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August Wilson and Pittsburgh's Hill District Betina Jones

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August Wilson and Pittsburgh's Hill District Betina Jones Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2011 "This Is Me Right Here": August Wilson and Pittsburgh's Hill District Betina Jones Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Jones, B. (2011). "This Is Me Right Here": August Wilson and Pittsburgh's Hill District (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/709 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “THIS IS ME RIGHT HERE”: AUGUST WILSON AND PITTSBURGH‟S HILL DISTRICT A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Betina Jones May 2011 Copyright by Betina Jones 2011 “THIS IS ME RIGHT HERE”: AUGUST WILSON AND PITTSBURGH‟S HILL DISTRICT By Betina Jones Approved March 29, 2011 ________________________________ ________________________________ Linda Kinnahan, Ph.D. Anne Brannen, Ph.D. Professor of English Associate Professor of English Dissertation Director (Committee Member) ________________________________ Magali Michael, Ph.D. Professor of English (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Christopher M. Duncan, Ph.D. Magali Michael, Ph.D. Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate Chair, Department of English School of Liberal Arts Professor of English iii ABSTRACT “THIS IS ME RIGHT HERE”: AUGUST WILSON AND PITTSBURGH‟S HILL DISTRICT By Betina Jones May 2011 Dissertation supervised by Linda Kinnahan, Ph.D. This project highlights the connections between August Wilson‟s Pittsburgh Cycle and the history of property, ownership, and housing in the real world Hill District where Wilson was raised and set almost all his plays. The project examines seven of Wilson‟s plays in relation to the history that provides important context to these texts. He avoids most of the iconic markers associated with 20th century black American history and instead emphasizes the local, offering a decade-by-decade snapshot of a single African American neighborhood. Culturally, the Hill Districts‟s heyday ran from the 1930s to mid 50s, when many of the greatest contemporary black jazz musicians, athletes, and other performers traveled to and through the Hill. Wilson, however, slides iv past these glory days and focuses on two eras in Hill District history: the Great Migration and Urban Renewal. This project is divided into six chapters, each focused on a specific historical context relevant to at least one of the plays. This context is based on the characters‟ own history rather than the era depicted in the play. Fences, for example, is set in 1957 but the protagonist (and Wilson himself) points back to his southern youth in the 1920s and experiences as a migrant in the 1930s. King Hedley II is set in 1985 but the underlying historical event is 1950s urban renewal. At the end of the cycle, Radio Golf – set in 1995 – mimics the city‟s new redevelopment programs. The protagonist‟s discussion of property and neighborhood worth, however, echoes a decades-old debate over definitions of “blight.” Wilson‟s theme of ownership becomes vital in the process of establishing identity and he focuses on the link between character and location, the individual and home. I also argue that Wilson‟s increasing specificity of place corresponds to a growing emphasis in his work on the necessity of joining individual activism to collective identity and community support. As characters try to establish homes and businesses during these two eras of upheaval, Wilson examines the ways African Americans create and sustain identity and community when the social and economic context offers only fragmentation. v DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my family. Quite simply, none of it would have been possible without you. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thank you first and foremost to my dissertation committee. It was only appropriate that I should finish my graduate education with three people who have been my role models, who have each taught me so much both in and outside class. I never would have made it through without all of you. Linda Kinnahan, my dissertation director, offered patience and guidance I valued more than she knows. Dr. Michael‟s editorial eye was equaled by her advice. She has always been concerned with what was best for me, not simply what was the common path. Dr. Brannen gave insight, humor, empathy, and tea. All were gratefully consumed. A special thanks to the English Department, where collegiality has always made it a welcoming place. In particular, I wish to express my gratitude to Greg Barnhisel and Kathy Glass for numerous expressions of kindness and support. Craig Bernier, my officemate and friend: our discussions transformed my outlook towards teaching and life. No mention of the English Department, or of Duquesne, would be complete without my thanks to the late “Dr. Al” Labriola. His generosity of both heart and intellect set a very high bar for all in the academic life. Finally, thanks to my friends and family whose support -- emotional and financial -- have been the foundation of my degree. Peter Rooney and I started out at Duquesne together. It is fitting that we receive our doctorates at the same time (though on different continents). His humor is a true gift. From my family, the “smaller” things have meant the world: Granny, who always encourages me, sent boxes of oranges that offered vitamin C and sunshine to keep me going through the winter. The care packages with vii New England cheese or and southern grits and biscuit mix offered the comfort of memories of home. Papa not only edited most of the chapters, he also read Wilson‟s Pittsburgh Cycle just so we could brainstorm together. Uncle Bob entertained, fixed the plumbing, and bought the bags of seed that attracted the birds and wildlife that so cheered me while I was writing. My husband Bill… I can‟t begin to list all the things you‟ve done to clear the path for this project: the meals, the hand-holding (literal and figurative), the talking-me-down, the building me up. And above all, my daughter, Keely, who tolerated dissertation-related work and conversation that dominated every vacation, weekend, and dinner conversation since she was seven. Yes, now we can see a play by someone other than August Wilson. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ...................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................... vii Introduction: ................................................................................................................. 1 I. Existing Scholarship ....................................................................................... 12 II. The Structure ................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 1. Rub the Blood In: Home and Ancestry in The Piano Lesson Introduction ....................................................................................................... 31 I. The Great Migration ....................................................................................... 36 II. Where Is Home? ............................................................................................ 45 Chapter 2. “Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses...” Migrants and Immigrants in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Fences Introduction ....................................................................................................... 82 I. The Migrant vs. Immigrant Experience ........................................................... 85 II. (Im)Migrant Song ........................................................................................ 107 Chapter 3. “Hungry Man Blues”: Foodways and Urban Renewal in Two Trains Running Introduction ..................................................................................................... 158 I. The Existing (and Non-Existing) Scholarship ............................................... 164 II. Two Trains Running‘s Memphis Lee ........................................................... 181 Chapter 4. On the Killing Floor: King Hedley II Introduction ..................................................................................................... 199 ix I. Off the Hill: The Origins of Urban Renewal ................................................. 204 II. On the Hill: King Hedley II and the Aftermath of Urban Renewal ............... 238 Chapter 5. “Not Fit to Live In”: Blight and Radio Golf Introduction ..................................................................................................... 295 I. Economic Blight .......................................................................................... 299 II. The Play ...................................................................................................... 327 Chapter 6. Three Women of the Hill and the City of Bones (Conclusion) Introduction ....................................................................................................
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