An apple pressed precariously against her reddened lips, Lula from Leroi Jones' existential drama Dutchman is the embodiment of temptation. She meanders around the wagon, spying on Clay and eventually leading him to his outburst at the end of the second scene. Clay's speech is spontaneously provoked, but is no less revealing of his character. In Jones' play, Lula pushes the boundaries of social decency with her form of neurotic and offensive madness, ultimately forcing Clay to engage in his own animalistic tantrum, illustrating that both characters, although different in their motivation and their actions, both harbor a certain form of madness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Lula attacks Clay on all fronts, specifically attacking his clothing and how it inaccurately reflects his identity. She said to him: “Boy, whose narrow-shouldered clothes come from a tradition by which you should feel oppressed. A three-button suit. What right do you have to wear a three-button suit? Your grandfather was a slave, he didn’t go to Harvard” (18). Lula repeatedly accuses Clay of being conceited, of trying to be something he shouldn't or can't be, even saying, "You're not a nigger, you're just a dirty white man." » (31). The three-button suit, for example, would traditionally be worn by a wealthy white man, not a young black man taking the train. Lula, however, takes her questions to an indecent level, questioning Clay about his "right" to wear the costume and accusing him of wearing something that should shame him. Lula accuses Clay of accepting his own oppression by wearing such clothing, then takes his reading of the costume even further, insinuating that slavery is the position of blacks and Harvard is the domain of whites. His neurotic behavior is neither provoked nor justified, emphasizing the carefree and vicious nature of his madness. In his outburst, however, Clay - as well as the audience - realizes that his feelings about his position in society and the way he dresses are not those. different from Lula's perceptions. As Lula is pressed against her seat, Clay addresses the entire train: "And I'm sitting here, in this suit buttoned up to keep me from slitting your throats" (34). Clay's retort is obviously a response to Lula's earlier mention of his clothes, but its ferocity is unexpected, even unreasonable. The pure animal anger that comes through in his murderous words is shocking, but he's not just talking to Lula: he's talking to the entire train, which at this point is full of white passengers. He admits that the trial is a kind of forced civility, realizing that deep down he is full of savage hatred for the white race and that he has conformed to white society's vision of refinement. Lula's antagonism, coupled with this self-discovery, drives Clay into a state of madness in his own image, where he claims that it is only his clothes that stop him from murdering a train full of people. Additionally, Lula attacks Clay's schooling, ambition and self-perception. Lula asks Clay, “And who do you think you were?” Who do you think you are now? » Clay responds, “Well, in college I thought I was Baudelaire. But I've slowed down since then. In a biting response, Lula again accuses Clay of not being black, of not embodying his race in his ambitions and self-perception, saying, "I bet you never thought you were a black negro” (19). Lula's questions and answers insinuate that Clay's perception of himself in, 1964.