Venus By Suzan Lori Parks: Scene Analysis

The most important scene in Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks is scene 22. In this scene Saartjie Baartman, also known as the Venus Hottentot, requests new demands to her Mother-Showman. So far up until this point the Venus Hottentot has been a hit everywhere she goes. People that come to the Mother-Showman’s show often come just to see her and this is when Venus finally realizes this. Venus’s demands are all reasonable and because she is the Mother-Showman’s main source of income she should receive them, but Venus is not an employee as she thinks she is. Venus is actually property to the Mother-Showman and honestly doesn’t even know it. She’s been tricked into thinking that after two years of performing she’ll be rich and famous and able to return home a celebrity. In this scene you finally see and grasp how harsh she is actually being treated. The scene starts out with Venus and the mother counting. This is Venus’s performance, she counts, and this is impressive to people because they think her and her race are
Also the reader would be missing some key aspects in the character development of Venus. This scene is a pivotal moment in learning who and what Venus is. She truly believes that she is there for work and to make money, and without this scene that might be overlooked by some readers. Also, this is a crucial point in the play when we learn about the Mother-Showman. Without this scene we would not know the main intentions of the Mother-Showman, which is to make money, and in this scene we see how harshly she treats Venus. This scene goes against Jean Young in the way that she says Venus is not made out to be a victim, and this play only continues to objectify her. In this scene I would consider Venus as a victim. She makes demands to her Mother-Showman only for them to be shot down with brutal threats towards her. This scene truly shows the life that Saartjie Baartman would have