Essay Questions

What were the two religious factions which battled for supremacy in the play?

The two religious groups which battled for supremacy in the play are the Methodist church and the Baptist church. The reason why between the two religions existed such a violent conflict remains unsure. There is almost no difference between the religious beliefs promoted by the two factions so this is not the main reason why there is a conflict between the two. Most likely, the two religions were fighting for supremacy because they wanted to be the biggest religious groups and wanted to be the most influential in their region. This desire to gain control over the region thus stems from a desire to maintain supremacy over the area where the action takes place.

What was credit and what is its significance here?

Credit is mentioned for the first time in the first act of the play when one character goes to buy groceries and insists on paying with credit. The action takes place in a time of dire economic hardship and as such many did not have enough money to survive. Grocery stores began accepting credit, or rather gave produce away to people without any money, trusting those people to pay back when they had money. Buying things on credit was a common practice during those times and is seen as something normal by the other characters.

Explain the historical context.

From the beginning, it is clear that the characters re living in a harsh world where they are struggling to survive. The action takes place most likely in the beginning of the 1930s, at the beginning of the Great Depression. This economic hardship affected everyone and the vast majority of the population lost all their savings and jobs. Many people suffered from hunger and few had the means to buy the basic necessities to survive. For the black communities, the situation was even more dreadful and this caused many conflicts inside their own communities, as seen in the play.