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Act 2
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Exploitation
The musicians in August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom are forced to navigate complex power dynamics. As Black artists in the exploitative entertainment industry of the 1920s, they’re subject to racist manipulation at the hands of greedy white studio executives. For instance, Sturdyvant treats Ma Rainey poorly, talking about her as if she’s an untrustworthy child who needs to be kept “in line.” Despite his distrusting and racist attitude, though, he still profits off…
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Race and Identity
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes place roughly 60 years after the United States abolished slavery, but the play’s Black characters still grapple with racism and discrimination. Because they’re in Chicago, they don’t necessarily face the prejudices they would find in the Jim Crow South (where segregation was legal), but they certainly don’t enjoy the same privileges as white Northerners, either. For instance, when Ma gets into a car accident on her way to the studio…
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Collaboration vs. Independence
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom examines the difficulties of creative collaboration. As a young, ambitious trumpet player, Levee has trouble accepting his role as an accompanying musician. He resents having to simply play whatever he’s told, instead wanting to give the music his own flair. Because of his individualistic attitude, he often finds himself at odds with Cutler, whose job it is to make sure the other musicians play how Ma wants them to. Everyone…
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History, Tradition, and Change
Set in Chicago in the 1920s, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom unfolds during a period of significant cultural change. In particular, Levee’s attempt to push his bandmates toward new musical horizons reflects the transformations taking place in the music industry at the time—transformations that people like Ma Rainey and Cutler resist. For them, the blues is a rich musical tradition that doesn’t require embellishment or innovation. Levee, on the other hand, yearns to make music…
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