Critiques of Christianity
James Baldwin uses this play as a vehicle to address his issues with Christianity, a religion historically used to justify the enslavement of Africans. He argues that Christianity is a type of plague that “has the power to destroy every human relationship."[4] Through his character Lorenzo, he denounces it for its ability to be used to preach passivity while endorsing violence.[4] Lorenzo articulates the lack of empathy that Christianity has for the Black community, calling it “the white God” who ignores others’ suffering at the hands of the irrational. He accuses the reverend of praying to a god that only cares for those who are white and asserts that it is this god who is responsible for the destruction of Black lives.[5]
Morality
Baldwin challenges the common beliefs of morality between white people and Black people. With whites as the targeted audience, he associates his black characters with traits historically mainly given to white characters, such as “godliness, courage and braggadocio."[6] His white characters possess the weaknesses stereotypically attributed to Black people, such as “lust, lack of moral strength, and violence."[6] By situating his characters to reflect the opposite of what is expected by his audience, Baldwin places the viewers in a position to acknowledge the complexities of human nature. His restricting the white community to one dimension of human nature, as the white community does to the Black, compels the white audience to come face-to-face with how humanity may be stripped by the act of shrinking one’s complexities.[7]
