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LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Have You Seen Us?, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Have You Seen Us? illustrates how religion can either reinforce cultural prejudice or help to transcend it, depending on whether a person follows their religion shallowly or sincerely. In the play, main character Henry Parsons grew up in a culturally Christian milieu but is not himself religious. One Christmas Eve, he encounters a Jewish couple, Solly and Rachel, outside of a sandwich shop and casually wishes them a “happy Christmas.” When Solly expresses thanks but gently points out that he and his wife are Jewish, Henry—already in a psychologically fragile state due to an earlier humiliating conversation with sandwich-shop waitress Adela—interprets Solly’s gentle correction as an intense, bruising rejection. Henry’s feeling of rejection activates his antisemitism, against which he struggles for the rest of the play. This dynamic suggests that Henry’s shallow, nonbelieving “cultural Christianity” reinforces his preexisting antisemitism, which he attributes to growing up in an antisemitic culture in South Africa. Yet on the other hand, when Henry later apologizes to Solly for his antisemitism and begs forgiveness, Solly—implicitly a devout observer of Judaism—not only forgives Henry, but he also tells Henry that “God will also forgive” him. Solly’s sincere invocation of religious belief helps Henry mystically transcend his own prejudices in a way that Henry’s superficial relationship to Christianity could not. Thus, the novel suggests that shallow and merely “cultural” religious attachments like Henry’s tend to reinforce prejudices, whereas deeply held religious beliefs like Solly’s can help people transcend or overcome such prejudices.
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Religion ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Religion appears in each chapter of Have You Seen Us?. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Have You Seen Us?
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Religion Quotes in Have You Seen Us?
Below you will find the important quotes in Have You Seen Us? related to the theme of Religion.
Have You Seen Us? Quotes
Henry: (With simple sincerity) Thank you. Thank you very much. That was very beautiful . . . and leaves me amazed once again at the Almighty’s infinite capacity for mistakes: that voice in your body.
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This quotation shows Henry and Adela at an ambiguous halfway point in their relationship, between enmity and friendship. After Henry has badgered and coaxed Adela to sing a song for him, Adela does. In the aftermath, Henry praises her performance as “very beautiful” with what the stage directions describe as “simple sincerity,” showing that he is softening toward her and becoming willing to show her respect. Yet, in the very same speech, he also calls “that voice in [Adela’s] body” a mistake on God’s part—yet another insult to Adela’s appearance that uses gendered beauty norms policing women’s thinness to humiliate 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
Henry: Two very lost old people from the look of things, don’t you think? I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t get a “missing persons” card in my mail next week with their pictures on it. “Have You Seen Us?” Oh yes! I have not only seen them, my dear Adela, what is amazing is I also happen to know them.
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Elderly Jewish immigrant couple Solly and Rachel have entered the sandwich shop where Adela works, asked whether the shop sells chicken soup, and left upon learning that the answer is no. Afterward, Henry pronounces to Adela that the couple’s sudden appearance is “amazing” because he “happen[s] to know them.” Henry is referring to an incident on Christmas Eve several months prior, in which Henry casually wished Solly and Rachel a “happy Christmas” outside the sandwich shop and Solly gently informed Henry that he and his wife were Jewish. Here, Henry is an unreliable narrator: he claims to have seen Solly 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
Henry: . . . There . . . gouged out in the tarmac in front of one of the parking bays, and obviously intended for the car and its occupants that had been parked there, was the Star of David . . . Do you know what that is, Adela?
(He goes to the chalkboard menu, wipes away what was written, then takes a piece of chalk and draws the Star of David.)
The Jewish Star of David . . . the one Hitler pinned on the clothes of little boys and girls, marking them down for the grand “Final Solution.”
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Henry is describing to Adela the antisemitic graffiti he encountered in a parking lot near his apartment on his morning walk. Two elements of his description are notable. First, although the Star of David has represented Jewish heritage, culture, and religion generally for centuries, Henry defines the Star of David specifically according to its use in the Holocaust, describing it as “the one Hitler pinned on the clothes of little boys and girls, marking them down for the grand ‘Final Solution.’” Henry is referring to the World War II-era (1939–1945) Nazi legal requirement that Jewish people in Nazi-occupied territories wear 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.
Henry: Now listen, this monster . . . what do you call it . . . monstruo? . . .
(He now points at the menu.)
Is those three words . . . and those three words . . .
(He now points at his own chest.)
. . . are inside me.
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Henry is trying to explain his unwanted, deep-seated antisemitism to Adela through an extended metaphor involving the 1979 film Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver. He equates the monstrous alien parasite in the film to “those three words” (the antisemitic graffiti “Fuck You Jew,” which he has reproduced on the sandwich shop’s chalkboard menu) and says that that parasite is “inside” him. In the film, a crewmember on a spaceship named Kane is attacked by an alien and temporarily survives but—unbeknownst to him—is infected by the alien’s parasitic young. In arguably the film’s most famous scene, Kane thinks the danger is over 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
Henry: The monster had got a name, you know. Prejudice! That’s the name of the disease, my darling. And the symptoms are the same, whether it’s Jew or black or coolie, that you happen to be looking at . . . hatred and fear of anything that is different. It’s endemic to that beautiful country of mine. Like all decent liberal-minded men and women back there, I, of course, thought I had cured myself of it. Maybe others did. I hadn’t. I’m rotten with it.
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Up to this point, Henry has been describing his unwanted but deep-seated antisemitism to Adela as a “monster” like the murderous alien parasites in the 1979 science-fiction film Alien. Here, he changes his metaphor from “monster” to “disease.” His metaphor switch subtly changes what he is implying about his own culpability for his antisemitism. The murderous parasites in Alien victimize their human prey in ways almost totally beyond the humans’ understanding or control. Thus, the metaphorical equation of prejudice with a monstrous alien parasite suggests that prejudiced people aren’t individually culpable for their prejudice—rather, cultural forces are infecting them and 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. V
Solly: (Wagging a loving finger at Henry): Just like Aaron! (Nudging Rachel and pointing at Henry) You see him. In the book again. Just like Aaron.
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Solly and Rachel have returned to the sandwich shop after failing to find adequate food elsewhere. After they order turkey sandwiches and sit at a table, Solly notices Henry reading and says, “Just like Aaron!” Notably, the stage directions describe Solly as “wagging a loving finger at Henry” as Solly makes the comparison between Aaron and Henry. It is later revealed that Aaron was Solly and Rachel’s beloved son who is now “gone,” presumably dead. This brief interaction is important because it sets Solly up as a foil for Henry. Henry has just described prejudice as a “hatred and fear 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 om
Henry: I hated you.
Solly: I know.
(Pause. They look unflinchingly into each other’s eyes.)
But why?
Henry: You were ugly . . . you were a Jew . . .
Solly: I still am.
(A pause. Henry is shaking his head in denial.)
Speak. I will listen.
Henry: (After a gesture of utter helplessness): I don’t know . . . now you are beautiful . . . I . . . love you.
Solly: Then God will also forgive you.
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After Solly and Rachel—at Henry and Adela’s urging—perform a Hebrew song that they used to sing with their much-beloved (and likely dead) son Aaron, an emotionally overwhelmed Henry begs Solly’s forgiveness for his prior antisemitic reaction to Solly and his wife. Though Solly does immediately forgive Henry, he also asks Henry gentle questions about what he is forgiving Henry for. Henry’s explanation that Solly was “ugly” to him because of Solly’s Jewishness but suddenly became “beautiful,” implicitly due to the Hebrew song Solly and Rachel performed, suggests that the song humanized Solly for Henry. The song likely humanized Solly in 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. U
Henry: Good night and . . . happy holidays!
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In Henry’s last words in the play before exiting the stage, he wishes the audience “good night” and “happy holidays.” When he wishes the audience “happy holidays,” it calls back to and contrasts with the inciting incident in the play. Henry wished Solly and Rachel a “happy Christmas,” forcing Solly to gently point out that he and Rachel were Jewish, a response that sent Henry into an unwilling antisemitic spiral. Whereas Henry’s previous “happy Christmas” salutation unthinkingly assumed that everyone is a Christian and thus betrayed his religious and cultural biases, Henry’s “happy holidays” goodbye to the audience shows 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 corru
