The America Play

by

Suzan-Lori Parks

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The America Play makes teaching easy.

Derringer Term Analysis

A kind of small old-fashioned pistol, which John Wilkes Booth used to kill Abraham Lincoln. One of the Foundling Father’s clients uses a Derringer reenact the assassination, and the Foundling Father comments on this man’s dedication to historical accuracy: “As it Used to Be. Never wavers. No frills. By the book. Nothing excessive.”
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Derringer Term Timeline in The America Play

The timeline below shows where the term Derringer appears in The America Play. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1: Lincoln Act
History, Narrative, and Multiplicity Theme Icon
Race and American Identity Theme Icon
Theater and Reality Theme Icon
...The Foundling Father notes that this man “comes once a week” and “always chooses the Derringer” and says the same two lines. “He’s one for history,” the Foundling Father concludes: “As... (full context)