“Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumanity, the mask of cruelty.”
The reverend is a bit of a cynic for a religious man. He believes that the one who openly displays the most emotion is probably a fake. True emotion is felt deep down somewhere and only occasionally allowed to pass the horizon of self in order to be entrusted with others. In fact, he goes on to explain that the sentimental person is most likely afraid to let himself or herself experience actual emotions, so that such a person pretends in an attempt to avoid having to work through real, challenging emotions.
'"What shall we tell our children?' he cries in a voice of doom. 'Learn to walk again like men,' he shouts, like a trumpet call. 'Like men! Amen!"'
At Richard's funeral, his friends struggle to make peace with his passing. Percy delivers his speech with the utmost passion. He thinks about the next generation and how current events will shape their young perceptions of reality. The conclusions is almost envious: they'll have a true perspective. In response, Percy urges people to tell these kids to accept the truth and carry on. There's more to life than despairing over its unfairness.
"God's walkin' on the water."
The black citizens chant this phrase over Richard's coffin, as the white citizens meet in Lyle's home to discuss the problem of their black neighbors. One half of the community is in morning, while the other half is ready to persecute the first. The song is a reference to Matthew 14 when Jesus walked on water after calming a storm from aboard a boat. Jesus tells one of his disciples, Peter, to follow him out onto the water. Peter doesn't have strong enough faith, though, and he begins to sink before Jesus rescues him. In context of the play, these words speak of devout faith in the sovereignty of God. Richard's friends believe that his death was purposeful, according to God's miraculous and mysterious plan.
"Dedicated to the memory of Medgar Evers, and his widow and his children, and to the memory of the dead children of Birmingham."
Baldwin dedicates this book to Evers and the children of Birmingham. While this quotation is not a part of the text of the play, it is a vital part of the document itself. Knowing that Baldwin intends the play to be a eulogy, readers can interpret the characters as semi-historical. No doubt Richard becomes the martyred Evers, lost before he could see the realization of his goals. In this dedication Baldwin gives purpose to his text and simultaneously passes judgement on his audience. The audience becomes responsible for participating in the historical moment in which the play was written.
