Mason Barber

HON120
Dr. Kelty
Fall 2018

After reading William Wells Brown's play, write a 300-word response to the following prompt:
James Ernest notes that Brown "challenged the terms by which identity is defined and
maintained" through various identities in his play that are "cultural scripts" that are collectively
and reciprocally performed to maintain the social order.
Identify and discuss a few (1-2) of these cultural performances/identities, connecting them to at
least one of Young's concepts of racial interpellation, socialization, and habitus and how Brown
challenges the cultural scripts of his time.

In William Wells Brown’s play “Escape, or, A Leap for Freedom” a series of cultural
identities are displayed throughout the piece. The character of Cato, the young male slave, is a
great personification of the performances that Brown employs. Cato is a slave in Dr. Gaines’
house and assists him with procedures and surgeries on fellow slaves. Cato’s character is the
archetypical representation of the young, naïve and often dim-witted comedic relief of the show.
A great deal of his dialogue is in a broken English that demonstrates his class and “rank” in the
play. His vernacular is a stark contrast in comparison to another slave in the show, Glen. The
character of Glen is an example of a “star-crossed lover” whose “cultural script” is that of an
eloquent slave who yearns for love that is beyond his grasp. His love interest is Melinda, who the
antagonist of the play (Dr. Gaines), also desires.
These cultural identities can be easily connected to Harvey Young’s concepts of racial
interpellation and racial habitus. Racial interpellation, the hailing or public identification of the
body as raced, is related to the character of Glen. Throughout the piece, Glen is hailed as black
through racial slurs. He is identified as black and as such, is a prime example of racial
interpellation. Cato is an embodiment of racial habitus, the development of a set of behaviors
inspired by the experience of having been interpellated and socialized. Cato is not only identified
as black (interpellation), but racially thinks of himself as inferior (socialization). He symbolizes
how white people viewed colored people of that time. His speech is similar to how minstrels
portrayed black people during their shows. A challenge to the cultural script that had been laid
out is Glen. He speaks in an eloquent fashion, demonstrates poise as well as grace, and isn’t a
blundering idiot (how most black people were characterized during the time). William Wells
Brown intentionally conformed to the status quo with Cato, but challenged it with Glen to
provoke thought and a dialogue.