Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel

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There is a lot to say about Lynn Nottage’s play, “Intimate Apparel”. Through the events of a single African American, or as society labeled her, “Unidentified Negro.” we get an in depth exposure of a seamstress’s typical life in New York in the early 1900’s. Exploring the themes of love, self-identity, racism and gender roles. The set was beautifully crafted, adding to the immersion of actually being in 1905. With the dirty worn out clothes hanging above the audience, set to dry off the old fashioned way. Connecting to the older audience through the sense of nostalgia. While also hinting at the economic status of the protagonist, and the environment she lives in. The changing set played a key role in portraying the characters traits. For …show more content…

They fitted the time period and added to the immersion. That the audience were actually watching people from that time period, along with their accents. Not only that, however they also represented the character’s personalities. I was able to get more attached and understand their personalities. For example, Esther always wore long dresses and couldn’t care less about flashy fashion or appealing to the opposite sex; she was shy and had a low self-esteem. Even though she crafted beautiful lingerie that appealed to the upper class, she wouldn’t wear the same style as them. She doesn’t want to fit in, she wants to be happy by being herself. Which later becomes a life changing decision, and interesting plot twist. A lot of the character were facing identity crisis and searching for a place in the world. Mr. Marks for example, albeit too late, casted away his father’s coat to wear Esther sports coat. Knowing how dearly and special his black suit is to him, and symbolic of his family and religion, he finally casts it aside for the double edge sword that is love. However, it’s too late for him to act on his new courage for he lost the opportunity to capture Esther’s pure love. Which really grabs the audience in this forbidden love dilemma, as the majority of humans love happy endings. The love that could’ve been forged between the Romanian Jew, and the African American Seamstress, would have been the story …show more content…

Religion, a powerful and dangerous topic. Which can control people’s lives and personalities, but also helping them find themselves. Within the play there comes a few issues that arises from religion, mainly when Mr. Marks is embarrassed to physically touch Esther. Which causes her to believe that it’s due to her race, adding to the powerful mentality society still had in the world. To which he assures her; it not be racism but religion, which conflicts with his relationships with the opposite gender. Which now creates a mystical barrier between the two shy love birds. For now he must question his beliefs and his personal desires, will his religion control his future and potential happiness, or will he accept his fate? These are questions and predicaments, people potentially still face in today’s society; where freedom of personal happiness is more prevalent and religious constraints are less

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