The Mule-Bone

The Mule-Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life is a play written in 1930 by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. It is a lighthearted, folk-based comedy set in an all-Black Southern town. The play was meant to celebrate Black vernacular speech, humor, and community dynamics, but it was never staged during Hurston and Hughes' lifetimes due to a bitter feud between them over authorship.

The play was finally produced in 1991 at the New York Public Theater.

The play is set in the all-Black town of Lintel, Florida and revolves around a simple, yet dramatic event: a fight between two best friends over a woman.

Jim Weston and Dave Carter are two good friends who both love Daisy Taylor, a beautiful young woman who has just returned to town.

During an argument over who she prefers, Jim hits Dave with a mule bone in a playful but heated moment.

The town takes the fight seriously and Jim is arrested for assault.

The trial takes place in the local church, which also serves as the courtroom.

The town is divided into factions-some support Jim, while others think he should be punished.

The judge and witnesses are comically exaggerated, showcasing Hurston's and Hughes' love for Southern Black folklore and humor.

Ultimately, Jim is banished from town as punishment.

Jim meets Daisy outside town, expecting her to choose him after all the trouble.

However, Daisy refuses to choose between Jim and Dave, saying she doesn't want a man she has to take care of.

In the end, Jim and Dave reconcile, realizing their friendship is more important than Daisy.