In Act II, Scene 1, we meet George Murchison. How is he different from Joseph Asagai? Why do you think that these two men are so different?
Asagai is a man who is proud of his Nigerian ancestry and accepting of himself. He courts Beneatha by giving her robes from his home country and giving her a nickname in his language. He is shameless in observing her semi-Americanized ways, picking at them and trying to replace them with what he believes is natural. Murchison is completely integrated into white culture, disregarding his roots because he believes that the closer he is to being white the closer he is to being better than other African-Americans. He encourages Beneatha to continue with the ways she tries to assimilate with white culture, such as straightening her hair and wearing what a white woman would be expected to wear. Murchison does not accept who he is racially and it manifests as contempt for others of his race.
No comments:
Post a Comment