The inclusion of the first few monologues that don’t really
relate to the riots themselves is crucial to the development of Fire in the Mirror’s illusionistic
world. The first several monologues help to set the almost hyper-realistic tone
of the play. The characters presented in these monologues establish strong
racial and religious identities, especially the Anonymous Lubavitcher Woman
(whose religious identity is established through an incident with a radio
during Shabbas) and the Reverend Al Sharpton (who talks about being raised by
James Brown and not wearing his hair a certain way in reaction to white
people). These monologues, along with others, help to create a certain image of
the city at the time of the riots and engage the audience in the world of the
play. Without this engaging setting, the later monologues about the riots
themselves wouldn’t be quite as powerful. It is through the realism that the
powerful messages of the monologues can be properly conveyed.
I totally agree with your ideas about how important these initial monologues are to the development of the play as whole. After all, the story of the Crown Heights riots doesn't mean anything unless readers and audience members also understand the racial and religious identities that the members of the community have. Also, the first sixteen or so monologues helped to give examples of the tensions that existed within the community before the riots started.
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