The Blue Door Analysis

Blue Door

Tanya Barfeld’s play “The Blue Door” is about Lewis, an African American math professor struggling to find who he wants to be. Lewis is having a hard time dealing with the fact that he no longer feels apart of his culture because of the way he doesn’t feel connected. Lewis struggles with many issues from his past, the only way he can become whole again is if he learns to deal with those issues and overcome them.

Lewis has to learn to deal with the fact that he has spent so much of his life hating is family’s history that he never really took the time to understand the background of his culture. Lewis needs to be more involved in events in his culture to help him fully accept who he need to become.

You won’t go to the Million Man

He is trying to metaphorically run away from his past.

Due to the past horrors from Lewis’s childhood he wants to move on with his life and forget about the things that happened to him. “What Lewis really must grapple with is the accusation that he has cut himself off from his personal and his cultural history in an effort to escape the pain of the past.”(Isherwood, Charles). Lewis is very uncomfortable through his life and the play because of his past trauma. He wants to suppress his memories.

Charles, Lewis’s father, was always very frustrated because he worked very longs and hard hours making sure he was able to send his children to a private school to get a proper education. Charles had a difficult time throughout his life, his father Jesse hanged and burned for trying to vote. This had a major effect on Charles life and this was one of the things that triggered his alcoholism and abuse. Lewis was the one targeted by his father’s abuse as a kid. Charles would give Lewis a hard time and beat him for having bad grades because Charles knew Lewis could do better and he was paying so much money for his son’s private school. This is a reason why Lewis tried to run away from the memories of his

Charles never appreciated his achievements, however, if Lewis were to appreciate what his father accomplished it could help him move past this point of depression. The main character needs to forgive his father and everything else that took place in his past and move on. He would have a much more positive aspect on life. Lewis needs to learn how to accept his situation and be comfortable with his identity.

As time progresses in its loops around Lewis, he can’t help, as we do, take in the wholeness of his history. As the stories deepen, and humor gives way to the real demons beneath their skin, he learns that, alone, he is never really alone.(DeVoti, Emily)

Forgiveness is Lewis number one priority to become whole. Lewis has to learn to admire his family struggles even if they were catastrophic. Maybe if his grandfather Jesse hadn’t stood up for the right to vote then to this day things may not have changed. No matter where Lewis had come from he should admire his culture and appreciate everything his family has done for him because without them Lewis would have never been