Society: American Way of Life

As Matt states in his post, when The Contrast was written America was just beginning to construct itself an identity. While reading The Contrast, one is able to tell that an American society was much different than the society in Europe based on the reactions of Dimple to such things as the acting in a play and the actions of American citizens. The reactions of those who associated with Dimple to such things as clothing shows even more of how much American and European societies were different.

In Act IV, Dimple says that American actors, “murder comedy and make a farce of tragedy” in New York. He continues to say that he was unable to determine if the play was a comedy or a tragedy due to “the laugh of the horrid creatures round me.” Due to these reactions of Dimple’s, in a European society, the theatre is held to high standards and play are performed by highly trained actors and the audience acts in a professional manner when watching the play. In Act II, Manly’s sister, Charlotte tells Manly that his regimental coat is not fashionable. Due to Charlotte’s affiliation with Dimple, she shows that the fashions of Americans are not the same as those in Europe.

Throughout the play Manly represents the American society. He wears his regimental coat from the war because he has respect for what it stands for and does not believe that America needs to look to Europe for an identity. To me, the actions of Manly and the view of the culture of America at the time makes our society our own. Sure Americans may dress funny, be poor at acting, and act “horrid“ during a play, but Americans loved to drink during this time and taverns were everywhere, whose to say there was not one right across the street from the theater?

Reading this play gave me more information on this time period and made me appreciate our society even more. I like the thought of Americans being seen as silly, drunken, and rugged people by European nations because that is the way we like to live and if you don’t like it, I don’t care.

The Contrast: This is America

 America, in it's infancy (and I suppose today as well) was obsessed with total freedom. Anything British or otherwise highly European was representative of life before the United States and therefore bad. Ultimately this ideology is why today the US is always that one county that uses a different standard than the world, but I digress.

The Contrast seems to be more or less between America and Europe. On a micro level we see this with the pairings of Jonathan & Jessamy and Manly & Dimple. Jonathan and Jessamy both hold the same relative position, however Jessamy is much more intelligent and refined. Jonathan, on the other hand, is quite simple and often downright stupid. In an inverse of that, Manly's character far surpasses that of Dimple's.

So a balance is struck, right? Well, not exactly. The core of this argument is America's drive, at the time, to be different and their own. Jonathan is simple, but he is not manipulative and ill-willed like Jessamy. In addition, Jonathan is undoubtedly American. It's obvious in things such as the way he talks and his dislike of theater, said in the introduction to be common at the time. Jonathan may be an idiot, but he's our idiot. Much like Jessamy, Dimple is intelligent but manipulative. Unlike Jonathan, Manly doesn't have many ill qualities. Instead he serves almost as a device to speak directly to the American people; more than once he departs on a tangent that feels more like a lecture than a response in a conversation.

In Manly's rants he mentions several things relevant to America at the time, such as the Grecian City-States, however the particular piece I want to focus on is when Dimple confronts him on the quality of American entertainment. To Manly, the quality is not quite as important as the origin and intent – maybe your entertainment is better, but ours is important because it's ours. Ultimately Tyler conveys a very strong sense that, while America may not be the best, it's also not the worst; in addition, it's OURS, and we should embrace that.

(I wrote this in the final hours of Monday with my internet down. I apologize if it's similar to what someone else already posted.)

Manly: A True American

In 1787, when The Contrast was published, America had been removed from the Revolutionary War for four years and the America we know today had not been established yet. As a newly independent nation, America was trying to establish its own identity. I believe that Royall Tyler created the character of Colonel Manly as a true American and wished for those in the audience to be influenced by this man’s character.

Colonel Manly shows the traits of an American throughout the play. In ACT II, scene 1, Charlotte criticizes Manly’s clothing because it is not what society finds acceptable, “your coat looks as if it were calculated for the vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable…now another type of coat is fashionable.” Manly wears the coat so he remembers the brave men who fought in the war and the government they had helped create.

In Act IV, scene 1, Dimple criticizes the amusements of America and says those in Europe are far better. Manly is once again defending his nation against Europe as he had done in war by saying, “I love my country; it has its foibles undoubtedly; some foreigners will with pleasure remark them…we, her [America] children, should blush for them in private, and endeavour, as individuals, to reform them.” I read this as Manly saying that if foreigners find errors in America, we must strive to correct them and show the world that no nation is superior to our own.

I believe that Tyler wrote this play as a way to make the citizens of America more patriotic. True Americans must be like Colonel Manly and honor the soldiers who gave their lives fighting in the Revolutionary War and not make it their goal to criticize the faults of their country, but identify those faults and fix them in an attempt to make this great nation better. I believe that Tyler created the characters of Charlotte and Dimple as a way to show what happens to Americans who are not fully detached from Europe. They become selfish, evil, manipulative, and become blind to the greatness of their own country.

The Contrast: The Clothing

The Contrast by Royall Tyler demonstrates the differences between the elite, luxurious European etiquette and behavior from the more rugged and industrial American manners. He shows the foolishness of the European manners while glorifying the American. Dimple, Charlotte and Letitia are symbolic of the former and Maria and Manly the latter. While the differences between these two sets of characters are numerous, the most interesting and relatable for me are the differences in clothing.

"Well, but, brother, positively I can't introduce you in these clothes; why, your coat looks as if it were calculated for the vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable."

Let me repeat that for you: "The vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable." This is what Charlotte tells her brother upon seeing his 'un-stylish' outfit.

This is America, the land of blue jeans. Comfort and utility are a very important aspect in our choice of clothing. This is the land of casual Fridays and this woman is telling me I can't wear my jacket because it's not fashionable which according to Charlotte is synonymous with respectable. 

Manly defends his coat saying it was from his time in the war, but Charlotte and Letitia are not satisfied. They, Charlotte especially, have a specific dress code and wear whatever is in fashion simply because it is in fashion. The pocket-hoop is not good enough for flirting, they must have the bell-hoop. Similarly, Dimple will not downsize his wardrobe even though he is in debt. These characters are very vain and shallow; they do not exemplify the qualities that Taylor hopes to persuade are those of a good American. They are not desirable and therefore the characters that practice them do not end the play happily. Rather it is Maria and Manly who are wed and in love. 

By giving a happy ending the Maria and Manly, Taylor is saying that to dress for comfort or for yourself and not solely for style is acceptable behaviour. I have to say as an American I agree wholeheartedly. Long live blue jeans.