Richard Henry Character Analysis in Blues for Mister Charlie

Richard Henry, son to Meridian Henry and grandson to Mother Henry, is a young Black man from an unnamed town in the U.S. South. In his youth, he is a friend or boyfriend to Juanita Harmon. When Richard is about 14, his mother dies in a fall at a white hotel. Richard, knowing that white men sexually harassed his mother, believes that one of them pushed her. Afterwards, Richard goes to live in New York City with his Aunt Edna, where he becomes a musician. Richard begins dating white women whom he dislikes, working long hours at music gigs, and eventually—to assuage his loneliness—using heroin. After hitting rock bottom in his addiction, he comes back to his hometown to recover, where he reignites his relationship with Juanita, now a college student involved in protests for African American civil rights. Richard’s refusal to treat white people as if they are better than he is inspires another young Black man, Lorenzo Shannon, but draws the wrath of racist white store owner Lyle Britten. After a tense conversation over change for a $20 leads to a physical altercation between Richard and Lyle in Lyle’s store, Richard contemplates leaving town with Juanita. Before he can leave, Lyle murders him—despite Richard’s exhausted questioning of their masculine posturing and his willingness to admit they are both men, Richard’s refusal to apologize to Lyle or call him “sir” makes Lyle homicidally furious. Afterward, Lyle is tried but acquitted for Richard’s murder.

Richard Henry Quotes in Blues for Mister Charlie

The Blues for Mister Charlie quotes below are all either spoken by Richard Henry or refer to Richard Henry. 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:

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), Richard Henry, Lyle Britten

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

Richard: My mother fell down the steps of that damn white hotel? My mother was pushed—you remember yourself how them white bastards was always sniffing around my mother, always around her—because she was pretty and black!

Related Characters: Richard Henry (speaker), Mother Henry

Page Number and Citation: 20–21

Explanation and Analysis:

In a flashback, Richard Henry—who has returned to his childhood home after eight years in New York City to recover from a heroin addiction—is talking with his grandmother Mother Henry about his mother’s death, the event that led Richard to leave the South in the first place. Richard’s mother was found dead at the bottom of some rain-soaked stairs at a white hotel (presumably her place of employment). Though Mother Henry claims that Richard’s mother died in an accidental fall, Richard insists that she “was pushed.” Richard’s justification for believing that his mother was murdered illuminates the different ways that 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. Im

Richard: Every one of them’s got some piss-assed, faggoty white boy on a string somewhere. They go home and marry him, dig, when they can’t make it with me no more—but when they want some loving, funky, down-home, bring-it-on-here-and-put-it-on-the-table style—

Juanita: They sound very sad. It must be very sad for you, too.

Related Characters: Richard Henry (speaker), Juanita Harmon (speaker), Pete Spivey, Meridian Henry

Page Number and Citation: 26

Explanation and Analysis:

Richard, recently returned home to the South from New York City, has gone out with college students and racial-justice protestors Juanita and Pete for drinks and dancing. Richard is bragging about taking money from his white girlfriends who want him for his superior “loving,” i.e. sexual prowess. This quotation shows how Richard has reacted to feelings of being “emasculated” in a white-supremacist society with internalized racism and unproductive attempts at revenge. The audience already knows that Richard believes his mother was murdered by a white man whose sexual advances she refused; he feels that he and his father have been 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 co

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), Lyle Britten, Parnell James, Richard Henry

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), Meridian Henry, Old Bill, Lyle Britten, Richard Henry

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), Richard Henry, Lyle Britten

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, Richard Henry, Jo Britten

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

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), Juanita Harmon, Jo Britten

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.

Juanita: I used to watch you roaring through this town like a St. George thirsty for dragons. And I wanted to let you know you haven’t got to do all that; dragons aren’t hard to find, they’re everywhere. And nobody wants you to be St. George. We just want you to be Parnell.

Related Characters: Juanita Harmon (speaker), Richard Henry, Parnell James

Page Number and Citation: 79

Explanation and Analysis:

At Richard’s funeral, Parnell is talking to Juanita when he realizes aloud—for the first time—that Juanita loved Richard. When Juanita asks how Parnell manages to be ignorant of so many things, he asks why she’s being harsh, and she eventually explains that he acts, unnecessarily, “like a St. George thirsty for dragons.” In the legend of St. George and the dragon, St. George (the patron saint of England) slays a dragon that has been besieging a city and eating its inhabitants. Through the comparison to St. George, Juanita is suggesting that Parnell has a hero complex—or perhaps more specifically a 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.

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), Richard Henry, Lyle Britten, 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), Jo Britten, The State, Lyle Britten, Richard Henry, Meridian Henry, Pete Spivey

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

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), Jo Britten, Meridian Henry, Richard Henry, Juanita Harmon

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

Richard Henry Character Timeline in Blues for Mister Charlie

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

...gunshot rings out. A white man, Lyle, drops the corpse of a young Black man, Richard, and expresses his wish—using a racial slur—that every Black person should die like Richard. Later,... (full context)

...he wishes they were in an “arsenal” and says he doesn’t understand Meridian: Meridian’s son Richard was murdered last week, and the “white man’s God” let it happen. (full context)

...police arrested any protestors. Pete says the police are too busy trying to explain away Richard’s corpse. When Meridian declares his intention to bring the murderer to trial, Lorenzo points out... (full context)

...that Lyle will be arrested: he was the last person to see “that crazy boy” Richard and that now everyone is thinking about “that other time.” Lyle insists the other time... (full context)

Lyle and Parnell (using racial slurs) discuss whether Richard counted as a “northern” Black person and whether the North “ruined” him. Lyle thinks yes;... (full context)

...Black side of town, in church, Meridian, Mother Henry, and the Black students reminisce about Richard’s favorite songs. In a brief flashback, Richard sings in his childhood room. When Mother Henry... (full context)

Richard asks Mother Henry what she found out. She says she learned to care for her... (full context)

Mother Henry asks why Richard didn’t come home. He says he wanted Meridian to be proud of him—because he wasn’t... (full context)

Richard takes out a gun and tells Mother Henry that he’ll “take one of the bastards... (full context)

Richard, Juanita, and Pete go to Papa D’s Juke Joint. Juanita reintroduces Richard to Papa D,... (full context)

Richard expresses disgust that white men can assault and kill Black women, while any Black man... (full context)

Pete excuses himself for a moment. When Richard asks Juanita to dance, she declines and asks whether he was “sick.” Richard asks why... (full context)

...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, Richard, walked into a “white place” so casually.... (full context)

...Juanita why she’s been avoiding him. He says that she started withdrawing as soon as Richard arrived, but even now that Richard’s dead, she won’t turn to him. Juanita tries to... (full context)

In a flashback, Richard returns home from Papa D’s juke joint and runs into Meridian. They chat, and Richard... (full context)

When Richard insists that Meridian let Richard go North because he was afraid Richard was ashamed of... (full context)

...and then he points out that his Christianity didn’t save his wife or his son Richard. (full context)

...his life is hard too—Meridian says that when Parnell was talking to the police about Richard’s case, he saw Richard as a “problem,” not a human being. Parnell claims he took... (full context)

...is, Meridian explains it’s Parnell—it’s “all white men.” When Parnell says that Meridian sounds like Richard, expressing Black people’s smothered hate for white people, Meridian says that he just wanted his... (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 Lyle hates... (full context)

...an evil person. Meridian demands that Parnell go ask his friend Lyle whether Lyle killed Richard. Parnell demurs, saying he can’t “betray” Lyle. Meridian says that Parnell can betray Meridian, though—that... (full context)

...he killed Old Bill over Willa Mae, not in self-defense, then he could have killed Richard—and it would be murder. Parnell cautions Jo to be quiet. Lyle calls from another room... (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 reenters the kitchen with his son... (full context)

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

...says Old Bill, of course. Parnell says he thought Lyle might have been talking about Richard. Lyle admits that Richard did come into the store at one point and says he... (full context)

...the back of the store, while Parnell leaves. While Lyle hammers in the back room, Richard and Lorenzo walk past the store. Richard wants to buy a Coke. When Lorenzo tells... (full context)

...has change for 20 dollars. Lyle walks in, carrying a hammer, and says he doesn’t. Richard sarcastically expresses disbelief and says he thought “white folks was rich at every hour.” Lyle... (full context)

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

When Lyle tells Richard and Lorenzo to remember it was two on one, Lorenzo points out that he never... (full context)

...days.” Parnell notes that Lyle never actually called the sheriff—and that it’s almost time for Richard’s funeral. Again using racial slurs, Lyle wishes aloud that every Black person dies like Richard,... (full context)

...it was money. Parnell asks whether Lyle has said all he means to say about Richard. Lyle says that Parnell can hear the rest at the trial. When Parnell says he... (full context)

In church in the Black part of town, Meridian is preaching at Richard’s funeral. He preaches that while he and his people have undergone terrible suffering in the... (full context)

After the sermon, Mother Henry lines up the mourners to say their farewells to Richard. Parnell enters looking worse for wear. As Juanita files past him, she stops and asks... (full context)

...ever could have had something, Juanita says there was once a possibility—but no longer. Nevertheless, Richard taught her how to love, and she plans to recover. (full context)

...she’s his wife. Then the State asks her to narrate the first time she encountered Richard. Jo claims that when Richard came into the store, he said “dirty” things to her... (full context)

...lawyer called “The Counsel for the Bereaved” asks Jo whether it wouldn’t be strange for Richard to sexually assault her in the middle of the day, in a public store, with... (full context)

...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 assault but asked... (full context)

...way.” When Black spectators demand to know why Papa D didn’t stop Lyle from killing Richard, Papa D admits that both he and Lyle loved money. Papa D, having already covered... (full context)

Papa D’s monologue transitions into a flashback. Papa D is telling Richard to leave town if he feels like his life is going well and he’s found... (full context)

Richard finishes his drink and asks how much he owes Papa D. When Papa D suggests... (full context)

In 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... (full context)

...that he knows he’s under oath—and that the reason for the fight was simply that Richard hated white people. Then the Counsel for the Bereaved begins questioning Lorenzo, asking whether Richard... (full context)

Juanita is called to the stand. In a flashback, Juanita monologues about how sex with Richard felt like “life and death.” She wishes that she could have given birth to Richard... (full context)

...that “somebody had to twist” her arm. The State asks how old Juanita was when Richard’s mother died. Juanita was 16. The State asks whether she and Richard were talking about... (full context)

The State asks whether Juanita had other boyfriends between Richard’s departure and his return—and whether her loneliness and Meridian’s caused her and Meridian to draw... (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 Richard was... (full context)

...wants to ask her a question just one time: was he imagining their connection before Richard arrived? Juanita says he wasn’t imagining it—he was lonely and hoping, as was she. When... (full context)

...in the present, Juanita testifies that she tried to make plans to leave town with Richard, but Richard said he wanted to remain and live as a man rather than keep... (full context)

...out that no white person ever referred to her as “Mrs. Henry” either, not until Richard was murdered. The State claims that he and every white person in town feels Mrs.... (full context)

The State asks Mother Henry whether she ever saw Richard acting like he was on drugs. She says no, except for the time she saw... (full context)

...for a woman. In the present, the State asks whether Meridian is a reverend and Richard’s father, who raised his son a Christian. Meridian says that he tried, but Richard often... (full context)

...minister, certainly wouldn’t have encouraged his son to carry a gun. Meridian says he and Richard never really discussed that—he never saw Richard carry a gun, and the topic only came... (full context)

The State insinuates that Richard strayed from Christianity because Meridian, in preaching “social equality,” served as a bad Christian example.... (full context)

...who was trying to help his son become a man—but the “pursuit” of manhood killed Richard due to overwhelming white racism in every sphere, including law and religion. The Black spectators... (full context)

The State asks Meridian about Richard’s obscene photos of himself and white women. Meridian says Richard never told him about any... (full context)

...the Black 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... (full context)

The State asks Parnell what he thought of Richard. Parnell says that Richard was a worthy person even if he was “tactless.” When the... (full context)

...that Parnell is the first witness to say the photos existed, Parnell says he discouraged Richard from showing them to anyone due to the “danger”—and that Richard wouldn’t have showed the... (full context)

The State asks whether Richard’s attempt to rape Jo damaged Parnell’s friendship with Meridian. Parnell says he never heard anything... (full context)

...mention an attempted rape, Parnell hems and haws and says he thought Jo had misunderstood Richard. The State asks how she could misunderstand a forced kiss. Parnell acknowledges that that seems... (full context)

...snaps at Meridian that the trial was clearly a mistake, Meridian asks whether Lyle killed Richard. Lyle says the white jury’s verdict ought to be “good enough” for Meridian. (full context)

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

When Richard exclaims he has “things to do,” Lyle says he does too and admits he wants... (full context)

When Lyle pulls out a gun, Richard asks why Lyle won’t stop harassing him, saying that he wants nothing from white people,... (full context)

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

Richard Henry Character Analysis

Richard Henry Quotes in Blues for Mister Charlie

Act 1 Quotes

Act 2 Quotes

Act 3 Quotes

Richard Henry Character Timeline in Blues for Mister Charlie