Scarlet Masque Theatre Journal New Beginnings and Fond Farewells Vol. 1 | Page 75

Maloney 12
much deeper themes present in the scene. A generational role reversal occurs, for example,
when Pino, the “next generation” to Sal, turns out to be the openly racist one, while the
audience might expect more traditional progression from age to age. When simply lamenting
that he wishes they could establish their business in their own neighborhood is not sufficient,
Pino is forced to say what is really bothering him: “I’m sick of niggers . . .. They’re animals.” This
statement, in addition to being an explicitly hateful thing to say, also categorizes African
Americans—a group of millions of people—as a monolith. Pino cannot possibly know that he “is
sick” of millions of people he has yet to meet, and he should not ascribe default to hating them
based on the color of their skin. Sal begins to chip away at this monolith, however. He
concedes, “Yeah, sure, some of them don’t like us, but most of them do.” This simple
differentiation of perspectives undermines the singularity Pino assumes all African Americans
share, and establishes Sal as the more progressive, more accepting of the two men.
Another issue Sal and Pino struggle with is the irrational insecurity which motivates
Pino’s racism. After Pino makes his comment that establishes the monolith he perceives, Sal
asks, “Why you got so much anger in you?” Pino’s response betrays the anxiety he feels when
his friends telling him to “go feed the Moulies.” This anxiety is irrational, which Sal points out by
challenging the quality if Pino’s friends (“Do your friends put food on your table? They pay your
rent, put a roof over his head?”). When Sal finishes this profession of stoic wisdom, asking Pino
to be more thoughtful about this problem, Pino recoils, asking, “What can I say, Pop? I don’t
wanna be here.” This outright refusal to reflect objectively on the situation further ingrains Pino
in his outlook, and resigns him from actual debate about the issue at hand. Eventually, Sal
resigns, too, relying on his authority as the head of the family (and business) to shut Pino’s