Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff
"Children of a Lesser God" by Mark Medoff is a poignant play set in a state school for the deaf, exploring the complex dynamics within the hearing-impaired community. The narrative centers on the relationship between James Leeds, a hearing speech teacher, and Sarah Norman, a fiercely independent deaf woman who communicates exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL). The work highlights the tension between cultural identity and societal expectations, as Sarah resists attempts to conform to hearing norms, asserting her right to define her place in the world. As their relationship deepens, both characters grapple with their different perspectives on communication and identity, leading to conflicts that reveal the broader issues of deaf rights and representation.
The play addresses themes of empowerment and the struggle for autonomy, particularly emphasizing the importance of allowing individuals to choose their own paths. Through characters like Orin, a hearing-impaired student advocating for deaf rights, the narrative underscores the divided loyalties within the deaf community itself. Ultimately, "Children of a Lesser God" serves as a powerful commentary on the desire for self-representation and the challenges faced by those caught between different worlds, making a significant feminist statement against oppression. The story concludes with a recognition of the emotional complexities inherent in love and identity, leaving audiences to reflect on the nuances of communication and belonging.
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Subject Terms
Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff
First produced: 1979, at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
First published: 1980
The Work
Set in a state school for the deaf, Children of a Lesser God depicts several key issues facing the hearing-impaired community. It proclaims the right of deaf individuals to determine their own role in society. James Leeds, a new speech teacher, is assigned to Sarah Norman, a twenty-six-year-old deaf woman who prefers to communicate exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL). She informs James that it is a waste of time trying to force deaf people to speak and read lips so that the deaf can pass for hearing. When James counters that ASL is only good among the deaf, Sarah accuses him of wanting to be God, wanting to make her over in his own image. Deaf students do not want to be changed simply because hearing teachers want to change them. Sarah confides that she dreams of becoming a teacher for the deaf and having deaf children. They eventually realize that they want to communicate with each other no matter what the language and decide to get married. Orin, a hearing-impaired student, tries to convince Sarah that their marriage cannot work. The schoolmaster tries to convince James that the marriage is unwise. While arguing, James catches himself trying to censor the conversation for Sarah and realizes that he has no right to decide what she can or cannot “hear.”
They are married and Sarah begins to enjoy life with her hearing husband, but Orin urges her not to turn her back on the deaf, arguing that “deaf rights” are more important than her marriage. As Orin brings a civil rights suit against the school, Sarah feels caught between the deaf and hearing worlds. Sarah realizes that James still wants to change her into a hearing person, Orin wants her to remain “pure deaf” for his political agenda, and his lawyer wants the commission to pity her. Sarah becomes outraged by the hypocrisy and erupts in a passionate, unintelligible voice that shocks and repulses James. Humiliated by his reaction, she explodes in ASL and runs away.
When James finds her, Sarah explains that she finally realizes that it is she who does not have the right to change him and that she no longer wants deaf children because no one has the right to create someone in his or her own image. James is left alone, hoping that someday they might be able to help each other.
Children of a Lesser God portrays the diversity of the deaf community and its struggle to achieve its own identity against a paternalistic system. A feminist statement against male suppression, the play is primarily the story of an emerging culture demanding the right to speak for itself.
Bibliography
Brustein, Robert. “Robert Brustein on Theater.” The New Republic 187, no. 23 (June 7, 1980): 23-24. Satirizes the play as part of a new genre, the politically correct disability play. Argues that one cannot dislike such plays without being labeled hearingist or sexist.
Erben, Rudolf. Mark Medoff. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University Press, 1995.
Gill, Brendan. “Without Speech.” The New Yorker 56, no. 8 (April 14, 1980): 101-106. Proclaims Children of a Lesser God to be not only successful but also a work of art. Focuses on the honesty of a story that portrays a seemingly perfect union but that is destroyed by ingrained flaws that the passion of the moment had at first minimalized.
Guernsey, Otis L., Jr. Curtain Times: The New York Theater, 1965-1987. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1987. Focuses on the uniqueness of the point of view of a minority that does not want to become part of the mainstream.
The Nation. Review. CCXXX (April 26, 1980), pp. 508-509.
Simon, John. “April on Broadway: Indoor Showers.” New York Magazine 13, no. 15 (April 14, 1980): 85-86. Describes the play’s attempt to deal with weighty issues as shallow, falling short of melodrama, and functioning as mere soap opera. Simon cannot accept that James would become involved with the deeply troubled Sarah.
Weales, Gerald. “Belatedly, the Tonies.” Commonweal 107, no. 18 (October 24, 1980): 595-596. Accuses the play of being the standard didactic play with the hearing-impaired replacing blacks or homosexuals as the new misunderstood minority.
Wilson, Edwin. “Broadway: Two Openings and One Closing.” The Wall Street Journal, April 1, 1980. Reprinted in New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews 41, no. 6 (March 24, 1980): 303. Points out that the play is three stories: Sarah’s life, the rights of deaf people, and the romance. Argues that the play is worthy of serious critical attention.
Vos, Nelvin. “The Witness of Silence: The Testimony of Children of a Lesser God and The Caretaker,” in Cresset. XLIV (February, 1981), pp. 17-19.