The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Volume 5

University of Missouri Press

Chapter One

1930

Written during the summer of 1930, Mulatto is Langston Hughes's first full-length play. It appears to have come to him quickly; its painful and melodramatic depictions of father-son conflict, the power of class and whiteness, the legacy of slavery, and the vicious oppression of African Americans in the South were all preoccupations taken up in his earlier work. Many commentators have noted Hughes's personal investment in his narratives of father-son conflict, and the metaphorical relation of miscegenated family and nation.

The play also seeks to correct the dramatic representation of lynching in such plays as the 1927 Pulitzer Prize-winning In Abraham's Bosom, by Paul Green, in which lynching is the inevitable and unchallenged-although not thereby justified-fate of Abe McCranie, the impetuous and irascible central character. The plots of the two works are similar in many ways, but in Hughes's play the black characters are articulate, rational, and courageous. Not usually understood as an antilynching play, Mulatto is set in Georgia and was written in a year when that state led the nation in lynchings. Cora's accusations that the Colonel is in themob seeking the son who murdered him speak eloquently to the horrifying internecine dimensions of Southern brutality. (In 1961, Hughes wrote regarding some revisions his editor, Webster Smalley, had proposed: "Mulatto might be left timeless, since they still behave like that in the backwoods of Georgia. In the big towns, of course, individual sitins like Bert's have grown to mass-sit-ins. Otherwise, no difference.")

Opening on October 24, 1935, at the Vanderbilt Theatre, Mulatto ran on Broadway for more than a year and toured for two seasons. The Broadway Mulatto was, however, greatly altered by the producer, Martin Jones, who sensationalized an already shocking story. Among other changes, in his version Sallie misses the train and is raped by Talbot in the final scene. No text for the Broadway Mulatto has surfaced.

The version of Mulatto printed here is dated by Hughes's covering remarks as 1942, although the copyright is given as 1932. The cover sheet reads: "from the short story 'Father and Son' in The Ways of White Folks. Original first version of 'Mulatto,' written at Hedgerow Theatre, Maryland Rose Valley, in which no girl is raped. That was added by Mr. Martin Jones for the Broadway production. Langston Hughes, Dec. 28, 1942." On the title page he adds, "This play might also be called 'The Colonel's Son.'" The comment about the short story is puzzling because "Father and Son" was most certainly written later than the play; however, Hughes did, at one point, recommend the short story to Martin Jones, to give him a better sense of the play. The manuscript is actually a photocopy of a typescript on which Hughes pasted minor revisions. The photocopy on which the changes are made is dated 1945 by the Beinecke Library. Internal evidence places the original as having been written between 1934 and 1938. This version differs from the version published in Five Plays by Langston Hughes in several ways, most notably in the last lines of the final scene. It is this version, probably minus the changes on this photocopy, that was the basis for several of the play's translations.

Characters

COLONEL THOMAS NORWOOD, plantation owner, a still vigorous man of about sixty, nervous, refined, quick-tempered, and commanding; a widower who is the father of four living mulatto children by his Negro housekeeper

CORA LEWIS, a brown woman in her forties who has kept the house and been the mistress of Colonel Norwood for some thirty years

WILLIAM LEWIS, the oldest son of Cora Lewis and the Colonel; a fat, easy-going, soft-looking mulatto of twenty-eight; married

SALLIE LEWIS, the seventeen year old daughter, very light with sandy hair and freckles, who could pass for white

ROBERT LEWIS, eighteen, the youngest boy; strong and well built; a light mulatto with ivory-yellow skin and proud thin features like his father's; as tall as the Colonel, with the same grey-blue eyes, but with curly black hair instead of brown; of a fiery, impetuous temper-immature and wilful-resenting his blood and the circumstances of his birth

MR. FRED HIGGINS, a close friend of Colonel Norwood's; a county politician; fat and elderly, conventionally Southern

SAM, an old Negro retainer, a personal servant of the Colonel's

LIVONIA, the cook

BILLY, the small son of William Lewis; a chubby brown kid

TALBOT, the overseer

MOSE, a black chauffeur, driver for Mr. Higgins

A STOREKEEPER

A WHITE UNDERTAKER

THE UNDERTAKER'S HELPER, voice off-stage only

THE LEADER OF THE MOB

Act I

TIME: The present. An afternoon in early fall.

THE SETTING: The living room of the Big House on a plantation in Georgia. Rear center of the room, a vestibule with double doors leading to the porch; at each side of the doors, a large window with lave curtains and green shades; at left, broad flight of stairs leading to the second floor; near the stairs, down-stage, a door-way leading to the dining room and kitchen; opposite, at right of stage, a door to the library. The room is furnished in the long out-dated horse-hair and walnut style of the nineties: a crystal chandelier, a large old-fashioned rug, a marble-topped table, upholstered chairs. At the right there is a small cabinet. It is a very clean, but somewhat shabby and rather depressing room. The windows are raised. The late afternoon sunlight streams in.

ACTION: As the curtain rises the stage is empty. The door at the right opens and COLONEL NORWOOD enters, crossing the stage toward the stairs, his watch in his hand. Looking up, he shouts:

NORWOOD: Cora! Oh, Cora!

CORA: (Heard above) Yes, sir, Colonel Tom.

NORWOOD: I want to know if that child of yours means to leave here this afternoon?

CORA: (At head of steps now) Yes, sir, she's goin' directly. I's gettin' her ready now, packin' up an' all. 'Course, she wants to tell you goodbye 'fore she leaves.

NORWOOD: Well, send her down here. Who's going to drive her to the railroad? That train leaves at three-and it's after two now. You ought to know you can't drive ten miles in no-time.

CORA: (Above) Her brother's gonna drive her. Bert. He ought to be back here most any minute now with the Ford.

NORWOOD: (Stopping on his way back to the library) Ought to be back here? Where's he gone?

CORA: (Coming downstairs nervously) Why, he driv in town 'fore dinner, Colonel Tom. Said he were lookin' for some tubes or somethin 'nother by de mornin' mail for de radio he's been riggin' up out in de shed.

NORWOOD: Who gave him permission to be driving off in the middle of the morning? I bought that Ford to be used when I gave orders for it to be used, not ...

CORA: Yes, sir, Colonel Tom, but....

NORWOOD: But what? (Pausing. Then deliberately) Cora, if you want that hard-headed yellow son of yours to get along around here, he'd better listen to me. He's no more than any other black buck on this plantation-due to work like the rest of 'em. I don't take such a performance from nobody under me-riving off in the middle of the day to town, after I've told him to keep his back in that cotton. How's Talbot gonna keep the rest of them darkies working right if that boy's allowed to set that kind of an example? Just because Bert's your son, and I've been damn fool enough to send him off to Atlanta for five or six years, he thinks he has a right to privileges, acting as if he owned the place since he's been back here this summer.

CORA: But, Colonel Tom....

NORWOOD: Yes, I know what you're going to say. I don't give a damn about him. There's no nigger-child of mine, yours, ours-no darkie-going to disobey me. I put him in that field to work, and he'll stay on this plantation till I get ready to let him go. I'll tell Talbot to use the whip on him, too, if he needs it. If it hadn't been that he's yours, he'd-a had a taste of it the other day. Talbot's damn good overseer, and no saucy, lazy nigras stay on this plantation and get away with it. (To Cora) Get on back upstairs and see about getting Sallie out of here. Another word from you and I won't send your (Sarcastically) pretty little half-white daughter anywhere, either. Schools for darkies! Huh! If you take that boy of yours for an example, they do 'em more harm than good. He's learned nothing in 'em but impudence, and he'll stay here on this place and work for me awhile before he gets back to any more schools. (NORWOOD starts across the room)

CORA: Yes, sir, Colonel Tom. (Hesitating) But he's just young, sir. And he was mighty broke up when you said last week he couldn't go back to de school. (COLONEL NORWOOD turns and looks at Cora commandingly. Understanding, SHE murmurs:) Yes, sir. (She starts upstairs, but turns back) Can't I run and fix you a cool drink, Colonel Tom?

NORWOOD: No, damn you! Sam'll do it.

CORA: (Sweetly) Go set down in de cool, then Colonel. 'Tain't good for you to be goin' on this way in de heat. I'll talk to Robert maself soon's he comes in. He don't mean nothin'-just smart and young and kinder careless, Colonel Tom, like ma mother said you used to be when you was eighteen.

NORWOOD: Get on upstairs, Cora. Do I have to speak again? Get on! (He pulls the cord of the servant's bell)

CORA: (On the steps) Does you still be in the mind to tell Sallie goodbye?

NORWOOD: Send her down here as I told you. (Impatiently) Where's Sam? Send him here first. (Fuming) Looks like he takes his time to answer that bell. You colored folk are running the house to suit yourselves nowadays.

CORA: (Coming downstairs again and going toward door under the steps) I'll get Sam for you.

(CORA exits left. NORWOOD paces nervously across the floor Goes to the window and looks out down the road. Takes a cigar from his pocket, sits in a chair with it unlighted, scowling. Rises, goes toward servants' bell and rings it again violently as SAM enters, out of breath)

NORWOOD: What the hell kind of a tortoise race is this? I suppose you were out in the sun somewhere sleeping?

SAM: No, sah, Colonel Norwood. Just tryin' to get Miss Sallie's valises down to de yard so's we can put 'em in de Ford, sah.

NORWOOD: (Out of patience) Huh! Darkies waiting on darkies! I can't get service in my own house. Very well. (Loudly) Bring me some whiskey and soda, and ice in a glass. Is that damn frigidaire working right? Or is Livonia still too thick-headed to know how to run it? Any ice cubes in the thing?

SAM: Yes, sah, Colonel, yes, sah. (Backing toward door left) 'Scuse me please, sah, but (As NORWOOD turns toward library) Cora say for me to ask you is it all right to bring that big old trunk what you give Sallie down by de front steps. We ain't been able to tote it down them narrer little back steps, sah. Cora, say, can we bring it down de front way through here?

NORWOOD: No other way? (SAM shakes his head) Then pack it on through to the back, quick. Don't let me catch you carrying any of Sallie's baggage out that front door here. You-all'll be wanting to go in and out the front way next. (Turning away, complaining to himself) Darkies have been getting mighty fresh in this part of the country since the war. The damn German's should've.... (To Sam) Don't take that trunk out that front door.

SAM: (Evilly, in a cunning voice) I's seen Robert usin' de front door-when you ain't here, and he comes up from de cabin to see his mammy.

(SALLIE, the daughter, appears at the top of the stairs, but hesitates about coming down.)

NORWOOD: Oh, you have, have you? Let me catch him and I'll break his young neck for him. (Yelling at Sam) Didn't I tell you some whiskey and soda an hour ago?

(SAM exits left. SALLIE comes shyly down the stairs and approaches her father. She is dressed in a little country-style coat-suit ready for traveling. Her features are Negroid, although her skin is very light. COLONEL NORWOOD gazes down at her without saying a word as she comes meekly toward him.)

SALLIE: (Half-frightened) I just wanted to tell you goodbye, Colonel Norwood, and thank you for letting me go back to school another year, and for letting me work here in the house all summer where mama was. (NORWOOD says nothing. The girl continues in a strained voice as if making a speech) You mighty nice to us colored folks certainly, and mama says you the best white man in Georgia. (Still NORWOOD says nothing. The girl continues) You been mighty nice to your-I mean to us colored children, letting my sister and me go off to school. The principal says I'm doing pretty well and next year I can go to Normal and learn to be a teacher. (Raising her eyes) You reckon I can, Colonel Tom?

NORWOOD: Stand up straight and let me see how you look. (Backing away) Hum-m-m! Getting kinder grown, ain't you? Do they teach you in that colored school to have good manners, and not to be afraid of work, and to respect white folks?

SALLIE: Yes, sir, I been taking up cooking and sewing, too.

NORWOOD: Well, that's good. As I recall it, that school turned your sister out a right smart cook. Cora tells me she's got a job in some hotel in Chicago. I'm thinking about you going on up there with her in a year or two. You're getting too old to be around here, and too womanish. (He puts his hand on her arms as if feeling her fresh)

SALLIE: (Drawing back slightly) But I want to live down here with mama. I want to teach school in that there empty school house by the Cross Roads what hasn't had no teacher for five years.

(SAM has been standing with the door cracked, overhearing the conversation. He enters with whiskey and soda on a tray. He places it on the table, right. NORWOOD sits down, leaving the girl standing, as SAM pours out a drink for him)

NORWOOD: Don't get that into your head, now. There's been no teacher there for years-and there won't be any teacher there, either. Cotton teaches these pickininnies enough around here. Some of 'em 's too smart as it is. The only reason I did have a teacher there was to get you young ones o' Cora's educated. I gave you-all a chance and I hope you appreciate it. (He takes a long drink) Don't know why I did it. No other white man in these parts ever did it, as I know of. (To SAM) Get out of here! (SAM exits left) Guess I couldn't stand to see Cora's kids working around here dumb as the rest of these no-good darkies-need a dozen of 'em to chop one row of cotton, or to keep a house clean. Or maybe I didn't want to see Talbot eyeing you gals. (Taking another drink) Anyhow, I'm glad you and Bertha turned out right well. Yes, hum-m-m! (Straightening up) You know I tried to do something for those brothers of yours, too, but William's stupid as an ox-good for work, though-and that Robert's just an impudent, hard-headed yellow young fool. I'm gonna break his damn neck for him if he don't watch out. Or else put Talbot on him

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Volume 5 Copyright © 2002 by Ramona Bass and Arnold Rampersad
Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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