America_Play_Interpretation

America Play Interpretation The “whole” referred to in “The America Play” seems to embody definitive moments in American History, such as the assassination of President Lincoln. Park focuses not on the celebrated figures of heroism, but those who contributed to the shaping of the country, but have yet to receive credit. The digging of a “hole” represents the search for the history of unrecognized African-Americans. In Act I, the Foundling Father speaks of the “Lesser Known” who is compared to Abraham Lincoln and only receives recognition through this association. In trying to find his own voice, the Lesser Known becomes an imitation of Lincoln’s legend. The Foundling Father states that, “he [The Lesser Man] wanted to grow and have others think of him and remove their hats and touch their hearts and look up into the heavens and say something about the freeing of the slaves. That is, he wanted to make a great impression as he understood Mr. Lincoln to have made,” (Act I, 214). In search of his own identity and recognition, the Lesser Man only lives out the events, and even death, of an already historically recognized figure. Lincoln’s death is made into a american, play, lesser, thuh, history, man, lucy, death, act, wanted, tuh, search, recognition, past, own, made, lincoln’s, lincoln, known, know, hole, historical, foundling, find, figure, fathuh, father, digging, been, already, african, yet, whole, voice, vicariously, unrecognized