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Character Analysis Of Florence And Trifles And Doubts

Satisfactory Essays

In the plays, Florence and Trifles and Doubts, there are many different topics that are prominent. The ones I plan on focusing on are gender roles and race roles. The gender roles in Trifles and Doubts that I shall talk about is how our main character, Mrs. Write, went over the edge in traditional women’s roles in the 1900’s. The race roles in Florence that I shall talk about is how that despite in a racist society, someone can still chase their dreams.

This 1950 play by Alice Childress takes place in a train station waiting room in a very small town in the south. The play describes how Miss Whitney, an old black woman, discovers that her premonition of the success of her daughter, Florence, as a black actress is undesirably similar to …show more content…

She got notions a Negro woman don 't need. She must think she 's white!" (Childress. 1320) Her mother expresses a bit more faith responding, "Maybe we shoulda just sent her the money this time. This one time." (Childress. 1320)

As Marge leaves the station we are introduced to Mr. Brown, an old black porter. As Mr. Brown speaks with Miss Whitney we find out that his son and brother are both attending different colleges. Miss Whitney expresses her thoughts by saying, "takes an awful lot of goin ' to school to be anything." (Childress.1322) Mr. Brown also informs Miss Whitney that his brother saw Florence in a movie. This excites Miss Whitney only for a second as she proceeds to ask Mr. Brown about his brother 's aspirations, as if it were more interesting. The conversation is short due to the entrance of Mrs. Carter.

Mrs. Carter is introduced in the play as a "white woman…well dressed, wearing furs and carrying a small, expensive overnight bag." (Childress. 1322) Mrs. Carter is on her way back home to New York City. Although she thinks of herself as being beyond the racist state of the south, we are immediately exposed to her racist mentality as she speaks her first word, "Boy," (Childress. 1322) referring to the porter, a fifty year-old black man. As she paces back and forth in the white side of the room, Mrs. Carter begins a conversation with Miss Whitney. During the conversation we learn

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