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Act 1: Lincoln Act
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The America Play, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
History, Narrative, and Multiplicity
Race and American Identity
Theater and Reality
Family, Trauma, and Personal Identity
Death, Mourning, and Resurrection
Summary
Analysis
“A gunshot echoes. Loudly. And echoes,” the stage directions begin, and then repeat, but only after restating that the setting is “an exact replica of The Great Hole of History.” Finally, the directions note that “Lucy with ear trumpet circulates,” and “Brazil digs.”
The echoing gunshot and setting tie the first act to the second—both are traces of the Foundling Father’s presence, even though he does not appear in the scene. However, Parks already draws a contrast between the Foundling Father—who had gone partially deaf and given up digging—and Lucy and Brazil, who are listening attentively and digging, respectively.
Themes
