Irony of The Sunset Limited
The entire play is set out as an ironic commentary on the theme of suicide and religion. It is subtitled as a novel in dramatic form and it is made out of a conversation between a man wanting to end his life and a man who wants to talk him out of it. The black man tries to convince the white man that life is worth living, to find comfort in religion, but the white man sees the world as doomed and doesn't see the point. The black man who is eager to live didn't have many good experiences in life while the white man who gave up on life lived a respected and well-off life as a professor. The novel/play culminates in failure, with the white professor escaping and the black man doubting himself because he couldn't find the right words to make him stay.
Stereotypes
While reading the novel/play, one can't help but question the stereotypical racial portrayal with the white man being educated with eloquent language and the black man speaking with stereotypical slang with less evident eloquence. While it does show that education isn't synonymous with mental and emotional maturity, with the black man being more knowledgeable in the emotional aspect and empathy with other people, and the white man showing an emotional immaturity in his self-absorption, the stereotypical portrayal is still prevalent.
