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| Pantomime by Derek Walcott |
Pantomime takes place in West
India and fictional time is a post-colonial period which means once-colonized
countries gained their independents. In
the play, we have two different characters named Harry Trewe and Jackson.
Jackson is a black and servant but not because he is black or he is from Oriental countries,
he is a servant because he doesn’t have money, so he needs a job. But even if fictional time is about the post-colonial period, they still in their consciousness both Harry and Jackson have the binary oppositions and the colonial ideas in their minds. Because
they internalized the colonialism and they cannot just get rid of their internalized ideas in a day.
>>> in-depth analysis of Orientalism <<<
Harry Threw left his
country, England, to start a new life
like an intruder, he does not belong to West India. In West India, he runs a
hotel and has some insomnia problems, except insomnia problems he has some
problems with his family, as well.
In some parts of the play, he
explains that his wife killed his their son accidentally. Then he lefts England and comes to West India to run a
hotel. Because he does not belong to West India he feels lonely and only has
Jackson.
Trewe is an Englishman who came to Tobago to run a hotel where this play is set. He is working on a dance routine, which he hopes will entertain his guests when the hotel opens. However, he struggles with the task and is dissatisfied with his performance and as a result of this he wants to acts Robinson
Crusoe with his servant.
Because Harry is the master he should be the Robinson Crusoe and black
servant Jackson play the Friday, with their consciousness that’s the normal part.
We see the effects of the post-colonial
term. From the beginning, we see Jackson somehow attends to dominate Harry. For instance, he says:
“put back on your pants, I can not serve you while you are
naked” and Harry adds: “shirt, too?”.
He dominates Harry somehow.
After a while, Jackson wants to change
the roles. Then Friday acted by Harry and Robinson Crusoe acted by Jackson.
We see that they both questioning their
role. In colonial times roles were simple. If you are black and from the
oriental countries and if you are white you are the master. But with the post-colonial term, people began
to questioning, reconstructing the idea of white and black, master and servant.
They tried to challenge against what was given to them about colonialism.
But on the other hand, they internalized these ideas, because of Harry
always has a superiority complex and Jackson has an inferiority complex.
Jackson has an identity crisis, he cannot decide
whether he is black and because of this he is a servant or he is equal to Harry
as a human being.
Parrot in Pantomime;
In
general parrots almost repeats imitates just like a mimic man.
In
the play Parrot always repeats “Heinegger”. He is the name of the German owner
of the hotel and parrot repeats what was taught to him by its German owner.
Jackson doesn’t like Parrot, he wants to get
rid of it because parrot symbolizes the colonial period. Before the
post-colonial term, the hotel was run by a German owner and parrot was left from
that term and that’s why Jackson doesn’t like the Parrot.
>>> in-depth analysis of Parrot <<<
At the end of the play we can
see a new kind of relationship between black and white, but not as a black and white, it’s based on employee
and employer.
Now
they can get rid of the binary oppositions. Jackson can get rid of the inferiority
complex. At the end of the play. That’s why he can ask the raise.
That’s
why ending is hopeful.
Playwright
shows us their collaboration can be seen as a hopeful sign that it’s possible
to cooperate and achieve unity between England and India, white and black,
oxidant and orient.
