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Act 1, Scene 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Intimate Apparel, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Intimacy and Friendship
Race, Class, and Exploitation
Gender and Expectations
The American Dream
Summary
Analysis
Esther sits in an elegant boudoir, inspecting a silver grooming set as Mrs. Van Buren, a beautiful white woman, slides into her new garments behind a screen. In a slightly Southern accent, Mrs. Van Buren worries that she's too exposed in the corset. Esther explains that she can add fabric, but it's supposed to be exposing. Mrs. Van Buren cuts her off and says that if this is what Esther made for "that singer," she wants it. She steps out from behind the screen in a low-cut corset decorated with flowers and though she tries to act confident, she laments that she looks ridiculous.
Mrs. Van Buren's obvious self-consciousness makes it very clear that while she's held up as the ideal woman throughout the play, she's struggling to properly play that part. It's uncomfortable for her to try to be sexy, but it's also important to note that it's relatively safe for her, as a wealthy white woman, to experiment with wearing fashions popularized by women who, in all likelihood, are at least poor if not also black.
Themes
As Esther begins to tighten the corset, Mrs. Van Buren says that she's spending so much money on clothing and they've written great things about her in the papers, but her husband still seems disinterested: he hasn't spent an evening at home or noticed that she painted the boudoir bright red. Esther assures Mrs. Van Buren that she looks lovely and that this corset is exactly what she made for the singer. Mrs. Van Buren says she feels like "a tart from Tenderloin," but begins to regard her reflection in the mirror with curiosity.
The fact that Mrs. Van Buren appears to be purchasing this corset in an attempt to woo her husband continues to break down the characters' idealization of marriage: the way she talks about her husband's lack of interest shows that marriage, even for a "proper" lady, isn't all it's cracked up to be, and she's still forced to go to great lengths to fulfill her duties as a woman.
Themes
Mrs. Van Buren muses that the French women who started this trend aren't known for modesty and strikes a sexy pose, and Esther says that she's heard that some ladies aren't even wearing corsets in private. Mrs. Van Buren is shocked, but Esther notes that most ladies don't like them and men don't put themselves in pain. At this, Mrs. Van Buren confirms that Esther isn't a suffragette and, as she pours brandy, says she's not interested in getting involved in "men's business." She sighs and wonders what her mother would say if she knew what happened to her Southern daughter in the city. Esther runs her fingers down the seam of the corset, which makes Mrs. Van Buren tense up. They discuss the beaded trim, which makes Mrs. Van Buren giggle: it's fun and "naughty."
The irony of what Mrs. Van Buren says is that within two decades, she'll be able to vote and corsets will quickly fall out of favor—in other words, what it means to be a proper woman will change dramatically in a short period of time. That both Mrs. Van Buren and Esther came from the South speaks to the draw of New York City at this time and begins to pull out similarities between the two women. Furthermore, Mrs. Van Buren's comment about the "naughty" beaded trim again shows that for her, dressing like a sex worker is fun, safe, and far removed from the reality of the job.
Themes
Mrs. Van Buren asks if she should wear this corset under her gown tonight for the Gardenia Ball, the event of the season. She says that everyone will be there, and she'll have to be polite when everyone asks when she and her husband are going to have a baby. As usual, she'll tell them that they're working on it and to speak to her husband, which will put him in a foul mood for the next week. She asks Esther if she has children, and Esther admits she's never been married. Mrs. Van Buren confides in her that she's afraid she can't have children. They've been trying, but her husband acts like he's given up, and women gossip that Mrs. Van Buren is too vain to have children. Esther assures Mrs. Van Buren that she's so beautiful, it’s hard to imagine that her husband has actually lost interest.
Mrs. Van Buren's confession that she's afraid she can't have children shows again that Mrs. Van Buren believes she is failing at proper womanhood in a major way—and according to society and to her husband, it's her fault that she's not yet a mother. This also shows how as a woman progresses through life, the goalposts that designate proper womanhood continue to move and change, and women must continue to reach for the moving target of those ideals. Esther's assertion that Mrs. Van Buren is too beautiful to have lost her husband's interest is also significant, as it suggests that men are only interested in looks, something other characters will later validate.
Themes
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Mrs. Van Buren whispers that her husband has other interests and nervously confirms that this conversation will stay secret—it'd be disastrous if she ended up getting divorced. Esther asks if Mrs. Van Buren thinks there's anything wrong with a woman being alone. In a whisper, Mrs. Van Buren says that her opinion doesn't matter, but if she were brave, she'd pick up and take a room for herself. Esther says she's not sure she'll marry. Mrs. Van Buren assures her that she will once she finds the right man, but Esther says that time is flying by and it seemed like it wasn't meant to be until she received something in the mail. Her curiosity piqued, Mrs. Van Buren asks what Esther got, and Esther says she's too old for such things but received a letter from a man in Panama.
Saying that her opinion doesn't matter is a veiled way of Mrs. Van Buren saying that society's opinion does matter. This construction allows Mrs. Van Buren to feel even more like a victim in her own life and not recognize that, were she to choose to use it, she could have far more agency than she might think to make change. With this, the play starts to hint at the possibility that though Esther may want to marry, being single and having an income may make her far more successful and allow her to be happy in a way that marriage might not.
Themes
The letter excites Mrs. Van Buren, but Esther says she's not sure if she should answer at all. Esther admits that she's illiterate and offers the letter to Mrs. Van Buren. The white woman comments on George's excellent handwriting and says that Esther should absolutely reply, since George is so far away and, therefore, harmless. Esther says that she can't ask Mrs. Dickson for help, as Mrs. Dickson is a nosy busybody and will lecture Esther. Mrs. Van Buren offers to help. Esther is concerned and says that she can't tell George about her life in a boardinghouse sewing intimate apparel, but Mrs. Van Buren assures Esther that it will be fine. With Mrs. Van Buren's prodding, Esther talks about her weekly schedule and she mentions going weekly to see Mr. Marks, her Jewish fabric seller. Mr. Marks appears with fabric in Esther's reverie.
Mrs. Van Buren's excitement at Esther's letters shows that she's craving excitement in her life, and this event in Esther's life is a convenient place to find some vicarious fulfillment and entertainment. That Mrs. Dickson doesn't seem to take seriously the very valid risks that come with communicating with a man Esther has never met before speaks again to Mrs. Van Buren's place of privilege. It's likely that she's never experienced much real danger, and her wealth, status, and race means that she has little to worry about in the way of being hoodwinked or tricked.
Themes
As Mrs. Van Buren and Esther write the letter, George comes onstage to recite his letter. He says that he's anxious to learn about Esther, and has nothing good to write about the canal project. It seems an impossible dream that crazy white men thought up. George wonders if the black men digging the canal will get to celebrate when it's finished, and he talks about how his crew pulled up a giant Flamboyant tree. He says that it's not all bad: the men have stories to share, and there's a lot of rum. He says that now he hears Esther's sewing machine in his head, and he promises to treasure her letter.
Flamboyant is another name for flame trees; they produce huge red flowers. George's letters allow him and Esther to build intimacy through storytelling, which is something that the reader or viewer will soon learn is something very important to Esther. In particular, when George mentions that the men he's working with have stories, this suggests to Esther that George values stories in the same way that she does.
Themes
