Dutchman and The Slave Lesson Plan

Explore the symbolism in the play as it relates to common black experiences and fears.

This play calls on a common black experience: black men who are accused of rape by white women and are subsequently murdered or punished. In the play, Clay is seduced by Lula and then is literally killed by her at the end of the play. It also calls on the fear of being hunted by white people as prey, as Lula seems to do to Clay and then again to the young black man at the end. The passengers’ willingness to dispose of Clay’s body without question represents the complicity of white people who look the other way to injustices against black people. Finally, Lula’s mocking Clay for being “...