Assessment - Joe Turner's ... (Michael Todd)
“The Good Christian’s Come and Gone…” by Sandra G. Shannon demonstrates that August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” play continues his and other African American writers’ history pf writing about a “good ole-fashioned religion.” However, Shannon argues that their abandonment of Christianity is more convenient and self-serving…merely meant for inspiration. It “has not and will not suit their needs.” This is exactly how I read the play, especially the part were Loomis denounces his faith. This applies directly to the play’s plot and how the reader feels about the characters. Throughout the play, Loomis is searching for his identity and to find it, he must truly be inspired. Eventually, he believes that his faith is holding him back, and the only way to let go is to “bleed for himself.” Loomis’ slashing of his chest is him [Loomis] trying to reinvent himself and is his official abandonment of religion…but is only for his mentality. Overall Shannon’s assessment of Wilson’s play is pretty accurate and I agree with her argument.
Written by Michael Todd February 27, 2007
posted by Kirk Andrew Everist @ 9:25 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I did not read this article, but Shannon’s assessment of the play seemed to make much more sense to me. I’m sure that there were many purposes behind reading the play, but for me to better understand the play, I first have to understand the direct motivation behind what the characters are doing. It seems like this supplemented with the historical context and meaning is important to understanding the play. However, I felt like your essay on what Shannon (and Shannon’s article in general) was more informative than the Yoruba Gods article that I chose to read.
just testing the comments
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