Costuming is a key dramatic convention in both "Master Harold"...and the boys and The Importance of Being Earnest (IOBE) because it builds up characterization and reveals subtle details of a character in relation to other characters and the setting. In "Master Harold"...and the boys, Sam and Willie are described as wearing white waiter coats, indicating their occupation as waiters in the tea room. Their job is to serve customers, but since there are no customers in the tea room, they have to obey the orders given by Hally and his mother. Although both Sam and Willie are wearing waiter coats, Willie has his sleeves rolled up as he is kneeling and cleaning the floor, indicating that he is doing most of the labor work while Sam is reading comics. Through costuming, Fugard is subtly showing different levels of power among the black waiters. Hally's costume of a neglected and untidy school uniform shows that as a white person, he has the white privilege of access to education whereas Sam and Willie do not. However, Hally costume description of "neglected" and "untidy" demonstrates underlying references to his loneliness due to the abandonment of parental figures, especially a father-figure. These significance of costuming in the play is that their appearances reveal subtle characteristics that can be viewed in hind-sight.
In IOBE, costuming reveals the superficiality of the upper class Victorian society because they prioritize one's appearances over one's character. This emphasis of appearances over character helps reinforce the Wilde's satirical portrayal of the characters in the play. In the play, Algernon is described as dressing flamboyantly, reflecting the elaborate dress of the upper class Victorian society and thus showing that he is complying with Victorian standards of fashion. Lady Bracknell's costume is also in flamboyant dress, which is not surprising because she is Algernon's aunt and they both share the same social status. In contrast to Algernon and Lady Bracknell, Cecily is not of the upper class Victorian society because she lives in the country and is described as wearing a "simple dress". The simplicity of her dress indicates that she is different from the upper class and Lady Bracknell notably scans over her dress and insists that she should dress more extravagantly and change her hairstyle. Therefore, costuming in IOBE emphasizes the superficiality of the characters who are ultimately concerned over appearances rather than character.
I agree that costuming is a crucial part of Master Harold because it highlights the contrast between Sam, Hally, and Willie's social backgrounds as well as the power dynamics between them. Not only did you mention how Hally's school uniform displays his white privilege of education in contrast with Sam and Willie's lack of education opportunities, you also analyzed how Hally's untidiness and rumpled uniform suggest that Hally is facing his own hardships too. At the beginning of the play, although we don't know about Hally's conflict with his parents and himself, Hally's uniform foreshadows what we learn from the phone calls that come later in the plot. In addition, Hally's disregard for his homework and neglect of his uniform shows that he takes his education for granted, and that he probably hasn't considered how privileged he is.
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