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Discussing The Role Of Water In August Wilson's Gem Of The Ocean

415 Words2 Pages

Luke Gormsen
AP Lang
Ms. Clark
2/1/23
Role of Water in Gem of the Ocean In Act 1 of Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson, water plays the role of cleansing wrongdoings and washing away misdeeds performed against an individual. First, water and, specifically the act of cleansing, is used to symbolize forgiveness for wrongdoings and a way to obtain a clean slate in life. An example of this aspect of water is shown when Citizen Barlow seeks help from Aunt Esther to help him become a better person through her healing, saying, “They say you can wash people’s souls…I was gonna go to another city but before I had the chance I killed a man. I don’t know Ms. Tyler. I feel like I’ve got a hole in me. People say you can help me” (Wilson 20,23). Citizen performed wrongdoing by killing a man in the South, but he comes to Aunt Esther in search of healing from his moral pain, …show more content…

Flowing water can be characterized as washing away blemishes and filth, and it does exactly that to Garrett Brown. Garrett Brown was falsely accused of stealing a bucket of nails, and rather than admit to a crime he didn’t commit, he chose to drown himself in the nearby river. The river washed away all of the misdeeds and accusations committed against Garrett, and, as Aunt Esther said, “He would rather die innocent than to live guilty” (Wilson 21). While Garrett could have chosen to remain alive and not jump in the river, he would have been falsely prosecuted and seen to be guilty for the rest of his life, which he could not bear. Instead, he drowned himself in the rushing water of the river, which forever cleansed him of the wrongdoing in his heart and allowed him to finish his life as a free man washed away of all wrongdoings against him. The eternal sweeping away of the accusations and guilt leveled at Garrett Brown show how water also plays the role of washing away misdeeds committed against individuals in Act

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