Analysis of Suzan-Lori Parks Topdog/ underdog

Analysis of Suzan-Lori Parks Topdog/ underdog
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Analysis of Suzan-Lori Parks' “Topdog/ underdog”
Prompt 3: The Message of the Play
Suzan-Lori Park's play “Topdog/Underdog” is about the live s of two African-American brothers in their early thirties, who gain money from hustling ‘three card' games (Monte). The two brothers, Lincoln and Booth have become rivals of each other, in particular, the younger one (Booth) is very jealous of the elder (Lincoln), as he so bad wants to attain a level of social and economic status his brother once had because of playing ‘Monte'. Booth is discontent with the life they are currently living, he is a common street thief while Lincoln works as Abraham Lincoln's impersonator in an arcade, where people get to fake assassinating the historical figure for some charge. This is despite him (Lincoln) being a skilled card player of ‘Monte' and a former con artist. The two also share a room in a dilapidated boarding house. All in all, the playwright expresses a message in regards to the pursuit of achievement and success in life by people of minority groups- particularly Blacks in the American Society. The socio-economic situation in the country seems to inhibit and diminish the hopes of such people from finding meaning and success in their lives.
Parks' drama is sufficiently eloquent and expressive in depicting the plight of ordinary black people in America, most of who, on a personal level, struggle with palpitating emotions and intense unexpressed anger simply because they fail to find meaning in their lives. The playwright depicts that as a result, this group of people is left to seek gratification in undeveloped ways including engaging in petty crimes and dysfunctional relationships. Booth feels getting a job is associated with the fate of their parents relationship, he indicates that:
Like neither of them couldn't handle it no more. She split than he split. like thuh whole family mortgage bills going to work thing was just too much. And I dont blame them. You don't see me holding down a steady job. Cause its bullshit and I know it. I seen how it cracked them up and I ain't going there. (Parks, 1999. p72)
The relationship between the two brothers in the play is both complex and interesting. They often argue and insult each other, betray and swindle each other, but still find time to offer each other support, enjoyment and or encouragement. Lincoln even reaches a point of helping hi brother learn a few tricks of playing three card Monte. He explains to him that "There's 2 parts to throwing thuh cards… Both parts are fairly complicated. Thuh moves and the grooves, thuh talk and thuh walk, the patter and the pitter pat, thuh rap and thuh flap: what yr doing with yr mouth and what yr doing with yr hands" (79). 
Their parents abandoned them at a young age and they had to look after themselves. Actually, Lincoln played the role of raising Booth since he was a young boy at the time. The two brothers are ultimately victims of failed lives and relationships; they both seem to experience the summit of misery and despair at some point. In the sixth scene, Booth hints at his knowledge of their mother's adulterous behavior before she left them to fend for themselves. Ther is a clear demonstration of poor parenting skills on the part of their parents. Booth even claims his mother paid him before leaving, he says  "she had my payoff- my inheritance--she had it all ready for me. 500 dollars in a nylon stocking" (105).
The dramatist passes on a message of an evident aspect of misguided thoughts among males of the African-American society in America. Booth has hopes of becoming a bigwig in the con artist practice of 3-card Monte and earning big money that would change his life for the better. He talks down to Lincoln concerning his big dreams and wishful goals, especially after he proves reluctant in partnering with him, He orders his brother to refer to him as “3 card” (23). In a way, he seems so desperate to attain fulfillment in his life. This is felt in the tone he uses like when he says to Lincoln:
She told me to look out for you. I told her I was the little brother and the big brother should look out after the little brother. She just said it again. That I should look out for you. Yeah. So who gonna look out for me. Not like you care. Here I am interested in an economic opportunity, willing to work hard, willing to take risks and all you can say you shit eating motherfucking pathetic limpdick uncle tom, all you can tell me is how you don't do no more what I be wanting to do. Here I am trying to earn a living and you standing in my way. you standing in my way, link! (19)
Booth also discusses conquest of his wishful romantic and sexual life with a lot of disappointment. Lincoln, in contrast to his younger brother seems to have decided to lay back and let the circumstances of his life take a heavy toll. Parks uses his diminished interests of making a living as a grafter that greatly subsided after the unfortunate death of his friend and partner to express the element of choice among people. Lincoln has chosen to settle into his odd job of impersonating Abraham Lincoln and being phony assassinated each day. He tries to offer his young brother some advice but it turns out to be fruitless. He tells him, “you gotta do it right, you gotta break it down. Practice it in smaller bits. Yr trying to do the whole thing at once that's why you keep fucking it up” (23).
Additionally, the playwright's naming of the two characters is also symbolic, considering their susceptibility of violence. Their father names the two as ...