Wiletta's Fichtean Curve

Subject:Trouble in Mind, written by Alice Childress, takes the time to point out some inconsistencies in life, especially in the character of Wiletta, the star of stage and screen whose experience and wisdom far surpass the knowledge of any director, stagehand, or actor. Little does Wiletta realize, but it is her familiarity with theatre that eventually leads her to discover a fascinating point in her life.

As the play opens, Childress sets the audience up for the “normal” path of Wiletta’s Fichtean Curve, assuming the viewer thinks that this character is nothing more than a pompous know-it-all who refuses to listen to direction. However, as the reading of acts one and two progress, Wiletta’s heart and conscience begin to change – she realizes that she has essentially sold herself out to the theatre by playing these stereotypical “mammy” roles. Regardless of the characters played, she feels that she is always placed in a slave role; from the diction she uses to her soulful songs (melos) that can bring tears to the eyes of the cast, Wiletta comes to grips with the fact that she has done nothing more than reaffirm the black female role of servant.

Reaching the climax of the play through recognition of the situation, Wiletta bursts out in anger saying that she (her character) should refuse to send her son to be murdered rather than encouraging him to give in to the oppressor (which would be the ideal thing a slave should do – bend to his master’s will). Through role reversal, Wiletta becomes the dominant figure by striking out against the director in a justified rage; while the director claims to listen to her complaints, the situation reverts back to the situation represented in the play that is also echoed in life – the fact that a white man (the director) will never be and should never be compared to a black individual. In doing so, the conflict is resolved (so to speak) in a topsy-turvy manner by reestablishing the roles, boundaries, and colors that have always existed – as if to strike Wiletta at her very core and remind her that she is type-cast and forever trapped as a black female in her plays and in life.

While the play may not end on the most cheerful of notes, it does bring to light an important question: are we Wiletta? Do we play roles in life by following patterns, forms, and stereotypes? Are we ever really able to throw off the shackles of those labels? More importantly, how will react and what will we do when we decide that it is time for a change?