African-American literature

Charlie’s attitude toward blacks is largely shaped
by his relationship with Idella Landy, a house ser-
vant who became a surrogate mother to him and
represents the mammy figure prominent in the
culture and history of the American South. Ossie
Davis’s Purlie Victorius deftly navigates through the

South’s traditions and mores, forcing the audience

to confront certain issues but allowing them to

laugh at themselves and each other in the process.

The cinematic adaptation of Purlie Victorious

appeared in 1963 as Gone Are the Days.

Candace Love Jackson

Purlie Victorious 421