Subject:Concept of Truth as it relates to "Trouble in Mind"

The dynamic of truth is most interesting in its relation to the two main characters, Wiletta and Manners. On one side, there is Wiletta. Wiletta still bears the scars of segregation and constantly feels the fresh wounds of racism. She resents having to be so dishonest with herself in order to please these various white people in power. A perfect example of this is in Wiletta’s conversation with John upon John’s arrival. She basically tells him to say and do specific things regardless of their truth. She even tells him to outright lie about being in “the latest revival of ‘Porgy and Bess.’” She has a dilemma because being honest and being successful seem mutually exclusive. On the other hand, Manners is in a different position all together. He is playing the role of a non-racist white man but in the end we see that there is, in fact, racism and that he is only suppressing it. Also, Manners thinks that he has won the admiration and affection of these actors, some of whom he has worked with before, when really those who know him despise him. What’s most interesting is that not one both of these characters have a history together and interact the most in the play, yet all the while both are being someone they’re not. Everything that these two have experienced in relation to each other has been under false pretenses. Really they have no relationship or truthful interaction at all. The summation of their years of knowing each other is seemingly nothing.