Lauren's Paper

Lauren Hajus

American Lit. Honors

Pudd’nhead Wilson: Movie Soundtrack

        At the beginning of chapter three, Roxie makes the decision to kill herself and her child. She is terrified that if Chambers, her son, grows up in slavery, that he could be “sold down the river.” That implies that the treatment of slaves worsens as the further South they are sold. This fear pushes her to the conclusion that the only means to escape this cruel fate is to kill Chambers and commit suicide. In the book, she pities the life of bondage that she and her son were given. While looking at Tom, she exclaims, “what has my po’ baby done, dat he couldn’t have yo’ luck? He hain’t done noth’n. God was good to you; why wasn’t he good to him?” A song that would suite this moment of the book would be Lascia Ch’io Pianga from George Frideric Handel’s opera. The words from this song match with the feelings of Roxie in the section of the novel. In the song, the singer asks to be able to weep for her, “mia cruda sorte.” (her cruel fate). The aria also includes the lines, “Il duolo infranga queste ritorte,” which means, “May sorrow break these chains.” These lines connect to Roxie’s feelings when she is considering suicide. The female singer and Roxie both want to end the suffering through death.  Besides the lyrical association, the song’s depressing tone and Largo tempo would set the scene of Roxie attempting to calm her baby by insuring Chambers that she would never let him get sold down the river. This song would be an excellent choice for the movie soundtrack because its meaning is closely related to the story.

        Later on in the novel, during chapter six, two new characters arrive in town. They are brothers who are very well traveled and diverse. Everyone in town is amazed at their differences and welcome them enthusiastically. The brother’s stories of overcoming their poverty and their talent at the piano astonish the citizens of the town who have never experienced anything similar to this before. The song The New Girl in Town form the musical Hairspray would fit the setting of this section of the story. The song is about “The New Girl in Town” who impresses everyone she meets. The singer is explaining how she is becoming jealous of the new girl and scared that she will take important aspects of her life away from her, for example, the girl’s boyfriend and homecoming title. This song really narrates the new brothers moving to Dawson’s Landing because just like “The New Girl in Town” the brothers become a town sensation. Aunt Patsy is housing the boys and shares that she, “promised herself high satisfaction in showing off her fine foreign birds before her neighbors and friends- simple folk who had hardly ever seen a foreigner of any kind.” Aunt Patsy, her family, and Judge Driscoll are all proud of the brothers and parade them around for everyone to see. As the song from Hairspray conveys, the plain citizens of Dawson’s landing feel that, “The new girl in town seems to dance on air, The new girl in town She's got the coolest hair! You better tell the homecoming queen to hold on to her crown, oh oh oh, or she's gonna lose it to the new girl in town.”  Also, the upbeat rhythm of the song could mimic the upbeat spirits that the entire town feels because of the entrance of the brothers.  Since the song captures the atmosphere of the arrival of the brothers to Dawson’s Landing, it would make the perfect selection for the movie soundtrack.