"I Want My Ham": Heroes In August Wilson's Plays

With this dissertation, I intend to answer the following question: how African-American heroism that embodies African-American cultural values is manifested in the insignificant and oppressed African-American common men in August Wilson's 20th century cycle plays?August Wilson is one of the leading American playwrights of the twentieth century. Many critics and scholars believe Wilson is the fourth greatest playwright after Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. It took Wilson more than twenty years to write a series of ten plays. Each play is about one decade of the twentieth-century and conveys issues prevalent to African-American individuals during that period. Through the historical moments in his drama, Wilson hopes not only to reevaluate the past but to illuminate African-American culture that, in the face of social injustice and oppression, has united and empowered African-American people.Hero, as a symbol of cultural identity, displays traits necessary for a culture to survive and thrive. Wilson anchors his drama in African-American culture. Of a good many characters in his oeuvre, the ones that can be crowned heroes are those who distinguish themselves in actions, or at least in their anxious intentions, to challenge social injustice or to maintain and protect the cultural identity and values, and thus directly or indirectly help African-American community, which can be as limited as a family or a neighborhood, or as extended as the whole race, to progress. According to the means that Wilson's heroes adopt to address their problems, this study, mainly based on Cartton W. and Barbara J. Molette's framework of African-American hero assessment and John W. Roberts' theory of African-American folk hero, considers four variants of the African-American hero in Wilson's nine published plays: outlaw-hero, self-conscious hero, sage and wise fool.Wilson's outlaw-heroes strike against unfairness and constriction within and without African-American community. In the eyes of white authority, the outlaw-heroes are never Robin Hood, but worthless criminals, however, to African-American people, they subscribe to high ideals and represent unbending resistance to injustice, persistent pursuit of natural justice, dignity of the dispossessed and the oppressed, and protection of cultural values. Wilson pays tribute to his outlaw-heroes. What he admires and advocates is their warrior spirit, but not the violence or sullen rage manifested sometimes by the characters. For the outlaw-heroes in Wilson's works, violence is not the end and may not be the best way to solve their problems. Their intentions may be good, yet the end cannot justify the means. At times the heroes' single-mindedness can have serious consequences.In Wilson's drama, while most outlaw-heroes, when trapped in desperation, resort to external forces for power, the self-conscious heroes turn to the interior. For self-conscious heroes, there is never any battle but a battle of faith, wisdom and resolution. They are, or become after tormenting soul-searching, clearly aware of their self-worth and their positions in American society, and know or get to know how to cope with the difficult world with the strength within. Some of them also help others establish an African-American identity, explore their innate strength and become aware of their own values in a white dominant society.Wilson's modern heroes as common men are imperfect. From time to time they make mistakes in judgment, and more often than not they suffer from psychological trauma. They need someone to lead them out of the maze and free them from confusion and illusion. The role of healing and guiding is usually taken by the sage, who exhibits good judgment and profound wisdom that come with age and experience. As a wise, trusted and the most venerated guide and adviser, the sage is the greatest of Wilson's heroes. Wise fools serve as alternatives to sages. Unfortunately, people sometimes fail to take wise fools' obscure hints and hence miss the precious opportunities to see the truth. And by the end of this dissertation, August Wilson the playwright is evaluated as a literary hero who, like a sage, not only instructs, heals, and empowers his fellow African-Americans but also shares his wisdom with all his theatre audiences and readers alike.