as he carries the struggle of his people as an African American man. He consciously understands that murder will not solve the problem.
Just like the saying “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, the situation
would theoretically ease all the grudges, but in reality it is, not the case. History and everyday life have taught us that the murder of a person can never pay for the
murder of another one. The African Americans ’ blood would wash away the pains
endured during slavery, pay for the lost identity, the beatings, the humiliations, the discriminations would replace the blues. The thrill to kill would provide the
African American man an indiscribable joy, by suppressing the enemy. His anti- thesis would affirm his own existence. For Clay, sanity equals murder, and he
chooses insanity because it is safer.
5. Clay’s Struggle for Being Himself
Through his journal, Diyaiy states his comment about the play that “There
is cultural-racial injustice. The play stresses the conflict between two hostile visions. The white culture is guilty of oppressing and exploiting the black
minority. This challenges the possibility of w hites and blacks to be equal”
Diyaiy, 2009: 16. Yet for Clay, the suit he is wearing that belongs to the oppressor of African American
– the White American, is none of Lula’s business. And he wants to be he wanted to be.
Lula’s racial comments about Clay is “You middle-class black bastard. Forget your social-
working mother for a few seconds and let’s knock stomachs.
Clay, you liver-lipped white man. You would- be Christian. You ain’t to nigger,
you’re just a dirty white man” Baraka, p. 8 which follows with Clay responses
CLAY. [
Pushing her against the seat
] Im not telling you again, Tallulah
Bankhead Luxury. In your face and your fingers. You telling me what I ought to do. [
Sudden scream frightening the whole coach
] Well,
dont Dont you tell me anything If Im a middle ‐class fake white man
... let me be. And let me be in the way I want. Baraka, p. 9 Kitano states about identity as “how individual perceives and feels about “self
remains” Kitano, 1985: 82. In relating to both Clay and Kitano’s statements, the writer finds that there is a connection between theirs. Clay tries to explain to Lula
that he does not care of what Lula calls him as a fake white man, he just want Lula to let him be whatever he wants to be.
In the end of the play, Lula stabs him to death with a small knife while he is going to leave the train. He is thrown outside the train by the White Americans
as Lula commands them to get rid of his body. She orders the other passengers who are her allies representing a racist society. Lula escapes from any
punishments, yet other passengers just sit quietly and do not give any attention to the tragedy that just happened in front of their eyes. Later she appears to be
writing in her notebook, just making a quick note. The victimization will go on as she will confront another African American man who carries books and boards
the train. Speaking about the speech that Clay says towards Lula and her people
around him is not something that he really cares about. What he cares the most in his long speech is his people and his blackness, his black identity. Instead of
showing what is inside him, the real him, he wants to knock Lula and her people off to the lowest level, showing he and his people have rights to live equally in
peace in one nation of the U. S. Clay also has high hopes that Lula and her people sees what they say about
him is a reflection of the White Americans. Yet Clay tries to recover his lost African culture with the growing sense of black power and anger. Being
provoked, he challenges Lula expressing his authentic self Diyaiy, 2009: 19. Clay’s murder proves that the righteous does not always triumph, and that reality
would simply not allow things to be the way they should. The course of events is doomed, Clay’s murder and the new cycle beginning in the end with Lula and
another prey prove it, again with another African American man carrying books. After several racial stereotypings Lula said to Clay, the writer gives the
outline of Clay’s struggle. As the writer analyzes this play, Clay struggled for the
labelings he experiences, such as Uncle Thomas and belly rub. He criticizes Lula’s propensity to appropriation instead of ridicules Lula for being racist against
his people. His struggle to back up of blues music is also evidence that he is already tired of Lula’s mock by singing in blues-y tunes. He includes Bessie
Smith as an example to counter white people who love black music. Another struggle Clay fights for is his belief. He knows that being a Christian for him and
his people is not easy. There are political issues regarding their beliefs as Christianity is controlled by white people. Clay also has to struggle to keep being
sane against the whites. As the writer stated that for Clay, sanity equals murder. He knows exactly that killing does not solve problems between him and Lula. The
