Anger and Oppression of the Poor - Essay Sample

The play "In the Blood" is set around a domestic life defined by immorality, shortcuts, hypocrisy, and lies that end up tormenting the characters' lives. It is intriguing to establish the aftermath of these moral deceits and how they impact individuals and society. From a sociological viewpoint, having five children from five different fathers looks unique, especially when one is not married. However, given the nature of the environment from which Hester comes from, an insight is given into the moral characters that have contributed to this domestic uncertainty while also revealing Hester as also morally culpable for her situation.

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Domestic sideshows are rampant in human society. It has been commercialized that women find no chance of wanting to settle; instead, they need to live a life of freedom that enables them to explore the world experiences without a break. In a twist of events, some women find themselves. As a result, victims of their moral miscalculations. Young lovers find themselves parenting at a young age because of this. According to the piece, it is true that the men who gave birth to Hester's children are alive and are in different parts of the country, some upland, and some in the urban. However, the pretext of protecting one's moral miscalculations. The curiosity within these children makes them persistently inquire about the identity of their fathers. Hester makes up stories about the events leading up to her situation to answer her children's questions. This proves to be easy given their wild imaginations, as seen with Jabber's ending for their mother's narration, "The war came, and the brothers went off to fight, and they all died." However, children are highly perceptive and, even without being told the truth, feel that they have been abandoned by their real fathers, as seen in their short-lived fight between Hester's children as they refer to each other as 'bastards". Her deception, however, begs the question, was she trying to save her children the heartache of abandonment she felt herself?

Contemporary society uniquely views domestic and social negligence. Social services or organizations often take in the children exposed to domestic neglect to save them from irresponsible parents. Failure to this, these children are exposed to challenges that affect their cognitive development, leading to poor judgmental ability. Therefore, such children are likely to make mistakes in most of the decisions they make. In terms of health, they have poor health, safety, and security as they are forced into some characters that endanger their lives. In the play "In the Blood," this is seen when Hester's third born, Trouble, steals from a police officer and lies about the incident to his mother, "I found it. On the street. It was just lying there"( Parks, 1627). Trouble fails to support his claim when he cannot answer why, if he did not steal, did he run from the policeman. Their plight of poverty and hunger is seen in their living arrangements where they live under a bridge and sleep huddled together, and the mention of "supper" ends their squabbling.

Many women in modern society in situations such as that of Hester are quick to take the opportunity to change their circumstances by claiming child support from their children's fathers. If not to secure their children's comfort, then for their comfort, these women report the deadbeat father to child services that ensure responsibility is taken. Therefore, it is discerning to encounter a woman who willingly lets her children live in impoverished circumstances to preserve the father's reputation in society. If not selfish, this is an upfront show of mental instability! For this reason, it is quite disheartening to witness the circumstances under which Hester raises her five children she claims are her gems but treats as anything but such. Four of Hester's children's fathers are men of higher status than her, including the Doctor, Reverend.D, the welfare worker's husband, and Chilli. Hester willingly discloses information about Jabber's father being Chilli from the welfare worker who tries to persuade her for her children's fathers' names so that they may be charged for child support. "I didn't run after you. I didn't give you away"( Parks, 1643).

Many teenage girls are impregnated at a young age due to rampant sexual immorality and poor guidance from parents or guardians. This exposes them to the world at an early age, forcing them into compromising situations just for them to get by. The number of sex workers on the streets these days is no surprise, most aged between 15-35 years. These numbers are even worse in poor neighborhoods where most girls do not even get a chance to go to school. For girls keen on changing their plights, education would be their first go-to solution, mostly if offered for free. Hester is a girl of such dilemma as she could not get an education as a young girl opting to work instead "..and there was this car lot down from where we worked.."( Parks, 1645). Hester is given many opportunities to change her life and that of the children but ends up wasting them, "We at welfare are at the end of our rope with you. We put you in a job, and you quit. We put you in a shelter, and you walk. We put you in school, and you drop out. We build bridges; you burn them. We sew safety nets, rub harder, good strong safety nets, and you slip through the weave."( Parks, 1635). For all her shortcomings, however, the society Hester lives in is also to blame.

Domestic disparity quickly leads to moral temptations. The difference in society's status quo makes way for those in higher status to take advantage of those in underprivileged situations. The power held by the privileged becomes a seductive drug to those seeking help leaving them at their mercy. An unfortunate situation, especially when the Trouble person, are those charged with helping those in need. "Times Are Tough: What Can We Do?"( Parks, 1633) reveals the doctor's failure to help Hester in her situation but instead taking advantage of her need for affection to satisfy his condition. The welfare worker charged with assisting Hester to improve her living situation keeps to the "… well-drawn boundary line"( Parks, 1637) of society to maintain the system that has shut out people like Hester and her children—keeping them "At arm's length" to support their charity supporter reputations while not helping them get on their feet.

Why hide the relationship? The Reverend corrupts Hester on the condition that she should not reveal to anyone their relationship. This happens when it is clearly evident that Reverend had a child with Hester, who happens to be her last born, Baby. What makes this situation even sadder is the fact that Hester was not seeking a companion but rather the help of a man of faith to guide her on what to do with her life, "She had four kids, and she came to me asking me what to do." (Parks, 1641). It is a revelation of the extent of moral pretense in society. This significantly translates to present-day situations with more and more cases of a priest defiling the young church youths and children under the guise of leading them along the " righteous" path. A society that cannot even provide hope to the lost is also to blame for Hester's plight and her five gems.

Finally, the play "In the Blood" has shown the level of oppression in society. The domestic challenges translating to disparity has made some individuals take advantage of their fellows to exploit them. Hester is misused by her friends and confidants, who are reluctant to help her out of her economic disparity. Chili, Reverend, Doctor, and the welfare Lady all have instead misled Hester, with some even compromising her with handouts to keep their mission secret. Hester, confused in domestic depravity and bothered by the circumstances she now finds herself in and the ever-building sense of doom. "I was thinking, you know, in my head, that there was something I can do to stop that hand coming down…"( Parks, 1646); she ends up killing her son Jabber in her anger because of his childish manner of teasing her with the same word, "SLUT", used by the society to condemn her. The same community that put her in this position as seen in "Times Are Tough: What Can We Do?"(Parks, 1633), "I Walk the Line"(Parks, 1636), "In My Head I Got It Going On"(Parks, 1639), "Suffering Is an Enormous Turn-on"(Parks, 1641), "We Were Young"(Parks, 1645). Life has several aspects of domestic understanding attached to it. More often, domestic stability is determined by one's efforts and actions towards her desires. Many lives have been subjected to waste, misuse, and exploitation due to wrong domestic choices made by parents, children, or society.

Work Cited

Parks, Suzan-Lori. In the blood. Dramatists Play Service Inc, 2000.