling to temper his lofty expectations. Wolf informs Sterling of the lottery scam, and Sterling resolves to confront the Alberts despite warnings.
Act 2, Scene 4
Sterling recounts his confrontation with Old Man Albert, admitting he never demanded his full winnings, and shares Aunt Ester's advice to cast twenty dollars into the river. He questions Risa's reasons for harming herself and expresses his desire to be with her. Risa doubts his reliability, predicting a future in jail for him, and suggests they enjoy the moment without commitments. The scene concludes with a dance and a kiss prompted by the jukebox's music.
Act 2, Scene 5
Holloway contemplates life's essence, declaring it to be nothing more than love and death, as the men reflect on the previous night's rally where a drugstore was suspiciously burned. Wolf humorously explains his lack of a girlfriend, and West takes pride in Hambone's dignified visitation. Wolf expresses approval of Sterling and Risa's relationship just as Memphis enters, slightly inebriated. Memphis narrates his visit to Aunt Ester, his symbolic river offering, and a victorious court ruling granting him thirty-five thousand dollars for his restaurant. Although his wife returned, he chose to leave and plans to regain his land in Jackson. He entrusts Risa with fifty dollars for Hambone's flowers, and Sterling arrives, bloodied but triumphant, with a ham for Hambone's casket.
