Description
Mojada is a contemporary retelling of the classic Greek play Medea (the first play we read in class). This retelling transposes Corinth to Queens, NY and Medea from a “barbarian” from an “uncivilized land” to an immigrant from Mexico. This version of the play, was performed in New York in 2019 so there are a number of contemporary references to current events. Medea, our protagonist, has traveled to America because her husband (though they are not legally wed) desired a better life, but also beucase in an act of self-protection, Medea has murdered her brother.
She feels displaced in America, the land of exploitation and unkind people. She wishes to go home, but home is not a option for her. So instead she performs a ritual and tells Acan that they can go home anytime solely by listening to the memories of Mexico that is conjured by the ritual. Acan asks Medea if they can every really go home and she responds by saying that they can by making a “blood offering” (Alfaro 28A). –Hint, hint about the ending there!– But Medea’s struggles are not solely about being in America, they are about coming to America. She recounts the story of their journey from Mexico to America. The horrors of being kept in a truck with no air, the trauma of being assaulted by the soliders, and the pain of walking through the desert only to find jugs of water cut open and empty in an effort to prolong their suffering. She struggles with the way she is treated as a worker, paid $60 a day to sew shirts that are sold for $300 each in fancy stores around the city. She is voiceless against the abuses because they can simply threaten to go somewhere else. Beyond all of that, she is afraid to leave her home, afraid of additional traumas that could occur. America has not been kind to her.
Jason, who pushed for their journey to America, has been lucky to find a job with an employer who seemingly values his work ethic. He is making way through the ranks of this company and is quickly elevated to a management position. Where Medea clings to Mexico, Jason embraces America. He suggests that Acan call him “Dad” instead of “Papi” beucase that is how they do it in America (12). He even wants him to wear a different soccer jersey in support of an American team, and not the one supporting the Mexican (12). Jason tells Medea that his work and the time he spends there is all in support of his family. But Medea is uncertain. She sees that he is getting new things and that his boss, Pilar, is perhaps a bit more interested than she should be… in fact, Jason has even told Pilar that he and Medea are not legally married (47). Pilar notices Jason’s ambitions, and although they are not tied to royalty as they are in Euripides’ Medea, he still desires status and power, which Pilar can give him… and Medea most certainly cannot.
All of these intersections between the original play and our adaptation serve a larger purpose for Alfaro. By taking such a well known story and placing it in contemporary times, he brings the issues of the immigrant to the forefront. The America that immigrants dream of is so rarely the America they are forced to live in when they arrive. Alfaro’s commentary on these social issues, is where we’re going to start our conversation.
For this week’s discussion, I’d love for us to explore the play’s commentary on these social issues by dissecting some of the themes we see in the play.
Select one of the following themes and dissect what the play is suggesting about this idea Make sure that your response also includes an argument on the theme’s social commentary. What is Alfaro saying about these contemporary issues? Just as you did with A Doll House, you will need to locate an outside source that supports your argument.**
Immigration
Exploitation of the immigrant worker
Anti-immigrant sentiments
Cultural Assimilation
The fallacy or success of the American Dream
You may pick any of those themes to base your argument around, or if there is another theme you feel strongly about arguing for, please feel free to make your case in an email to me!
- The next part of this disucssion does not need to be lengthy, but I would like for you to answer the following:
- 1. Is your reception of the ending and Medea’s action different or the same as when you read Euripides’s Medea?
- 2. Let’s turn your attention to use of both English and Spanish in the play. Briefly discuss what the bilingual nature of the script is doing, how it impacts the play, and why you think the integration of both languages might be important.
- 3. Then finally, share whether or not you believe Alfaro’s adaptation of Euripides’ Medea is successful or not and why?
- After you’ve written your argument and posted, check out what other arguments have been made by your colleagues and engage in scholarly debate. Do you agree with their argument? Why or why not? Find a source that would help them? Did you learn something or did their argument make you see something in the play differently?
