Lyle Britten Character Analysis in Blues for Mister Charlie

Lyle Britten, husband to Jo Britten and friend to Parnell James, is a poor white store owner who derives his sense of self-worth from his whiteness. As a young man, he was “wild,” always drinking and chasing women. He became infatuated with Willa Mae, the young Black woman taking care of his ailing father, and raped her. Lyle claims that this led to a consensual affair. When Willa Mae’s much older husband confronted Lyle in an attempt to stop the affair, Lyle murdered him and claimed it was self-defense. Later, Lyle marries timid librarian Jo because, in his words, she’s the only “white virgin” left in town. They have a baby son together. When self-confident young Black man Richard Henry has a fight with Lyle at his store, Lyle feels utterly humiliated and enraged. He hunts Richard down and—with a gun—demands that he apologize and call him “sir.” When Richard refuses, Lyle murders him. Lyle pressures Jo to lie that Richard sexually assaulted her at his trial, presumably to prejudice the white jury in his favor. After his acquittal, when Parnell and Meridian Henry demand the truth from Lyle, he defiantly admits that he murdered Richard and feels no remorse.

Lyle Britten Quotes in Blues for Mister Charlie

The Blues for Mister Charlie quotes below are all either spoken by Lyle Britten or refer to Lyle Britten. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Ken: How much does your wife charge?

Meridian: Now you got it. You really got it now. That’s them. Keep walking, Arthur. Keep walking!

Tom: You get your ass off these streets from around here, boy, or we going to do us some cutting—we’re going to cut that big, black thing off of you, you hear?

Related Characters: Meridian Henry (speaker), Willa Mae , Lyle Britten

Page Number and Citation: 3

Explanation and Analysis:

Meridian Henry is a Black Christian minister who helps to organize protests for racial justice during the African-American civil rights movement (1954–1968). In this passage, he is coaching several Black students, including Ken, Tom, and Arthur, as they roleplay ignoring taunts or threats by white protestors during a nonviolent protest. During the roleplay, Ken and Tom taunt and threaten Arthur with distinctly sexual overtones, thereby emphasizing early in the play the importance of sexual stereotypes to anti-Black racism in a white-supremacist society. When Ken asks, “How much does your wife charge?”, he is imagining a white heckler who assumes—or pretends Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto

Parnell: You may think that a colored boy who gets ruined in the North and then comes home to try to pull himself together deserves to die—I don’t.

Related Characters: Parnell James (speaker), Lyle Britten, Richard Henry

Page Number and Citation: 14

Explanation and Analysis:

Parnell James, a relatively liberal white Southerner in the 1960s, has been working behind the scenes to ensure that the police arrest racist white man Lyle Britten for the murder of a young Black man, Richard Henry. When the police agree to arrest Lyle, Parnell goes to deliver the news to Lyle himself—because Lyle is his longtime friend. After Parnell delivers the news, Lyle says the arrest is nonsense and then criticizes Richard, claiming that living in the North “ruined” him. Parnell’s retort reveals both his racial progressivism relative to Lyle and the limits of Parnell’s anti-racism. When Lyle says Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam

Meridian: Of course, if you go back far enough, you get to a point before Christ, if you see what I mean, B.C.—and at that point, I’ve been thinking, black people weren’t raised to turn the other cheek, and in the hope of heaven. No, then they didn’t have to take low. Before Christ. They walked around just as good as anybody else, and when they died, they didn’t go to heaven, they went to join their ancestors.

Related Characters: Meridian Henry (speaker), Parnell James, Richard Henry, Lyle Britten

Page Number and Citation: 38

Explanation and Analysis:

After Lyle murders Richard, Meridian—who has been organizing nonviolent protests for racial justice—talks to his white friend Parnell James about whether Christian-inflected pacifism is really the right approach to fighting for racial justice. The phrase “turn the other cheek” refers to the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus Christ advises his followers not to return violence for violence: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39). When Meridian says that Black people have been “raised” in Christian nonviolence “in the hope of heaven,” he means that Christianity teaches that people Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferend

Parnell: He’s a poor white man. The poor whites have been just as victimized in this part of the world as the blacks have ever been!

Related Characters: Parnell James (speaker), Richard Henry, Meridian Henry, Old Bill, Lyle Britten

Page Number and Citation: 41

Explanation and Analysis:

After Lyle Britten is arrested on suspicion of having murdered Richard, Meridian talks with Parnell—a white man who is friends with both Meridian and Lyle—about Lyle. Though Parnell himself helped pressure the police chief into arresting Lyle, he asks Meridian to consider whether Lyle might be innocent in Richard’s death. When Meridian points out that Lyle has previously killed a Black man—though the killing was tendentiously ruled “self-defense”—Parnell tries to argue that Lyle isn’t a bad person, just a “poor white man” who has thus been “victimized” like Black people in the South. Parnell’s argument has two functions. One, it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci

Parnell: Meridian—what you ask—I don’t know if I can do it for you.

Meridian: I don’t want you to do it for me. I want you to do it for you.

Related Characters: Meridian Henry (speaker), Parnell James (speaker), Lyle Britten, Richard Henry

Page Number and Citation: 43

Explanation and Analysis:

Meridian has requested that Parnell ask Lyle Britten whether Lyle murdered Meridian’s son Richard. In response, Parnell, who is friends with both Meridian and Lyle, admits, “I don’t know if I can”—suggesting both that Parnell fears betraying his friendship with Lyle and that he fears finding out who Lyle really is. Meridian replies that Parnell wouldn’t be doing it for Meridian but for himself. This reply illuminates why, in the play’s view, white people should be anti-racist. White anti-racism isn’t about white people doing Black people a favor, just as Parnell asking Lyle whether he killed Richard wouldn’t be about Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Volu

Ellis: Mrs. Britten, if you was to be raped by a orang-outang out of the jungle or a stallion, couldn’t do you no worse than a nigger. You wouldn’t be no more good for nobody. I’ve seen it

[…]

That’s why we men have got to be so vigilant.

Related Characters: Lyle Britten, Jo Britten, Richard Henry

Page Number and Citation: 50

Explanation and Analysis:

After the news that Lyle will be arrested for Richard Henry’s murder spreads through town, some white townspeople come to Lyle’s house to show support for Lyle. When the talk turns to race relations, the white townspeople begin to make racist and segregationist comments. Through one such comment, by a white man named Ellis, the play explores the dehumanizing racism and sexism behind white supremacy’s fear of interracial romantic relationships. Ellis dehumanizes Black men, referring to them using a racial slur, by comparing them to “a orang-outang” or a “stallion.” He is essentially claiming that Black men have animalistically large Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantiu

Lillian: I wouldn’t filthy my hands with that Communist sheet!

Parnell: Ah? But the father of your faith, the cornerstone of that church of which you are so precious an adornment, was a communist, possibly the first.

Related Characters: Parnell James (speaker), Richard Henry, Lyle Britten, Jo Britten

Page Number and Citation: 52

Explanation and Analysis:

After Parnell enters Jo and Lyle’s house, where white townspeople have gathered to support Lyle in anticipation of his arrest for the murder of Richard Henry, various white townspeople criticize Parnell for his relatively progressive racial politics. When one woman named Lillian accuses the newspaper Parnell runs of being “Communist,” Parnell retorts that “the father of [her] faith,” i.e. Jesus Christ, “was a communist, possibly the first.” The exchange between Lillian and Parnell reveals the narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy of the town’s nominally Christian white population. The play, which was published in 1964, takes place during the Cold War (1947–1991), decades Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure

Jo: It’s not different—how can you say that? White men ain’t got no more business fooling around with black women than—

Lyle: Girl, will you stop getting yourself into an uproar? Men is different from women—they ain’t as delicate.

Related Characters: Jo Britten (speaker), Lyle Britten (speaker), Parnell James

Page Number and Citation: 59–60

Explanation and Analysis:

Jo and Lyle have been bantering with Parnell about Parnell’s early education in Switzerland, where Parnell was co-educated with upper-class African students who dated American and European white girls. When Lyle claims that he’d never let his daughter go to Switzerland but letting his son go and date African girls would be different, Jo angrily insists that it’s not “different”—but Lyle, talking over her, insists men and women are “different” because men are less “delicate.” The different reactions of Jo and Lyle to interracial romantic relationships illustrate two different forms of racism. Jo’s form of racism is purely segregationist: she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro

Richard: Maybe your wife could run home and get some change. You got some change at home, I know. Don’t you?

Lyle: I don’t stand for nobody to talk about my wife.

Related Characters: Lyle Britten (speaker), Richard Henry (speaker), Jo Britten, Juanita Harmon

Page Number and Citation: 73

Explanation and Analysis:

In a flashback, Richard has entered Lyle’s store with the apparent intention of starting a fight with him—presumably to pay back Lyle for Lyle’s earlier rudeness to Richard’s friend and love interest Juanita. Richard’s main tactic for humiliating Lyle—and secondarily Lyle’s wife Jo—is to ask whether Jo can make change for $20 when Richard tries to buy two Cokes (which cost mere cents in 1964 when the play was first produced). When Jo is unable to make change for $20, Richard sarcastically claims that he “know[s]” the Brittens must have “some change at home”—and then asks, rhetorically, “Don’t you?” The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas.

Lorenzo: They been asking me about photographs they say he was carrying and they been asking me about a gun I never saw. No. It wasn’t like that. He was a beautiful cat, and they killed him.

Related Characters: Lorenzo Shannon (speaker), Lyle Britten, Richard Henry, The State, Counsel for the Bereaved

Related Symbols: Guns, Photos

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

At Lyle Britten’s trial for the murder of Richard Henry, the defense attorney (The State) repeatedly asks witnesses about whether Richard had a gun and whether he ever showed them pornographic photos of white women. When Richard’s friend Lorenzo testifies, he flatly declares, “It wasn’t like that.” This declaration could be interpreted in two ways. Lorenzo could be declaring that Richard didn’t have a gun or pornographic photos of white women. In that case, Lorenzo would either be partially lying or ignorant of the truth: Richard did in fact own a gun, and he did have snapshots of white girlfriends, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earu

Juanita: I am not responsible for your imagination.

Related Characters: Juanita Harmon (speaker), Lyle Britten, The State, Richard Henry, Meridian Henry, Pete Spivey, Jo Britten

Page Number and Citation: 97

Explanation and Analysis:

Lyle Britten’s defense attorney, called The State, has been questioning Juanita about whether she had romantic relationships with Richard Henry, Meridian Henry, or Pete Spivey—and concludes by insinuating that Juanita is an unreliable witness because she is sexually promiscuous. Juanita simply replies, “I am not responsible for your imagination.” This reply is an important thematic statement for the play. Throughout the play, white characters have projected their own sexual anxieties and fantasies onto Black characters in a racist manner. For example, they have claimed that Black men are sexually predatory and that Black women are sexually promiscuous and generally “available.” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debiti

Meridian: I don’t think that the alleged object was my son’s type at all!

The State: And you are a minister?

Meridian: I think I may be beginning to become one.

Related Characters: Meridian Henry (speaker), The State (speaker), Lyle Britten, Richard Henry

Related Symbols: Photos

Page Number and Citation: 105

Explanation and Analysis:

At Lyle’s trial for Richard’s murder, Lyle’s defense attorney, called The State, attempts to get Lyle acquitted by prejudicing the jury against Richard in various ways—essentially putting Richard’s character on trial. While questioning Meridian, the State asks Meridian whether Richard ever showed him pornographic photos of white women—a clear attempt to activate racist stereotypes about predatory Black men interested in white women—and then accuses Richard of having attempted to rape Lyle’s wife Jo. Meridian, aware that the accusation is a ridiculous lie, mockingly replies: “I don’t think the alleged object [i.e. Jo] was my son’s type at all!” By ridiculing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetu

Lyle: You ain’t no better than me!

Parnell: I am aware of that. God knows I have been made aware of that—for the first time in my life.

Related Characters: Parnell James (speaker), Lyle Britten (speaker), Juanita Harmon, Jo Britten, Meridian Henry, Richard Henry

Page Number and Citation: 117

Explanation and Analysis:

After Lyle is acquitted for the murder of Richard, Meridian still demands to know whether Lyle murdered Richard—and Parnell backs Meridian up. Lyle expresses outrage that Parnell seemed to doubt Jo’s story about Richard sexually assaulting her and tells Parnell, “You ain’t no better than me!” Parnell replies that he has “been made aware of that—for the first time.” This exchange helps to characterize how Lyle and Parnell’s characters have developed—or failed to develop—over the course of the play. When Lyle cries out that Parnell isn’t better than he is, he seems to mean that even though Parnell is richer, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspicia

Lyle Britten Character Timeline in Blues for Mister Charlie

The timeline below shows where the character Lyle Britten appears in Blues for Mister Charlie. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

A gunshot rings out. A white man, Lyle, drops the corpse of a young Black man, Richard, and expresses his wish—using a racial... (full context)

Parnell enters and announces that a warrant has been issued for Lyle’s arrest. When Juanita says that no one in town will talk to Parnell anymore, he... (full context)

On the white side of town, Lyle is bouncing his infant son. His wife Jo enters and complains about how Lyle has... (full context)

Jo says Parnell mentioned he would come by with bad news and predicts that Lyle will be arrested: he was the last person to see “that crazy boy” Richard and... (full context)

The Brittens’ bell rings. It’s Parnell. Lyle, calling Parnell “old rascal,” says he’s been too busy with Black people for his white... (full context)

Lyle and Parnell (using racial slurs) discuss whether Richard counted as a “northern” Black person and... (full context)

Parnell asks whether, if Lyle’s son wanted to marry a Chinese girl, Lyle would shoot his son or the girl... (full context)

...asks whether Papa D is a “Tom.” Pete says yes: Papa D still trades with Lyle, who treats Black people badly and whom the students have been boycotting. Juanita explains that... (full context)

...to see him get better and suggests going everywhere with him—because they’re both lonely. Then Lyle walks in. Juanita points him out to Richard, who wonders what would happen if he,... (full context)

...for white people, Meridian says that he just wanted his son to have a life—but Lyle killed him. (full context)

When Parnell claims that they don’t know Lyle killed Richard, Meridian points out that there’s no other suspect, Lyle killed Old Bill, and... (full context)

Parnell asks Meridian to consider whether Lyle didn’t do it and claims that Lyle “suffers.” When Meridian asks how, Parnell says Lyle... (full context)

On Sunday morning in Lyle and Jo’s kitchen, several white women are helping Jo cook for a wedding anniversary celebration... (full context)

Lyle—who up to this point has been sleeping—now enters the kitchen. When he apologizes to Reverend... (full context)

Jo and Lyle’s guests begin to leave. As they go, they give Lyle words of comfort and support.... (full context)

When Parnell asks whether Lyle will send his son to school in Switzerland, Jo comments that Parnell got his “wild... (full context)

...sex with Black women any more than white women should have sex with Black men, Lyle essentially tells her to be quiet because men are different. For a moment, Lyle and... (full context)

After Lyle leaves to go bathe and dress, Jo asks Parnell whether it’s true that Lyle was... (full context)

...with her. Jo, panicked, says that if Parnell could feel that way about Pearl, maybe Lyle could have felt that way about Old Bill’s wife Willa Mae. And if he killed... (full context)

Parnell tells Jo that Lyle told him he didn’t kill Richard—and Parnell believes that Lyle wouldn’t lie to him. Lyle... (full context)

Lyle admits that something about Richard coming to town made him think about Willa Mae. Lyle... (full context)

Parnell asks why Lyle and Old Bill fought, then. Lyle says Old Bill suspected Lyle of “cheating” him in... (full context)

In a flashback, Lyle and Parnell help Jo bring a baby carriage into the store. Lyle goes into the... (full context)

Jo calls to Lyle, asking whether he has change for 20 dollars. Lyle walks in, carrying a hammer, and... (full context)

Jo, panicked, tells Lyle not to fight Richard—whom she calls a “crazy” “boy”—with the baby in the store. Then... (full context)

When Lyle tells Richard and Lorenzo to remember it was two on one, Lorenzo points out that... (full context)

In the present, Lyle tells Parnell, using a racial slur, that after the incident in the store, Black people... (full context)

Parnell asks whether he and Lyle are friends. When Lyle says yes enthusiastically, Parnell admits that he wondered why Lyle wanted... (full context)

...stops and asks what’s wrong—he looks “sick.” Parnell says he wanted to arrive earlier but Lyle wouldn’t let him leave. Juanita asks whether he was trying to “beat a confession out... (full context)

...Mr. Arpino is mixed-race. She also worries that she is becoming an unmarriageable spinster. Then Lyle approaches her for coffee. In another flashback, Reverend Phelps marries Jo and Lyle. Jo is... (full context)

A lawyer known as “The State” asks Jo her relationship to Lyle. She says she’s his wife. Then the State asks her to narrate the first time... (full context)

...assault her in the middle of the day, in a public store, with her husband Lyle in the back room. Jo claims Richard didn’t know Lyle was there. When the Counsel... (full context)

Through additional questioning of Jo, the Counsel for the Bereaved establishes that—according to Jo—Lyle never saw Richard with his hands on Jo, and Jo told Lyle about the alleged... (full context)

...known to most as Papa D, is called to the witness stand. In a flashback, Lyle demands to know why Joel told Old Bill about Willa Mae—especially since Willa Mae isn’t... (full context)

On the stand, Papa D calls Lyle an “oppressor” who, unlike many white people, refuses to change his opinion on Black people... (full context)

...his life that he's felt there is more to existence than “pain and darkness.” Then Lyle enters the juke joint and asks whether Richard is “ready.” Richard insists on playing one... (full context)

...him two dollars. Richard pays and leaves. Papa D says goodbye to Richard and to Lyle. Then, as the flashback ends, Papa D testifies that he never saw Richard again—and that... (full context)

...the present, Lorenzo takes the stand. The State asks whether Lorenzo went with Richard to Lyle’s store on August 17th. Lorenzo says that events didn’t occur the way Jo said—Richard never... (full context)

The State asks Juanita about the fight between Lyle and Richard at Lyle’s store. When Juanita says she wasn’t there, the State asks whether... (full context)

...Eventually Juanita convinced him to take her away from town, but before they could go, Lyle killed him—just like white men have been killing Black men for centuries. The judge dismisses... (full context)

In another flashback, Parnell is going hunting with Lyle on Parnell’s property. Lyle is asking Parnell whether it would be a good idea to... (full context)

Parnell shoots at some animal and misses. Lyle shoots and kills a bird. When Parnell congratulates him, Lyle says his father taught him... (full context)

...spectators say they distrust him because he’s white. The State asks Parnell about Richard and Lyle. Parnell says he’s friends with Richard’s father Meridian—and with Lyle. When the State asks whether... (full context)

...asks how it’s possible that Parnell didn’t hear about it given his close friendship with Lyle and Jo. Parnell says he doesn’t know. Both white and Black spectators yell at Parnell... (full context)

When the State asks how Lyle could have failed to mention an attempted rape, Parnell hems and haws and says he... (full context)

Lyle is called to the stand. In a flashback, Lyle monologues about what his son or... (full context)

In the present, Lyle walks up to the stand. The judge asks the jury whether they’ve reached a verdict.... (full context)

Parnell says it’s not “good enough.” Lyle criticizes him for seeming not to trust Jo’s story on the stand and says that... (full context)

Meridian demands to know whether Richard pleaded for his life before Lyle shot him. Lyle exclaims that Richard was too clever and too proud. He insists that... (full context)

When Richard exclaims he has “things to do,” Lyle says he does too and admits he wants to go home. Richard asks why they’re... (full context)

When Lyle pulls out a gun, Richard asks why Lyle won’t stop harassing him, saying that he... (full context)

In the present, Lyle yells that he had to murder Richard because no one can talk to him, a... (full context)

Lyle Britten Character Analysis

Lyle Britten Quotes in Blues for Mister Charlie

Act 1 Quotes

Act 2 Quotes

Act 3 Quotes

Lyle Britten Character Timeline in Blues for Mister Charlie