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The Song (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Looks like you're viewing this page on a mobile device. The Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Theme Wheel is a beautiful super helpful visualization of where the themes occur throughout the text. They're only accessible on tablets, laptops, or desktop computers, so check them out on a compatible device.
The Theme Wheel visualizes all of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom's themes and plot points on one page.
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme. Select any of the themes in the key below to highlight it in the Theme Wheel.
Power and Exploitation
Race and Identity
Collaboration vs. Independence
History, Tradition, and Change
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How does the Theme Wheel work?
- Each wedge of the blue ring represents an act.
- Each row of colored boxes extending from a wedge represents a part of the act. The closer to the blue ring, the closer to the beginning of the act.
- The colors in each row indicate which themes are “active” in that part of the act.
The Theme Wheel is interactive.
- Themes: Hover over or tap any of the themes in the Themes and Colors Key to show only that theme. Click a theme in the Themes Key to lock it.
- Summary: Hover over or tap any row of colored boxes to read the summary associated with that row. Click the row to lock the summary.
