Demonstrations Of Enmity In Old Story Time By Trevor Rhone

The play, Old Story Time, is written by Trevor Rhone. Demonstrations of enmity between characters are prevalent throughout the play.Enmity may be interpreted as a feeling or condition of hostility or hatred towards another party. In addition, the plot revolves around the story of Len Tomlinson, an intelligent dark- skinned Jamaican and his struggle to succeed in a racist and class conscious society, as told by storyteller/narrator Pa Ben. The story concentrates on Len’s progression from his mother’s poverty stricken rural village to a house in the city with his black wife Lois, against the taunts and oppression of light-skinned Jamaicans such as George McFarlane. While the plot evolves, enmity is demonstrated between Mama and Lois, and it is overcome at the end.
Firstly, the enmity is fuelled and justified by Mama. Mama often expresses her contempt for Lois to Pa Ben, Len and Lois herself. She rips a wedding photo of Len and Lois in half tossing the half with Lois on the floor, she tells Len that marrying Lois was a grave mistake and she addresses Lois with derogatory terms such as ‘Tar Baby’ and ‘Black Sambo’. Mama’s hatred of Lois stems from her belief that nothing black can be good, as well as a degree of self loathing as she herself is black and feels inferior.She believes that Lois,who is a dark-skinned woman, will impede her son’s success and is firmly rooted in the belief that Lois seduced Len using ‘obeah’ or black magic. However, as Pa Ben states, it is wholly