51 pages • 1 hour read
Djanet SearsHarlem Duet
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Act I, Prologue
Act I, Scenes 1-5
Act I, Scenes 6-10
Act II, Scenes 1-5
Act II, Scenes 6-10
Act I, Scene 5
Act I, Scene 6
Act I, Scene 7
Act I, Scene 8
Act I, Scene 9
Act I, Scene 10
Act II, Scene 1
Act II, Scene 2
Act II, Scene 3
Act II, Scene 4
Act II, Scene 5
Act II, Scene 6
Act II, Scene 7
Act II, Scene 8
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Act I, Scene 8
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Act I, Scene 8 Summary
In 1928 Harlem, the mournful sounds of a cello and bass open the scene, with the voice of Jesse Jackson rising above the music. She is standing above He’s body, which lies motionless on the floor in front of her. He holds a white handkerchief while She holds a bloody, straight-edged razor. She speaks incoherently, blending bits and pieces of references to bodily whiteness and the white, strawberry-specked handkerchief that She calls “deadly” (72). She also references lyrics from both gospel and pop songs of the 1920s.
Act I, Scene 8 Analysis
Scene 8 suggests that She has murdered He with his straight-edged razor, and as such, has entered a dangerous and disassociated mental state. Her barrage of references reflect 1920s black culture: “…don’t my eyes on the shadow sparrow…” (72) is a bastardization of the lyrics to the 1905 Gospel hymn, “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” which expresses God’s protection in times of sorrow and despair, while “…if I get the notion to jump into the ocean, ain’t nobody’s business if I do do do do …” (72) comes from “’Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness if I Do,” a major blues hit in the 1920s which celebrated autonomy.
