Masculinity Theme Analysis

In Blues for Mister Charlie, “being a man” has two different and conflicting meanings: it can mean acting in a way that respects one’s own and others’ individual human dignity—or it can mean violently asserting power over others. The former way, the play suggests, is redemptive, while the latter destroys lives. The play illustrates these two versions of masculinity in the final conversation between Richard Henry, a young Black man who has returned to his U.S. Southern hometown after many years in New York City, and Lyle Britten, a poor white store owner with virulently racist attitudes. In flashbacks, the play follows Richard and Lyle as they antagonize each other, often in front of their wives and girlfriends, in escalating bids to assert their dominance and prove their masculinity. But during their final conversation, when Lyle demands Richard apologize to him, Richard says, “It’s settled. You a man and I’m a man.” Implicitly, Richard has come to realize his own individual worth and dignity—and so can offer grace to Lyle by telling Lyle that he too is a “man,” someone who has inherent human dignity and doesn’t need to assert his worth through violence against others. Yet Lyle, psychologically and racially insecure, derives his sense of worth and masculinity from white supremacy—so he murders Richard to prove his manhood, violently asserting his power but cutting himself off from the secure, dignified masculinity that Richard has found. Blues for Mister Charlie also shows how Lyle associates manhood with sexual dominance, which in turn leads him to dehumanize his sexual partners, both white and Black women. Thus, the play illustrates how investment in “being a man” can either lead to personal growth like Richard’s or moral degradation like Lyle’s.