Two of the main characters, Youngblood and Doub, are both veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars, respectively. In one particularly grappling scene, the much younger man, Youngblood, talks to Doub about how his experiences in the war still affect him today and that the government did not care about him or any other African-American soldiers. The wiser, more level-headed Doub, croons to him about his own experiences and how after some time, he learned to move on with his life. He also suggested that Youngblood look at the positives of being a veteran, such as being able to take advantage of the GI bill.
Both characters represent the two parallels of how veterans react to their time in the service. While neither seem to exhibit any PTSD's, many veterans do. The GI bill, which presents veterans with opportunities after they serve (for more information, click here) is definitely something to take advantage of, but many soldiers feel that they do not want to be felt sorry for, like Youngblood. This must see play really demonstrates the role of veterans in today's society and before, to the audience. It is disconcerting to know that veterans have always felt under-appreciated throughout 20th century America.
War according to the play Jitney, serves as a marker of time for Americans, and leads to many different outcomes. War is the one unifying event in which African Americans and white men fight side by side against a common enemy. Because all home issues are put aside on the battlefield, when the soldiers return home there is a shift in the societal organization. Some of the class and race struggles disappear in order to equalize the soldiers. Doub realizes this fact due to his age and experience, while Youngblood still feels like he is under appreciated as a veteran. As Sarah wrote about in her blog post, veterans react to the war in different ways, but they can connect with other veterans, no matter what race they are, because for an extended period of time things such as race separation and the principle not to murder were put aside and survival was the first priority.
ReplyDelete