Description: Ruined Learning objectives:
Identify and analyze themes in Ruined
– Rape as a tool of war
– The objectification of women
– Poetry/songs/novels as healing/therapy
– Toxic masculinity
– Nature
– Discuss rape as a tool of war; the human body as a weapon
– Discuss the various definitions of “ruined”
– Discuss toxic masculinity (relate to Okonkwo, Ugwu), the theme of nature.
Discussion: Introduction, Act I
1. Introduction: Kate Whoriskey (theater director/Nottage collaborator) discusses the creation of Ruined. The play illustrates the rape and brutality of a decades-long war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What was the cause of the war? According to the introduction (ix), the war was over natural resources (coltan). Does anyone know one of the uses for coltan? Coltan is the mineral from which the element tantalum is extracted. Coltan is what’s known as a conflict mineral, and it is used in cell phones, computers, cameras, etc.
2. Themes:
Rape as a tool of war: Whoriskey intro: “not just a tool to humiliate the women or degrade the opposing side’s masculinity it was a way to strip women of their wombs” (xi). How is the rape of women a means of degrading the masculinity of the men on the opposing side? Themes often intersect and overlap, and this theme is closely related to the theme of the objectification of women.”
“It isn’t safe for a woman alone” (p32). Women are under constant threat of rape in the unstable country.
Objectification of women: When we first meet Salima and Sophie, the stage directions refer to them as “the offerings” (p9), and Mama Nadi refers to them as “damaged goods” (p16), speaking to the objectification of women. Relate to the objectification seen in HYS.
Mama Nadi: How does she aid in the objectification of the women—her “children”—at her bar? Can she be considered an agent of patriarchy by owning and operating a brothel? The “children” in the bar are figuratively Mama Nadi’s; she is somewhat of an adoptive mother to the tragic lives of these girls that she inherits from the destructive war.
Mama reminds Salima that her village will continue to judge her if she goes back with Fortune. “She let them…touch her” (p66). The victim is blamed for her brutalization.
Can Mama Nadi’s place be viewed as a symbol of redemption? Or is it only a site of dehumanization? Nottage’s play employs the tool of dramatic irony, including the notion that a brothel, the ultimate symbol of female objectification, could represent any kind of sanctuary from the violence that existed outside its doors. The women are not truly/wholly safe there though, as Salima’s death illustrates; they are merely centralized into one location for the benefit of both guerrillas and soldiers, even though Mama harbors the slimmest of hopes that her business can exist as a refuge from the war. Mama Nadi’s is simultaneously a safe haven and site of (further) ruining. Sisterhood community; sharing stories (talk therapy); a space of support. (p69) “How did I get in the middle of their fight?” Discuss the use of women during war.
Toxic masculinity: Whoriskey’s introduction talks about the way “…the human body becomes the weapon, the teenage boy the terror, and a woman’s womb “the battleground’” (xi).
Again, noting the stage directions: A drunk Rebel Soldier “demands attention” (p20). Through this seemingly small direction, we can see how men feel entitled to the attention of women. The soldier continues to demand attention and respect from Sophie (p22), performing his masculinity (and being egged on by other men) and emphasizing his physical superiority.
3. The multilayered definitions of “ruined” – At first glance, the play’s title can appear as a reference to the country itself, with the DRC mired in the chaotic and endless fighting that continues to rage over that region’s enormous wealth in natural resources, mainly minerals (coltan). Nottage, however, focuses on the fate of that region’s women, hundreds of thousands of whom have endured gang rape by both government soldiers and anti-government guerrillas. We come to see that the title also refers to the social stigma attached to rape victims and to the physical damage done to these victims’ genitalia. Not only are these rape victims stigmatized and excommunicated from their communities, but many are rendered incapable of reproducing, so violent are the acts to which they are repeatedly subjected. What are the various meanings of the term “ruined?”
t Thelanditself,destroyedbywarfareandmining(p13).
t Thepeople(womenANDmen);unabletomaintaintheirdecency,senseof normalcy. (p31) Salima tells the story of being raped and the soldier crying afterwards, needing comfort.
t Thewomen:psychologicallyscarred,sociallyrejected,physicallydamagedbyrape. (p12, 13, 15, 17)
t Women’sreproductivecapability,therebyhinderingthegrowthofthenation.
Men and women alike refer to women as “ruined” (p37) Josephine calls Salima “worthless”
because of her victimization, despite having experienced similar brutalization. Discussion: Act II
As we enter Act II, we encounter Mama Nadi and Sophie singing together, a song that emphasizes the bar as a haven from the ravages of war outside its doors. Josephine becomes almost entranced when dancing to the song; she loses herself in the escape (theme: Poetry/songs/novels as healing/therapy). The stage directions read: “she desperately grabs at the air as if trying to hold onto something” (p64).
Themes:
Ø Objectification of women: When we first meet Salima and Sophie, the stage directions refer to them as “the offerings” (p9), and Mama Nadi refers to them as “damaged goods” (p16), speaking to the objectification of women. Relate to the objectification seen in HYS.
§ Mama Nadi: How does she aid in the objectification of the women—her “children”—at her bar? Can she be considered an agent of patriarchy by owning and operating a brothel? The “children” in the bar are figuratively Mama Nadi’s; she is somewhat of an adoptive mother to the tragic lives of these girls that she inherits from the destructive war.
t MamaremindsSalimathathervillagewillcontinuetojudgeherifshegoesbackwith Fortune. “She let them…touch her” (p66). The victim is blamed for her brutalization.
§ Can Mama Nadi’s place be viewed as a symbol of redemption? Or is it only a site of dehumanization? Nottage’s play employs the tool of dramatic irony, including the notion that a brothel, the ultimate symbol of female objectification, could represent any kind of sanctuary from the violence that existed outside its doors. The women are not truly/wholly safe there though, as Salima’s death illustrates; they are merely centralized into one location for the benefit of both guerrillas and soldiers, even though Mama harbors the slimmest of hopes that her business can exist as a refuge from the war. Mama Nadi’s is simultaneously a haven and site of (further) ruining. Sisterhood community; sharing stories (talk therapy); a space of support.
§ (p69) “How did I get in the middle of their fight?” Discuss the use of women during war.
§ (p74) Fortune’s cousin Simon says the soldiers who kidnapped and raped Salima “reached right
into [his] pocket and stole from [him] (p74). Again, women are objectified.
Ø Toxic masculinity: Whoriskey’s introduction talks about the way “…the human body becomes the weapon, the teenage boy the terror, and a woman’s womb “the battleground’” (xi).
§ Fortune blamed Salima for what happened to her. “He said I tempted them…” (p67). Sophie calls his reaction “sour pride.”
§ (p69) Salima asks, “How can men be this way?” Relate to Ugwu (HYS) and Okonkwo (TFA). Examine the corruptive nature of war.
Ø Poetry/songs/novels: Forms of healing for the characters. Christian uses poetry to “soften” Mama. Sophie uses singing as her outlet.
§ (p20): Sophie’s song “You Come Here to Forget” Sophie’s singing is a form of escape and therapy for her. She can temporarily escape her circumstances.
§ Sophie reads from a romance novel (p50).
§ Mama Nadi and Sophie sing a song together and Josephine dances along, losing herself in the moment. The stage directions state that she “releases her anger, her pain…everything. She desperately grabs at the air as if trying to hold onto something…” (p64). The song and performance serve as a release.
Ø Nature: Nottage includes very few references to wildlife in Ruined. This detail calls attention to itself because the play is set in a largely rural area in which the reader might expect more of a connection to nature and wildlife; however, the violence and chaos from the war overshadow the natural elements of the town’s surroundings. One of the few mentions of wildlife is to birds. After
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Old Papa Batunga died, Mama got his gray parrot (p8). Mama Nadi explains to Christian that the parrot speaks pygmy. Since Old Papa was the last of his tribe, the bird is believed to represent the words of the forest. Old Papa told Mama that if the words of the forest people were spoken the spirits would stay alive (p8).
§ Birds: Nottage’s subtle reference to the parrot and its words from the forest are important elements of the play. This parrot may be the only remaining vestige of tribal life, and the memory of life before war. The words from the forest fall on deaf ears in these tribal conflicts. The parrot is part messenger, part historian. It is up to the characters to decide what (and if) they can learn from it and the spirits from a tribal past. Sophie’s singing (p38) emphasizes a parallel between her and the parrot. Like the parrot, who lives in a cage in Mama Nadi’s bar, Sophie is trapped in a life that she must endure through no fault of her own. Also like the parrot, who chatters at will at different points throughout the play and even has the last word at the end of the play, Sophie continues to sing and to express herself. Their voices are signs of hope, as both Sophie and the parrot live in their respective cages and carry on the best they can with the limited resources at their disposal.
Ø Nottage includes another reference to a bird in the play. Where? When Salima retells the day that she was taken by the soldiers (p68), she describes a peacock that visited her garden as she was working. She describes the bird as taunting her and showing off its feathers. When she looked up again, she was surrounded by four soldiers and then struck in the face with the butt of a gun. Her nightmare began after seeing the peacock. Its taunting serves as a thematic omen in the play. Birds display their feathers to call attention to themselves. The soldiers violently display their physical strength—often at the destruction of everything around them, including women. An earlier stage direction (p41) compares Osembenga to a peacock, giving the director and the reader insight into the threatening and powerful nature of the commander.
Ø Can Mama Nadi’s bar be viewed as a symbol of redemption? Or is it only a site of dehumanization? Nottage’s play employs the tool of dramatic irony, including the notion that a brothel, the ultimate symbol of female objectification, could represent any kind of sanctuary from the violence that existed outside its doors. The women are not truly/wholly safe there though, as Salima’s death illustrates; they are merely centralized into one location for the benefit of both guerrillas and soldiers, even though Mama harbors the slimmest of hopes that her business can exist as a refuge from the war. Mama Nadi’s is simultaneously a haven and site of (further) ruining. Can Mama Nadi’s be viewed as anything other than a site of objectification and dehumanization? Sisterhood community; sharing stories (talk therapy); a space of support.
§ (p84) Mama Nadi services Osembenga. Does this make her a more sympathetic character? Is Mama Nadi an opportunist or bad guy for “employing” the girls?
§ (p86) Mama Nadi’s explanation of why she is in the business she is in.
Ø How is Salima’s suicide like that of Okonkwo? How is it different?
Ø Is there a possibility for healing/redemption? The play ends on a hopeful note amid the chaos of war: the possibility of redemption (the potential romance between Mama Nadi and Christian).
