Walcott's Later Drama:
((
from joker"
to "Remembrance
PATRICIA I S M O N D
D
ream on Monkey
Mountain
(1970) and Ti-Jean
and
His
Brothers (1970) mark the climax of Derek Walcott's mature,
professional achievement as a dramatist. H e makes, i n these
plays, his definitive statement on the seminal questions of West
Indian liberation and identity. Subsequently (broadly speaking),
his drama enters a new phase distinguished by certain interesting
new trends, both i n content and style. The Joker of Seville
(1978), and O Babylon!
(1978), which I have loosely included
i n this later phase, present various transitional features. T h e
characteristic aspects of the later achievement are most fully
represented i n Pantomime
(1980) and Remembrance
(1980).
Both these plays, on which this article concentrates, have been
major successes, internationally and locally.
1
One single effort directs and shapes Walcott's later dramaturgy: he is primarly engaged i n working towards greater technical mastery of the stage, a more sophisticated stagecraft. Concurrent with this, there appears a new, inevitable shift i n content.
The plays present various responses to the post-independence
scene, and its increasingly more pressing political and social contexts. Walcott's development has always kept pace with the changing currents i n his society, and these new concerns engage h i m
fully. If, as suggested, technical experimentation takes precedence
at this stage, the new content is just as powerfully accommodated.
It is treated with the kind of intensity and maturity we have come
to expect of Walcott. H i s responses to the post-independence
scene emerge as a scrupulous evaluation of change, checking and
balancing the society's progress so far. Most remarkably, this is
rendered in a new, unobtrusive, well-modulated key.
90
P A T R I C I A IS M O N D
The Joker a n d O Babylon!, the t w o m u s i c a l s h e a d i n g the postD r e a m o u t p u t , p r o v i d e a useful i n t r o d u c t i o n to these later
developments. E a c h presents contrasts w h i c h serve to h i g h l i g h t
the n e w trends. The Joker, o u t s t a n d i n g i n sheer t h e a t r i c a l scope,
is i n fact the c u l m i n a t i n g p o i n t of the characteristic style dev e l o p e d i n Dream.
W a l c o t t ' s a d a p t a t i o n of the m u s i c a l f o r m
g r o w s o r g a n i c a l l y out of the r i t u a l structure e m p l o y e d i n Dream
a n d preserves its essential d y n a m i c . T h a t is, characters still f u n c t i o n p r i m a r i l y as emblems, the a c t i o n turns u p o n a n i n t e r n a l i z e d ,
m e t a p h o r i c a l c o n c e p t i o n of theme, i n n e r experience finds express i o n i n p h y s i c a l enactment, a n d setting is essentially stylized.
W a l c o t t is a d a p t i n g , i n this p l a y , the story of the legendary
seducer, D o n J u a n . I n the S p a n i s h o r i g i n a l , he is the l i b e r t i n e
w h o defies the codes of chastity a n d h o n o u r to m a k e the most of
it this side of the grave. W a l c o t t ' s o w n p o r t r a i t stresses the p r i n c i p l e of m o r a l f r e e d o m w h i c h J u a n embodies. I n satisfying the
f o r b i d d e n lusts of his w o m e n , he serves to release l i b i d o , d e n i e d
b y the prescribed n o r m s of o r d e r a n d d e c o r u m . H e frees t h e m
thereby to face the b u r d e n of c h o i c e . W a l c o t t heightens the
m e a n i n g of this q u a l i t y of f r e e d o m i n i d e n t i f y i n g i t w i t h the muse
of the l o c a l creole stick-fighter i n whose guise the i n d i g e n i z e d
J u a n appears. T h e w a t c h w o r d of the s t i c k - f i g h t i n g t r a d i t i o n , sans
humanité,
is thus a d o p t e d to affirm the p r i n c i p l e of u n f l i n c h i n g
2
courage a n d affirmative purpose i n strife. So that W a l c o t t ' s J u a n
comes to personify, above a l l , t h a t s p i r i t w h i c h " c a n c h a n g e to
e l a t i o n each grave s i t u a t i o n , " i n the w o r d s of the t h e m e song.
T h e focal p o i n t here is t h a t the a c t i o n materializes out of just
this k i n d of i d e a t i o n a n d m y t h i c i z i n g . J u a n , a l t h o u g h a v i b r a n t
personality i n the p l a y , is m o r e of a n a n i m a t e d force t h a n a
character, a n d a c t i o n is r e a l i z e d i n r i t u a l modes. T h e p l o t thus
moves t h r o u g h a series of m a j o r m u s i c a l sequences, w h i c h present w h a t are essentially m o m e n t s of s p i r i t u a l c o n f r o n t a t i o n a n d
r e c o g n i t i o n . T h e y are enacted i n p o w e r f u l orchestrations of
c h o r a l a n d p h y s i c a l p e r f o r m a n c e . J u a n ' s c l i m a c t i c t r i u m p h over
the d e a d system represented by the statue-like D o n G o n z a l o , for
e x a m p l e , is extended i n a r i t u a l p e r f o r m a n c e of the stick-fight.
O Babylon!,
his next v e n t u r e i n t o a full-scale m u s i c a l , is not
so successful. It presents here the interesting case of a w o r k u n -
WALCOTT'S
LATER
DRAMA
91
easily s t r u n g between the t w o phases, w h i c h p a r t l y accounts for
its weaknesses. O n the one h a n d , the m u s i c a l f o r m l i n k s it w i t h
the p r e c e d i n g phase; o n the other, it introduces the p r e o c c u p a t i o n w i t h the c u r r e n t p o l i t i c a l , s o c i a l c l i m a t e , m o r e subtly exp l o r e d i n Pantomime
a n d Remembrance.
T h i s is, i n fact, the
o n l y p l a y of W a l c o t t ' s e x p l i c i t l y a n d w h o l l y devoted to p u b l i c
protest. T h e p l a y presents the s i t u a t i o n of the R a s t a f a r i a n sect of
J a m a i c a , oppressed b y the c o r r u p t i o n of the m a t e r i a l i s t i c E s t a b l i s h m e n t , a n d i n r e b e l l i o n against i t . W a l c o t t is o n very solid,
t o p i c a l g r o u n d i n s p e a k i n g t h r o u g h a g r o u p t h a t h a v e emerged
as the r a l l y i n g p o i n t of m i l i t a n t anti-establishment posture, a n d
w i t h the e q u a l l y s t r o n g a p p e a l of a n i d e o l o g y a i m e d at a r a d i c a l
break w i t h the W e s t e r n value-system. T h e y are presented i n a
s i t u a t i o n w h i c h shows a s y m p a t h e t i c e n g a g e m e n t w i t h b o t h t h e i r
crisis a n d their r e v o l u t i o n a r y cause. T h e g r o u p face the threat of
e v i c t i o n f r o m t h e i r area, w h i c h has been e a r m a r k e d for a hotelc o n s t r u c t i o n site by the l o c a l p o l i t i c i a n s , w h o serve A m e r i c a n b i g
business. T h e y a p p e a r , i n the m e a n t i m e , i n a h a r m o n i o u s c o m m u n a l setting, p r a c t i s i n g t h e i r pieties of b r o t h e r h o o d , love, a n d
peace.
T h e p l a y fails, h o w e v e r , for several related reasons. M a n y of
the flaws s h o w u p i n the p l o t itself: a n u m b e r of issues, not
sufficiently centred, seem to be g o i n g different ways. T h e R a s t a farians are engaged i n resisting the m a j o r t h r e a t of e v i c t i o n ; they
are e q u a l l y intent o n p u r s u i n g the latest p r o m i s e of A f r i c a n
r e p a t r i a t i o n . W h e n e v i c t i o n comes, they retreat i n t o a m o u n t a i n
h e r m i t a g e to r e b u i l d t h e i r i d e a l c o m m u n i t y — a fate w h i c h v i r t u a l l y obviates the r e v o l u t i o n a r y m o t i v e , a n d i n d e e d protest. A t
the same t i m e , W a l c o t t allows one i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r of the
c o m m u n i t y , his c e n t r a l figure A a r o n , a s y m b o l i c gesture of rebell i o n against B a b y l o n . E a r l L o v e l a c e , c o m m e n t i n g o n the p l a y ,
sees W a l c o t t ' s Rastas as a powerless b u n c h , w i t h n o clear, c o n structive d i r e c t i o n .
3
F u r t h e r i n d i c a t i o n s of the n a t u r e of W a l c o t t ' s f a i l u r e are to be
f o u n d i n his h a n d l i n g of the m u s i c a l f o r m itself. I n W a l c o t t ' s
h a n d s the f o r m is ill-suited to p u b l i c protest o n t h a t p r a c t i c a l
p l a n e . It tends to r e m a i n w o o d e n a n d flat i n these contexts. B y
contrast, the p l a y a n d its m u s i c a l expression g a t h e r m o m e n t u m
92
PATRICIA I S M O N D
w h e n W a l c o t t renders the p r o p h e t i c b u r d e n of A a r o n ' s act of
r e b e l l i o n . C h o r a l a n d d a n c e r h y t h m s are engaged to a n n o u n c e
the R a s t a f a r i a n p r o m i s e of B a b y l o n ' s A r m a g e d d o n . H e probes
the sect's t w i n doctrines of l o v e a n d d r e a d , as l o v e , roused by
A a r o n ' s " o n e spark of p i t y " to d r e a d against injustice, becomes
apocalypse. H e r e W a l c o t t affirms the R a s t a f a r i a n cause i n a v e i n
most suited to his genius, w h i l e the a t t e m p t at a c t u a l i z a t i o n of
t h e i r purpose lags b e h i n d .
T o t u r n to the t w o w o r k s w h i c h f o l l o w is to be i m m e d i a t e l y
a w a r e of a n e w k i n d of artistry a n d c r a f t s m a n s h i p at w o r k . W e
m o v e a w a y f r o m the k i n d o f p r o d u c t i o n w h e r e c h o r e o g r a p h y
a n d m u s i c a l r e n d i t i o n p l a y a m a j o r p a r t o n W a l c o t t ' s stage, w i t h
the r i c h effects a n d m a g n i f i c e n c e of t o t a l theatre. W e find instead,
scenes w h i c h , s h o r n of these effects, are c o n t a i n e d w i t h i n m u c h
starker, bare, f a m i l i a r settings. W i t h i n this, h o w e v e r , there is a
conscious, c o n c e n t r a t e d effort to m a n o e u v r e artistically the p r a c t i c a l m e c h a n i c s a n d r a w elements of the theatre. S u c h elements
as r o l e - p l a y i n g , i m p r o v i s a t i o n , disguise, the p r i n c i p l e of i l l u s i o n ,
the art of a c t i n g itself, are a d o p t e d as i n t e g r a l parts of W a l c o t t ' s
subject-matter. W a l c o t t exploits t h e m for a d o u b l e , c o m b i n e d
achievement. T h e y b e c o m e the source of a g o o d d e a l of present a t i o n a l content, e n r i c h i n g his stagecraft. T h e y also f u n c t i o n as
i n t e g r a l motifs a n d accesses to his themes. T o give some i d e a of
the basic drift : i n Pantomime
the t w o characters are engaged i n
the act of rehearsing a s h o w . T h e p e r f o r m a n c e w e get consists of
a g o o d d e a l of the t h e a t r i c a l i t y of r o l e - p l a y i n g , w h i l e at the s a m e
t i m e the i m p l i c a t i o n s of r o l e - p l a y i n g have a lot to d o w i t h the
m e a n i n g of the p l a y . I n Remembrance,
J o r d a n ' s m e m o r i e s transp o r t h i m to scenes a n d images of his y o u n g e r days. W a l c o t t crafts
f r o m this s i t u a t i o n a presentation w h i c h involves a v a r i e t y of
technical manoeuvres:
instant transformations of character,
d o u b l i n g of roles, m u l t i p l e use of p r o p s a n d setting. W e t u r n to
a closer l o o k at the plays to see h o w these a p p r o a c h e s are m a d e
to serve his p e c u l i a r concerns at this stage.
Pantomime
is p l a y e d out b y a t w o - m a n cast: T r e w e , the E n g l i s h expatriate o w n e r of a r u n - d o w n h o t e l i n T o b a g o , a n d J a c k son, the n a t i v e b l a c k w a i t e r . T r e w e conceives of a p l a n to boost
business i n the h o t e l . H e a n d J a c k s o n w o u l d devise a p a n t o m i m e
WALCOTT'S
LATER
DRAMA
93
on the Crusoe-Friday theme. H e hits on this even more interesting twist: they should reverse roles, with Friday/Jackson as
master, and Trewe/Crusoe as servant. They are i n the act of
improvising and rehearsing the show. As it happens, Trewe's
quip about reversed roles proves all too real. Walcott skilfully
turns the comedy, which is prevailingly light, to serious account.
The fake situation is constantly tripping into the actual, as the
blown-up masks reflect the real-life labels that fix their respective
statuses as white boss, black servant. Consequently the fun persistently slips into satire.
The action turns on a constant interplay between fake and
reality — the one acting as the touchstone of the other — to
expose the postures for what they are. The effect of all this is to
bring the men face to face, so that they might meet on some
plane of mutual recognition. It is Jackson who emerges with the
truer, natural authority. H e becomes a solidly grounded figure,
whereas Trewe is insecure and despairing, hounded by a past of
personal failure. The point of the reversal is not so much the
levelling of the former master as rather, it is a stratagem which
takes the measure of the native strengths and possibilities to which
the West Indian spirit has advanced i n post-colonial times. W a l cott's larger purpose here, however, entails a review of the
master's own burden. The play makes an equally sensitive response to this in Trewe's representative recovery from the failings
hidden beneath his role and i n his personal rehabilitation. But it
is Jackson who leads the way. H e takes the lead i n directing their
curious improvisation; and it is he who points to a new lease of
life i n the final affirmations of the play.
Walcott shows great skill and artistic resourcefulness i n his use
of the pantomime convention. This accounts i n large measure for
the power the play achieves, both i n stylistic sophistication, and
in the authority with which it arrives at its statements. The play
is far from being a "déjà-vu" reworking of the Crusoe-Friday
metaphor, and functions on several levels at once. O n the most
immediate, it keeps the spirit and features of classic pantomime.
Jackson's and Trewe's effort involves a series of improvisations,
miming of skits resembling clown routines, slapstick effects. For
this fare, Walcott draws equally upon the popular backgrounds
94
PATRICIA
I S M O N D
of J a c k s o n a n d T r e w e — so t h a t the p a n t o m i m e songs i n c l u d e
J a c k s o n ' s calypso o n " T h e G o o d - F r i d a y B o b o l e e "
(II.38-55),
a n d T r e w e ' s r a c y m u s i c - h a l l song " O M e W i f e C a n ' t C o o k . . . "
(II.222-25).
T h e performance
comes o v e r w i t h the
p a c k a g e of p a n t o m i m e a n d reproduces its sheer
variety-
theatricality.
B e n e a t h this level, as earlier n o t e d , the element of disguise p r o vides W a l c o t t w i t h his c e n t r a l t h e m a t i c m o t i f . T h i s w o r k s to u n cover the real-life masks w i t h h o l d i n g the i n d i v i d u a l m e n . J a c k s o n
puts it s u c c i n c t l y :
" S o both of we doesn't have to improvise so m u c h as to exaggerate. W e faking, faking a l l the time."
(II.85-86)
E m b r a c i n g a n d l i n k i n g these t w o levels, p a n t o m i m e is the cue for
" k e e p i n g it l i g h t . " T h i s w a t c h w o r d is reiterated t h r o u g h o u t
the
p l a y : it is W a l c o t t ' s cue for m a k i n g serious c o m m e n t u n d e r cover
of l i g h t entertainment.
W a l c o t t is thus able to p r o b e several serious, pertinent,
and
t o p i c a l issues t h r o u g h w h a t looks l i k e a n o u t d a t e d m e t a p h o r —
T r e w e / C r u s o e versus J a c k s o n / F r i d a y . I n other w o r d s the m a n y
ghosts o l d a n d new, n e e d i n g e x o r c i s m , v i n d i c a t e the h i s t o r i c a l
perspective. I n i n v o k i n g this h i s t o r i c a l context, W a l c o t t is i n fact
z e r o i n g i n o n the p o s t - c o l o n i a l outlook. T h e C r u s o e - F r i d a y synd r o m e is p u t to great p o l e m i c a l use. C o m e d y turns to t r e n c h a n t
c o m m e n t o n b o t h the credit a n d debit sides of the c u r r e n t scene.
I n one sequence, J a c k s o n ' s role a l l o w s h i m to describe the p i c t u r e
of the f o r m e r master n o w terrified b y the repercussions o f his
m i s s i o n as c o l o n i z e r . H e h a d sought to r e m a k e the n a t i v e i n his
o w n i m a g e . T h a t i m a g e n o w returns, i n the face of the n a t i v e , as
the s h a d o w h a u n t i n g h i m , the s t i g m a of his o w n insecurity.
J a c k s o n expresses it thus :
B u t the shadow don't stop, no matter i f the c h i l d stop p l a y i n g
the pantomime . . . w h e n he praying, the shadow pray too, w h e n
he t u r n r o u n d frighten, the shadow t u r n r o u n d too. H e cannot
get r i d of it, no matter w h a t . . . u n t i l it is the shadow that start
d o m i n a t i n g the c h i l d . . . .
A n d that is w h y a l l them Pakistani a n d West Indians i n E n g l a n d . . . d r i v i n g a l l y o u so crazy.
(I.402-15)
WALCOTT'S
L A T E R
D R A M A
95
It is, of course, part of Jackson's strength that he can perceive
this, and it marks the distance he has advanced.
But Walcott is no less trenchant i n looking at some of the new
shibboleths, shadows that have sprung from the break with the
older order. I n one of the main Crusoe routines, Jackson gets set
to play the shipwreck scene. H e is supposed to play the reverse
role of Friday-explorer sighting a white seabird which promises
landfall; Trewe is to play the white seabird. They become embroiled i n one of those tortuous arguments about who should
play what. It ends with Trewe's suggestion that he should be
black, really, to play a "white" seabird. Jackson comes back with
this hilarious, but loaded, rejoinder :
Are you . . . going to extend . . . the limits of prejudice to include
. . . the flora and fauna of this island? (1.625-26)
This brilliantly engineered reductio ad absurdum aims obliquely
at the extremist doctrines of black nationalism, taking it to its
farcical limits. Walcott makes a similar point i n another scene
when Jackson as Friday-colonizer tries to institute an African
language. The exercise collapses into bathos, as Jackson himself
is unable to memorize the names he invents. H e ends up admitting: " A l l you win. L o n g t i m e " (I.491).
T h e Crusoe-Friday polemics reach outward to these larger
issues, but it is most active and acute at the personal level where
the residual prejudices, stigmas, and defences still separate them
as white master and black servant. They are constantly treading
on each other's sensitivities. Pantomime
is a play which bristles
with tensions, offset by a racy, robust, verbal humour. T h e tensions precipitate the two men into confrontation, but as they are
forced to face each other as individuals the possibility of mutual
recognition and a basis for genuine relations is exposed. It is
Jackson who leads the way. H e comes with the advantage of
having always been the more open, the less hampered by the
desire to prove anything. Walcott makes the point i n a suggestive
dénouement. T o Jackson falls the role of uncovering and exorcising the ghosts of the real Trewe: the inferiority complex which
has driven him away from a wife who outshone him, and has cost
him a marriage and a son. O u t of this personal empathy, he tries
96
PATRICIA
I S M O N D
to c o m m u n i c a t e his o w n positive attitude to his boss, a n d helps i n
the recovery of a " b r a n d - n e w " T r e w e .
T h e p o r t r a i t of J a c k s o n is, i n fact, the o u t s t a n d i n g achievem e n t i n Pantomime,
a n d it is w h e r e the final relevance of the
p l a y resides. T h i s p o r t r a y a l q u i e t l y a n d s o l i d l y asserts itself
t h r o u g h a l l the twists a n d turns of the c o m e d y to t o w e r above the
entire a c t i o n . J a c k s o n exudes confidence, assertiveness, a n d
v i g o u r . T h e n a t i v e personality b e h i n d these traits is c a p t u r e d i n
his v e r b a l h u m o u r , one of the p r i m e assets of the p l a y . J a c k s o n is
most t r u l y at h o m e i n this n a t i v e w i t a n d picong, w h i c h c o m b i n e
positive resources of é l a n a n d resilience. It is also a measure of
his strength t h a t he is totally at ease o n his o w n g r o u n d , w i t h its
modest means, a n d f a m i l i a r resources a n d traditions. F r o m a l l
this comes a n a t u r a l adjustment. T h u s , his j o b as servant involves
n o subservience a n d i n n o w a y i n h i b i t s the m a n inside. T h e foll o w i n g speech expresses his characteristic attitude :
I mean, I just call y o u p l a i n T r e w e , for example, a n d I notice
that give you a slight shock . . . Y o u see, two of we both acting a
role here we ain't really believe i n , y o u know. I ent think y o u
strong enough to give people orders, a n d I know I ain't the k i n d
w h o like t a k i n g them.
(II.178-84)
A l l this constitutes the b a c k g r o u n d to the i n n e r a u t h o r i t y a n d
self-mastery t h a t J a c k s o n possesses. W a l c o t t does n o t i m p o s e or
c o n t r i v e these resolutions. T h e y i n h e r e i n the core-reality of the
master-servant s i t u a t i o n . T r e w e as master has to measure u p to
some i d e a , i m a g e of s u p e r i o r i t y ; w h i l e J a c k s o n finds a truer
access to i n n e r a u t h o r i t y precisely because he l a b o u r s u n d e r n o
s u c h illusions.
W a l c o t t ' s u l t i m a t e a i m , i n the p o r t r a i t of J a c k s o n , is to descry
a n d d i s t i l l the s p i r i t of i n d e p e n d e n c e t h a t has been g r a d u a l l y
t a k i n g root i n the r e g i o n . T h e latter has c o m e a l o n g w a y f r o m
the images of self-rejection w h i c h d o m i n a t e d the earlier d r a m a
u p to Dream. H e r e he shows the possibilities of a people w i t h " a
c h a r a c t e r a n d purpose of its o w n , " since, to cite J a c k s o n , " a l l y o u
leave us to ourselves." W h e r e he looks for a n d finds it is v e r y
significant. H e finds it i n Jackson's n a t u r a l i z e d , creole m i l i e u a n d
roots. It is interesting to note t h a t he t o t a l l y bypasses the p o l i t i c a l r a d i c a l c u l t u r e of the c u r r e n t scene. M o r e o v e r , his a f f i r m a t i o n
WALCOTT'S
LATER
DRAMA
97
gains a u t h o r i t y f r o m the solid r e a l i s m w i t h w h i c h J a c k s o n is
p o r t r a y e d . H e is w e l l g r o u n d e d i n his grassroots creole o r i g i n s ; i n
its codes a n d m a n n e r s (he boasts of a m a n l i n e s s t r a i n e d i n the
T r i n i d a d i a n B a d - J o h n t r a d i t i o n ) , a n d i n its pastimes a n d expressions (he has h a d his stint as a c a l y p s o n i a n , a n d i n the steelb a n d ) . H i s assertiveness is p a r t of his positive c l a i m i n a l l of
these. J a c k s o n , then, is W a l c o t t ' s p r o t o t y p e of the b r a n d - n e w
m a n , w i t h the c o l o n i a l y o k e w e l l b e h i n d h i m .
W a l c o t t ' s a p p r o a c h to a n d t r e a t m e n t of these t i m e l y definitions
represent a s t r i k i n g n e w d e p a r t u r e , w h i c h appears a g a i n i n his
p o r t r a i t of J o r d a n , the o l d c o l o n i a l , i n Remembrance.
Moving
a w a y f r o m the m y t h i c interiors of Dream
a n d The Joker, he
enters i n t o concrete, n a t u r a l i s t i c , e v e r y d a y settings. T h i s is n o
c o n v e n t i o n a l use of the n a t u r a l i s t i c f o r m : we find the f a m i l i a r
inset i n t o a r i c h l y d e p l o y e d artistry. H e m a k e s the f o l l o w i n g
p e r t i n e n t c o m m e n t i n a n article d e s c r i b i n g the c o n c e p t i o n of
Pantomime
w h i c h bears o n the shift i n his aesthetic a n d its
i m p o r t : " B e f o r e a B r e c h t c a n w r i t e a Mother
Courage
that
moves us so c o m p l e t e l y , he hears the m u m b l e of a t o u g h p r a c t i c a l
w i d o w , d e t e r m i n e d to m a k e use of the folly of w a r , before he
outlines his thesis o n the s u b j e c t . " T h u s , the concrete a n d a c t u a l
n o w c o m e first, w i t h the l i n e a m e n t s of the bigger issues t a k i n g a
secondary p l a c e . T h e t r a d i t i o n a l p r o v e r b p l a y e d u p o n i n Pantomime states the case s u c c i n c t l y : " m a k i n g m o l e hills out of m o u n t a i n s . " B o t h J a c k s o n a n d J o r d a n are " m o l e h i l l s " i n w h i c h the
" m o u n t a i n s , " the larger issues, define themselves i n h o m e l y ,
e v e r y d a y terms.
4
Remembrance
presents the reminiscences of A l b e r t Perez J o r d a n , a r e t i r e d , a g i n g s c h o o l teacher i n the neglected v i l l a g e of
B e l m o n t , T r i n i d a d . J o r d a n belongs to t h a t p i o n e e r i n g generation
of c o l o n i a l teachers w h o h a v e b e c o m e s o m e t h i n g of a l e g e n d i n
the r e g i o n . W i t h t h e i r passionate i n v o l v e m e n t i n the classical
t r a d i t i o n , they stood for a n d i n s p i r e d l o v e of l e a r n i n g , standards
of excellence, a n d d i s c i p l i n e . T h e y were the i n s p i r i n g force b e h i n d
the first creative a w a k e n i n g of the r e g i o n , a n d h e l p e d to shape
some of its best m i n d s — the t r u e mentors, i n fact, of W a l c o t t
a n d his peers. W a l c o t t starts w i t h the e x p l i c i t purpose of p a y i n g
t r i b u t e to these figures, w h o are, h o w e v e r , n o w f a d i n g a w a y f r o m
98
PATRICIA I S M O N D
the society, so that his Jordan, hung-up on the classics and
"correct" diction, also appears a mere relic i n the present-day
setting, an anachronism i n an era of black nationalism, and
standing for all that it repudiates.
Remembrance
comes over as a brilliant piece of stagecraft.
Walcott designs a skilful plot, which accommodates Jordan's
reminiscences. Jordan is recording his memoirs i n an interview.
F r o m the obscure, darkening corner where he sits, we have a
replay i n which the past comes back "live," the scenes and
experiences of his younger days blending i n and becoming i n separable from the immediate present. T o enact this retrospective
process the play uses a good many technical, artful manoeuvres;
for example, there are the instant shifts from the older man of
the present to the younger Jordan i n his heyday i n the classroom ;
there is the doubling of roles, as i n the case of the young white
visitor that Jordan tries to remake into the image of a lost love.
Versatility i n acting, modern presentational techniques are at a
high premium here. The interplay between past and present
leaves the action imbued with the atmosphere of reverie and
trance.
The substance of the earlier Jordan's life has already been
recorded i n two of his short stories (Jordan was the local bard
in his day) — " B a r r l e y and the Roof," and " M y W a r Effort."
They represent experience reflected i n an imaginary, fictional
guise, and are used as the basis of the interview. These stories are
in effect a paradigm of Memory, and serve to reinforce its thematic significance in the play. Memory resurrects passions, revives
ghosts, bringing back the triumphs, losses, and regrets. It takes
Jordan into an intense effort of self confrontation and moral
reckonings with himself.
F r o m the personal drama unwoven i n "Barrley and the Roof"
and " M y W a r Effort" we get the portrait of Jordan, his peculiar
virtues, and his shortcomings. These depictions bear the stamp of
his type and times. "Barrley and the Roof" tells, i n the form of
parody, of his son's refusal to barter his soul to American patronage, which now overshadows the region. Frederick (Jordan's
artist son) had painted a picture of the American flag on his
father's roof — a signal for help, to which the American art-
WALCOTT'S
LATER
D R A M A
99
collector, Barrley, promptly responds by offering to buy the roof.
This, a satirical comment on America as culture-vulture and on
its crass materialism, sounds the dangers of its neo-colonial designs on the region. Frederick's refusal to sell-out stands for the
individual integrity and creative standards which are his father's
legacy. Conversely, Walcott depicts the inadequacies of the
colonial racial inferiority complex which remains one of Jordan's
most painful memories, stigmatizing him i n eternal self-reproach.
" M y W a r Effort" presents this side of Jordan. It tells the story
of his courtship of an English girl, Esther Hope, which failed
because he had lacked the courage to "cross over the boundaries
of his race, even for love."
If such memories chafe, the Jordan of the present lives with
further acute, agonizing pain from other sources, but particularly from the loss of a second son i n the Black Power Riots some
seven years before. ( H e has been unable to write about this, because he has not yet come to terms with it.) As part of a militant radical group, this son, Junior, was actively opposed to all
his father stood for. Jordan remains torn between extreme bitterness and personal misgivings about his death. H e rages against
the radical militant movement for which he has nothing but contempt, perceiving it as slogan-mongering, hysterical, and destructive. A t the same time, he is disturbed by the guilty feeling that
his son might have been pushed to these extremes i n reaction
against his father's Uncle T o m image. Jordan is so confused and
so unreconciled to this loss that he has never been able to accompany his family to his son's grave to make his peace with him.
This crisis, i n fact, is what "places" the significance of Jordan's
case: he is the product of the clash between the conservative
colonial past and a radical revolutionary era. F r o m the new
revolutionary perspective he is dubbed arch-reactionary, and is
an obvious target of persecution, against which he puts up a
spirited resistance. I n the day of remembrances, he alternates
between the inspiriting recall of the times when he held forth on
Gray's "Elegy" and listening to the sounds of mockery. The
strains of the "Elegy" are immediately countered by the persecuting voices :
100
PATRICIA
I S M O N D
G r a y is ofay, black is beautiful
G r a y is shit
J o r d a n is a honky,
J o r d a n is a honky-donkey white nigger m a n !
(I.Pro.76-86)
W a l c o t t is c o n c e r n e d to w e i g h past a n d present against e a c h
other t h r o u g h the representative s i t u a t i o n of J o r d a n . H e exploits
this subtly i n the m o t i f of the father's bequest to his t w o sons.
T h e one is a n artist, a d h e r i n g to the values of c u l t u r a l refinement
a n d i n d i v i d u a l integrity, a n d v i n d i c a t i n g h i m . O n the other
h a n d , he stands accused b y the son he has lost to a cause, t h o u g h
a cause he himself repudiates. T h e issues are c o m p l e x . O n one
level, J o r d a n speaks for W a l c o t t i n d e n o u n c i n g the m i s g u i d e d ness a n d b i g o t r y of b a n d w a g o n m i l i t a n c y ; b u t there is a sense i n
w h i c h he is r e a c t i n g f r o m a p o s i t i o n of t o t a l i n t o l e r a n c e to
change, a n e q u a l b i g o t r y . J o r d a n m u s t c o m e to see that anger
too c a n be a n i m p u l s e of love a n d h o p e ( a l t h o u g h the c u r r e n t
s h o w i n g does seem to f o r e d o o m a n y s u c h sincerity to futile sacrifice). H e concedes this i n d i r e c t l y w h e n he tries to c o m e to terms
w i t h his son's loss t o w a r d s the e n d . H e r e he a d m i t s to a possible
m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g of his m i l i t a n t son :
" I ' v e h a d a son shot i n the Black Power riots. I thought he d i d
out of contempt for me — not hope for others — a n d it has not
changed this country. . . . "
(II.ii.91 -94)
W a l c o t t ' s J o r d a n is, i n fact, positively oriented i n his effort to
o v e r c o m e his shortcomings as a c o l o n i a l , o n this as w e l l as other
i m p o r t a n t levels. H e attempts, for e x a m p l e , to m a k e u p for r a c i a l
c o w a r d i c e i n the p o i g n a n t r i t u a l of s a y i n g " y e s " to E s t h e r H o p e
i n the person of A n n a H e r s c h e l , the A m e r i c a n h i p p i e w h o drifts
onto his doorstep. A l o n g w i t h the s e n t i m e n t a l i t y , there is grace,
courtesy, love of beauty, a n d a l l the strengths of the past he
embodies. W a l c o t t also hints at the strengths of the present i n
this episode w h e n he shows the possibility of m u t u a l acceptance
between J o r d a n ' s son a n d the h i p p i e . T h e changes of r e v o l u t i o n a r y times have gone a l o n g w a y t o w a r d s dissolving the r a c i a l
barriers so rigid i n J o r d a n ' s t i m e .
Remembrance,
t h e n , takes a n o v e r v i e w of the strengths a n d
WALCOTT'S
LATER
DRAMA
101
l i m i t a t i o n s of b o t h the c o l o n i a l a n d the r e v o l u t i o n a r y eras alike.
Its d i a l e c t i c w o r k s to affirm a c o n t i n u i t y , as i t clears the cobwebs
of prejudices that d i v i d e the o l d e r g e n e r a t i o n f r o m the n e w . T h e
p l a y recovers a n d affirms the s o l i d f o u n d a t i o n s l a i d b y pioneers
l i k e J o r d a n , w h o i g n i t e the s p a r k of n a t i v e a s p i r a t i o n , w h i c h ,
despite betrayals, still b u r n s at the most g e n u i n e levels of c o m m i t m e n t i n a n e r a of a c t i o n . F i n a l l y , W a l c o t t ' s o w n a u t o b i o g r a p h y
is i n s c r i b e d i n J o r d a n ' s story. P a y i n g t r i b u t e to the k i n d of m i n d
t h a t h e l p e d to s t i m u l a t e his w o r k , he is a c k n o w l e d g i n g his o w n
c o l o n i a l origins. H e affirms the c o n t r i b u t i o n of t h a t p i o n e e r i n g
g e n e r a t i o n , a n d the need to conserve its values a n d gifts i n the
o n g o i n g struggle for f r e e d o m , t h o u g h the w e a p o n s h a v e c h a n g e d .
NOTES
1
The Farrar, Straus & Giroux editions of the plays have been used
throughout this paper. Dates of first production for the plays examined
here are as follows: The Joker of Seville 1972, O Babylon!
1976,
Remem-
2
Tirso de Molina, The Trickster
of Seville,
trans. Roy Campbell, in The
Classic
Theatre,
ed. Eric Bentley (New York: Anchor, 1 9 5 9 ) .
See Earl Lovelace, "Rude Bwoy Walcott," People (Trinidad), pp. 37-39.
"Walcott, Quarrelling Voices in the Playwright's Head," Trinidad
Guardian, l i April 1978, p. 7.
brance
3
4
1977, and
Pantomime
1978.