Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess: An Analysis by M. Asinoff 20th Century Music-Dr. Charles Porter

Bess is no lady! I do not want to be sanctimonious, or engage in character assassination, merely access. It is not my fault that in so many cases they are the same thing. Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. She was intimate with Crown, a cold-blooded murdering junkie and fugitive because she is a junkie too and he fed her habit. Even after seeing him murder Robbins and abandon her, she still "spent" several days with him. "She has nothing to worry about, because she does not have much to worry with" (Richard Macnally, RIP). A lady is not a junkie, nor would she associate with one. Bess is not an evil woman, just a weak one and a user. She used Porgy, Crown and Sportin Life instead of becoming a respectable, hard working lady. If she wanted to quit she would! Her most redeeming quality is that she, unlike Crown and Porgy, is not a murderer, just a junkie. Nothing more, or less.

There is good and evil in the story, with some characters being both. But it does not discuss the relationship between the two in the traditional way of good defeating evil that one might expect. Porgy was a good man who had nothing. Yet he was rich. He had something money can never buy: the love, friendship and respect of his neighbors. But most importantly, he had a clean conscience and soul. He can never justify being a cold blooded murderer to man, or God! If he is a moral man it will haunt him. He seems to be ready to go along his merry way with Bess, now that he identified Crown's body and the police closed the case.

Whether his conscience will bother him later is anyone's guess. Sportin Life is a low-life, drug dealer who made a living by hooking people on drugs. That made him indirectly responsible for Robbins' death. And the most evil person. Yet, he was the most successful in the end when recovering his "happy dust" and getting the girl. Crown was also evil. While he, unlike Porgy did not commit premeditated murder, he had no shame, or remorse for his actions either. He got his in the end: he who lives by the sword, shall die by it too. Sadly, Jake was a good man who only went out in the storm to make money because he wanted to provide a better life for his son.

Bess loved Porgy, but was not in love with him! There is only one love in her life: "happy dust"! She cannot love anyone, until she learns to love herself enough to stop letting it rule her. He took her in when no one else would, chased Sportin Life away and forgave her for sleeping on the island with Crown. That is a lot to ask of anyone to accept and forgive. She knew Porgy loved her, and stayed with Crown on the island for several days. That's ungrateful!!! I would not have taken her back and forgiven her so quick. She betrayed him! I would want some assurances that she was very sorry and that it was a huge mistake. And it would never happen again. That is the least I would expect in an attempt to earn my love and forgiveness. Not many would have taken her in when no one else would. Unlike Porgy, I would never commit murder for any reason! No woman is worth that!!! The price is way too high!! There are other "fish in the sea." And I, as any sane man, would rather die alone with a clean conscience, than live with her and blood on my hands!!! Ironically, he did not even get her as a consolation prize. All he got was the knowledge that he will have to live out the rest of his life knowing that he committed murder one. And has to keep it secret for fear of going to jail, as there is no statue of limitations on murder. I would not want to have live with that for the rest of my life and then have to answer to God for it on Judgement Day as we all know that the Sixth Commandment says "Thou shalt not kill".

Bess only stayed with Crown because he fed her habit. They were using each other: he was a meal ticket and kept her in "happy dust" for sex and companionship. He probably treated her badly for fun and to remind her of his hold. He knew she was a junkie and would not leave. There was never any sign of love on either of their parts. It was strictly a relationship of convenience. He abandoned her without a thought. She was a possession and toy to be discarded when she became boring or another pretty face came along and "tickled his fancy".

Sportin Life was not much different: he is immoral, probably even amoral. He was smarter than Crown and not as violent. But was also used her as a show piece to look like a big shot. He saw her as a sex object and a "plaything" to amuse himself with for awhile. Soon he would tire of her and toss her aside like an old shoe. Then she would look for her next sucker to be a meal ticket. Maybe she will go back to Porgy if she does not have any other option. It is always possible that she will "see the light" and return to Porgy. It is just not likely. The odds are 50/50.

Bess is a user who took what whatever she could and needed from Crown, Porgy and Sportin Life. Actions speak louder than words. While she loved Porgy for all he did, she still left for New York City with Sportin Life. If she was in love with Porgy she would have stayed behind and married him. She is a coward who like most people, take the easy way out in life.

Porgy's a fool for many reasons: 1) he paid Bess' divorce lawyer, despite barely knowing her. And being a poor man; 2) he forgave her unconditionally for sleeping on the island with Crown, without her asking; 3) he is leaving his home and friends to follow her to New York City; 4) he is poor and does not know how much money the boat fare is; 5) he has a bad leg, severely limiting his employment options. Even in the 1930's New York City was a cold, cruel place for a country bumpkin like Porgy. How will he survive there? He has not given that any thought; 6) he is assuming she went there. Anything could happen. Sportin Life could change his mind and decide to go elsewhere; 7) New York is one of the largest cities in the world and Porgy has never been there. He has no idea of how will he find his way around, much less Bess, if and when he gets there; 8) he does not know how she will react if he finds her. She may chose to stay with Sportin Life to keep her habit alive. He is not the first man to fall in love with the wrong woman! And he certainly will not be the last! Temporary insanity does not even begin to justify Porgy's actions. Today it might be as viable a defense for him as premenstrual syndrome is for the woman who used it to justify beating up a male cop for giving her a speeding ticket. Porgy should seriously contemplate undergoing shock therapy to cure his love for Bess! I did when my last girlfriend and I split. I was fortunate enough to recover without it. Porgy may need a bigger shock, unless he is prepared to kill Sportin Life, if and when he finds them. He may have to kill again, and again every meal ticket she latches on to keep her habit alive.

Unfortunately, Porgy is also something much worse than a fool! He is the worst kind of murderer there is: premeditated and cold blooded! Why did he do it? To call it a crime of passion, or say that all is fair in love and war does not justify, rationalize, or minimize this horrendous crime. It compounds it. He did it because he was afraid Bess would leave him and return to Crown. I would have let her go and thanked God she got away. Who needs a woman like her? She uses men and is a drug addict. Porgy offered Bess a chance for a better life. One where she would be loved and happy. But she like most prove the 12th Commandment true: NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED! And that no matter how good you are it is rarely appreciated. You go out of your way, bend over backwards to be nice to someone and it does not count. All they usually see is money and say things like matters are not that simple. Porgy is left with his memories, a broken heart and worst of all: Crown's blood on his hands. To call him a fool is much too kind!!!

Whereas, Jake and Clara are a typical married couple with an infant son. He carries their hopes and dreams for the next generation to have a better life. Unlike Porgy and Bess, they are not low life junkies. Serina and Robbins loved each other too, despite his gambling. Unfortunately, Robbins was murdered by Crown leaving her a poor widow who not only could not even afford to bury him, but fears the coroner will take him to the medical school for practice. They could have had a long, happy life if Crown did not murder him. The purpose of these different characters is to represent reality through contrast.

The song "Summertime" is a lullaby to make the baby feel secure in a cold, cruel world. They feel that he needs it. It may help him cope with the fact that he is an orphan. Sadly, he is so young that he will not even remember his parents singing to him when he grows up.

Surprisingly, the plot has mixed social messages and a lot of tragedy and even a touch of irony. It portrays Porgy as a cold blooded, premedicated murderer, who killed for a woman he barely knew. It is one thing to help a stranger in trouble when no one else would, and another to kill her boyfriend so you can have her. While he got away with it, but did not get her.

Crown viciously used a cotton hook to kill a man in a fight. Ironically he died the same way: portraying justice. Surprisingly, Sportin Life, a drug dealer who would probably sell his own mother, ends up a winner. That is the gratitude Porgy got after all he did. Bess did not even have the decency to tell him herself. She left when he was away. The least she could have done was stayed to find what happened at the morgue. I would have liked her if she went with Sportin Life to keep him from blackmailing, or reporting Porgy to the cops because no one else knows that he is the only eyewitness to Crown's murder. People would be filled with shock and disbelief if they knew Porgy was capable of such a crime. The worst message of all is the tragedy of Jake and Clara being killed, leaving behind their baby. He is too young to even remember them and probably does not even have a picture of them so he can know what they look like. To top things off he is an orphan with little chance for a better life than his parents.