decolonIzIng mAstery 61States, Mingo becomes a “crippled” substitute for the dead Finch. While in
this final scene Mingo initially scolds Moss and insists that he “get over”
the paralyzing effects of racism, the amputee quickly turns toward an
offering of radical friendship: Mingo confesses that despite a confident,
quick- witted demeanor, he is undone by his newly configured body, and
offers to fulfill Moss and Finch’s dream of opening up a restaurant and bar
together. The one- armed Mingo—newly amputated and struggling with
his disability—articulates promise in his alliance with Moss, as both men
recognize that they will struggle against systems of oppression that refuse
their full subjectivities. Mingo offers himself up as both business partner
and “one- armed bartender,” forging an economic and sociopolitical alli-
ance with Moss that not only refuses either as “resigned” but collectively
and collaboratively reenters the social world through an unlikely but newly
empowered body- politic. In the final moments of the film, Moss helps to
hoist Mingo’s duffle bag over his armless shoulder as they prepare to leave
the war behind them. Awaiting their transportation “home,” they gaze out
1.1 Private Peter Moss undergoes analysis for psychosomatic paralysis. James
Edwards as Moss and Jeff Corey as army psychiatrist in Home of the Brave (1949),
directed by Mark Robson.