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Negotiating Identity
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Father Comes Home from the Wars, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Early in Father Comes Home from the Wars, Fourth Less Desirable notes that it’s hard to take the measure of a man. Boss-Master, a white slaveowner, would disagree with this assessment, at least when it comes to enslaved Black people: most of the middle part of the play is given over to an imagined auction in which he schools his Union captive in how to calculate Hero’s worth down to the dollar. The play thus sets up a contrast between two competing value systems, one that sees a person’s value based on their economic contributions to their enslaver, and another that considers a person’s character.
Even while he’s being held captive by Boss-Master, Smith feels certain of his priceless worth as a human being. Likewise, despite his physical disability, Homer holds himself with dignity and shows his worth by treating others—Penny, the Runaways, even Hero, who betrayed him—with unerring respect. In contrast, Hero cannot stop thinking of his value as a person in his enslaver’s terms. He impresses Boss-Master by refusing to “steal” himself by running away, either with Homer or during the war. He queries Smith about how much he will be worth if—or when—he’s free, and he can’t understand the appeal in being worth “nothing” (by which he means his worth can’t be measured with a dollar amount). He cannot understand that being worth “nothing” means human life is priceless, not valueless. Through Hero’s tortured example—even after he knows he and the others are legally free thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation—the play rebukes the idea of ever placing a monetary value on human lives while also exploring the psychological violence this idea plays on its victims.
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A Person’s Worth ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of A Person’s Worth appears in each part of Father Comes Home from the Wars. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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A Person’s Worth Quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars
Below you will find the important quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars related to the theme of A Person’s Worth.
Part 1 Quotes
SECOND
Some of us are betting that Hero’s going to the War.
LEADER
And some of us are betting that he’ll stay.
FOURTH
You might be the best at measuring Night
But that don’t mean you the best at measuring Men.
THIRD
Early risers have their say but we gotta make our own choices on this
Each of us gotta make a measure of the man
We gotta choose for ourselves.
(Rest)
I got a brass button
I might be betting that Hero is—
Going to the War.
FOURTH
I got a banjo.
THIRD
Don’t bet that.
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In the pre-dawn darkness, Hero’s friends and companions gather to place their wagers on whether he will choose to go to the Civil alongside Boss-Master or will stay home on the plantation. Their brief exchange illuminates one of the play’s central concerns: how to take what Fourth and Third call the “measure of the man,” or how to judge a person’s character. It’s immediately clear that this is an important task. Each of the chorus members wagers one of their few and precious possessions on Hero’s choice, emphasizing how high the stakes are. Anyone who misjudges Hero risks losing valuable 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. R
Part 2 Quotes
SMITH
Huh.
(Rest)
We captured a Jeb a while back. He didn’t own any slaves but he’d been promised 10 for his service. “10 is a good number,” he kept saying. He didn’t have a dollar to his name. He signed up for the war in another man’s place, see, there was a rich man, who had been called up to serve, and, the rich man didn’t want to come to the War so he got this poor fellah to come in his stead. Said he’d give him 10 slaves for his trouble when he got home. The fellah was pretty excited about the prospect. “10 is a good number,” he kept saying. He had the promise-paper in his pocket and he’d show it to our Colonel every chance he got.
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Colonel and Smith chat in their makeshift camp while they wait for Hero to return from fetching wood and water or for one of the advancing units (one Confederate, one Union) to discover them. Colonel praises the joys of slavery to Smith, who swears that he does not, has not ever, and never will have any interest in enslaving others. Then, Smith tells this story. It underlines the power dynamics inherent in the white supremacist thinking that supported slavery in America. The wealthy southern landowner manipulates the poor Confederate soldier by playing to his idea of racial superiority. Racialized thinking 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 de
COLONEL
You might have commanded them but I own them. And because I own them I have an understanding of them that you don’t have and never will. Hero knows his worth to the penny, and, well, the poor thing is honest. Meaning he won’t run off not now not never. He told me one day: “Master,” he said, “running off, well, that would be the same as stealing,” he said.
SMITH
He came to War with you. He came willingly?
COLONEL
I asked him to join me and he did so without a second’s thought. To get him on board I had to sweeten the pot.
I promised him his Freedom.
SMITH
And you’ll keep your Word?
COLONEL
Things these days have grown so very complicated.
SMITH
You don’t intent to keep your word to him.
COLONEL
I didn’t say that.
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As Colonel and Smith argue their respective sides on the issue of slavery, Colonel decides to educate Smith about the value of enslaved workers. This passage highlights and contrasts two ways of judging a person’s value. The first—the enslaver’s way—measures the dollar amount another enslaver would be willing to pay for an enslaved worker. This is obviously dehumanizing, because it treats Hero and others as commodities rather than as human beings. That’s the logic behind the idea that by running away, Hero wouldn’t be claiming his rightful autonomy but stealing something valuable from his enslaver. Yet, attaching a dollar value 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 at
COLONEL
Tell you what, Captain Smith.
The Colonel invites Smith to exit the cage.
COLONEL
Play along with us and, if you can, using the information provided, if you can determine Hero’s original worth, that is, the price he was when he came to me, then he’ll be yours.
HERO
Just like that.
SMITH
You’d have your freedom in a heartbeat.
HERO
Just like that?
COLONEL
Just like that. Now, just so it’s all above board, Hero knows his purchase price so we can’t accuse Colonel of dishonesty should Captain guess correctly. All right with Smith?
SMITH
All right with Hero?
HERO
Alright.
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To past the time, Colonel tries to get Smith to engage in a guessing game about how much he paid to acquire Hero as his enslaved person. Smith, a Yankee through and through, makes it clear that he finds the exercise repugnant and humiliating to Hero, so Colonel tries to sweeten the pot by wagering Hero himself. This is perhaps the ultimate expression of his dehumanizing commodification of Hero’s life—Hero becomes a pawn in a game played for his enslaver’s entertainment. Notably, if Colonel gives Hero to someone else, he implicitly breaks his promise of freedom, because Hero’s new enslaver 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 corpori
COLONEL
I know what I would do. I would be sorry to see you go.
I would be. And Missus. She would stand on the porch crying and I would put a brave face on it while you went off down the road, heading who knows where to do who knows what, she’d be crying and I’d be standing there wearing my brave face. […] Then would come night fall and we’d be getting ready for bed, Missus would have the bed covers pulled up over her head and I would be sitting on the bed, unable to lie down. Cause I’d be feeling like my good life had left me. Just like I felt when my son died but worse, cause you wouldn’t be dead, Hero, you’d just be gone. And I’d weep.
The Colonel breaks down crying. Real tears.
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Moments after humiliating Hero by pointing out to Smith exactly how much Hero’s life is worth—in dollars and cents—to his enslavers, Colonel tries to remind Hero that he plans to give Hero his freedom after the war. But then, he falls into imagining what that will feel like for him. In this passage, he shows himself incapable of any empathy for Hero whatsoever. In imagining the day after he follows through on his promise, he can only summon pity for himself and all that he stands to lose. In a subtle way, his selfishness itself condemns him, because his projected 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 volupta
HERO
How much you think we’re gonna be worth when Freedom comes? What kind of a price will we fetch then?
SMITH
We won’t have a price. Just like they don’t. That’ll be the beauty of it.
HERO
What’s the beauty in being worth nothing?
SMITH
We won’t be able to be moved around, beaten, bought or sold, forced to work and make men rich while we stay poor.
HERO
Most soldiers they’re poor, Colored and White both.
SMITH
There’s more to Freedom than I can explain, but believe me it’s like living in Glory.
HERO
Who will I belong to?
SMITH
You’ll belong to yourself.
HERO
So—[…] when I’m walking down the road […] and a Patroller comes up to me and says “Whose nigger are you, Nigger?” I’m gonna say, “I belong to myself?” Today I can say, “I belong to the Colonel.”
[…] Hero holds up his hands.
Reminiscent of: “Hands up! Don’t shoot!”
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After learning about Smith’s backstory—specifically, that he was enslaved in his youth but now lives as a free Black man—Hero tries to understand what it would be like to actually have freedom. In this passage, the play uses Smith to give eloquent voice to the hope and promise of freedom. And Hero, who cannot stop clinging to the monetary value his enslavers have placed on his precious and priceless human life, exemplifies one facet of slavery’s tragedy and trauma. Yet, as much as the play encourages empathy toward Hero for his failure to see his inherent human worth, it also 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 dignissim
HERO
Feels good. Don’t know if it’s the Captain part of the Union part. Probably some of both.
(Rest)
You know what I call the Colonel behind his back? I call him “Peacock.”
SMITH
“Colonel Peacock”?
HERO
No, just “Peacock.” Him and that fool bird-wing feather in his cap that he loves so much. “Peacock.”
(Rest)
Sometimes I think there’s a broke part of me inside.
Snapped in two. Huh.
(Rest)
The Colonel, he says, “Get over here, Hero, and do this and that.” And I say, “Yes, sir,” out loud but to myself I say, “Sure thing, Peacock, sure thing, Peacock.” Sometime he wonders why I’m smiling and that’s how come.
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When Colonel leaves the camp, Smith encourages Hero to try on the Union captain’s coat over his Confederate uniform. This visually mirrors the way Smith has just been trying to get Hero to try on the idea of freedom and autonomy—the idea that his life is priceless—for himself. The fact, then, that the coat fits and looks good symbolically suggests to readers, if not to Hero, that he deserves freedom. And, for the first time, Hero admits his own small acts of defiance toward Boss-Master. Up to this point, Hero wouldn’t admit anything less than complete obedience toward Boss-Master to 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. Mol
SMITH
[…] This world is such a mess. How’s a colored gonna make his way? […] You could be bought and sold and so could I.
HERO
That’ll end with Freedom.
SMITH
But what if it don’t somehow? Sometimes I get the feeling that the heart of the thing won’t change easy or quick. Cause of the way we were bought and brought over here in the first place. Maybe even with Freedom, that mark, huh, that mark of the marketplace, it will always be on us. And so maybe we will always be twisting and turning ourselves into something that is going to bring the best price. That’s the way we were born into this, so is it always gonna be like that for us, slavery or not? Are we ever going to get us a better place in the marketplace?
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As Smith and Hero discuss the promises of freedom, Smith’s ruminations take a dark turn. Like the earlier moment in which Hero put his hands up in a modern gesture, suggesting that the questions about the value of Black lives weren’t decided by the Civil War but continue to need attention in the modern era, this moment invites readers to consider how their own society has made good on or failed the promise of freedom. Notably, Hero and Smith have changed roles in this moment. Up to this point, Hero was the one incapable of imagining freedom, leaving Smith (or, 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.
Part 3 Quotes
ULYSSES
[…] But there’ll be plenty of time to talk more about that. Plenty of time for more stories.
(Rest)
Homer, this here’s for you.
From his satchel, he pulls out a foot, more like a shoe last, made of white alabaster.
HOMER
A foot.
[…]
A foot. I thank you.
ULYSSES
They use it to model shoes on. The shop had burned to the ground. I seen it laying in the ash. Let it take the place of the one you lost.
HOMER
I didn’t lose it. Wasn’t like I woke up one morning and couldn’t remember where I put it.
ULYSSES
Well, you know.
(Rest)
It’s made of alabaster. It’s worth a lot.
HOMER
I thank you.
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As Ulysses, Hero returns home bearing gifts for his friends. This is part of his attempt to find redemption for his earlier betrayal of them and to make good on the assertion of his new name that he’s become a new (and better) person. But the insufficiency of his trinkets quickly becomes clear. The alabaster foot might be monetarily valuable—it’s made of a precious material and thus was likely expensive when it was first purchased by the store where Hero found it—but it has little actual value to Homer. It can’t replace the flesh-and-blood foot that he lost; in fact, 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 perf
