스테레오타입, 전이와 미국 흑인 공동체의 부활

Stereotype, Displacement, and the Resurrection of the African American Community: August Wilson's King Hedley II

This paper attempts to re-read the meaning of a physical scar as a signifier. It focuses on the facial scar of King, the protagonist of August Wilson's play King Hedley II. The paper first relates King's scar to the brute negro stereotype, which is one of the six black stereotypes suggested by Sterling A. Brown as popular among white Americans. The paper then discusses the relationship between the brute negro stereotype and the displacement, a psychological defense mechanism frequently found among African Americans. Wilson, the paper finally argues, employs the brute negro stereotype in order to challenge it. But Wilson does not simply challenge it. He uses the stereotype to highlight the significance of the past and the necessity to resurrect the African American community by reflecting upon the past experience.