Lesson 2 Language Study

 

Elements of Language and Literature: Concrete and Abstract Language

Romare Bearden's "The Return of the Prodigal Son"




"The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Romare Bearden

http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/art/1981_39.jpg


Take a look at "The Return of the Prodigal Son" above by Romare Bearden. Remember Bearden was one of the 4 "B"s August Wilson cited as major influences on his life/work. You read the story of the "Prodigal Son" in the last lesson.

Can you find the following CONCRETE objects in the image? Click here for bigger image.

  1. a young man (son)
  2. an old man (father)
  3. two women
  4. a wine bottle
  5. kitchen utensils
  6. a ring
  7. a candle

We can find some elements from the biblical story: a son and the items suggestive of a feast, a wine bottle, and kitchen utensils. Others are missing, though, most notably the father, the other son, and the ring. What ideas within the story does the artist emphasize with the absence of those three things?


Two women instead of father and brother:

Remember what both Jim Bono and Troy Maxson say about their fathers? They hardly knew the men. What is often termed as "the walking blues" in the play (fathers abandoning their families) was a reality Bearden notes in his piece. By substituting the mother and daughter for the father and son, Beardon elected to include a reality in the lives of many modern families – a change in the nuclear family. Wilson also addresses ideas about family through Troy Maxson’s commentary on responsibility.


Candle, wine bottle, kitchen utensils, ring:

The wine bottle and kitchen utensils relate to the "feast" given upon the son's homecoming, but the missing ring illustrates a broken link between father and son. The candle suggests a vigil for the "lost" son (keeping a light on so he can find his way home through the darkness). Cory will leave home in the next act, but, like the prodigal son, will return. Keep the Bearden piece in mind as you finish Fences. How does Rose help take all of the various conflicts and help make sense of them for both Cory and the audience?



Moving From CONCRETE to ABSTRACT:

After analyzing the piece a bit, what IMPRESSION does this piece give? What MEANING is created by the CONCRETE objects Bearden includes/omits in his work?

Well, what Bearden's piece presents is a CONFLUENCE (joining) of the biblical story and modern realities. The ABSTRACT ideas of repentance and forgiveness central to the biblical story of the Prodigal Son are present here in Bearden's piece, but the repentance and forgiveness is not between father/son. Also, the family does not appear to be a rich family, but the homecoming does not seem any less significant; both of the female characters approach the returning son in welcome. As the prodigal son's father notes in the biblical parable, SIGNIFICANCE is found in the return of a "lost" child, not in the OPULENCE (wealth) of the reception.


image of hand impression (paint) Time to pass along a little wisdom...the next page details how to make an IMPRESSION when responding to literature.


NEXT: Lesson 2 Language Study: Making Meaning in Fences