Aunt Ester's Children Redeemed: Journeys to Freedom in August Wilson's Ten Plays of Twentieth-Century Black America

August Wilson (1945-2005) wrote one play for every decade of the twentieth century that explored black life in America for the descendants of slaves. All of his characters seek wholeness identity and reconstituted selves after the terror of 250 years chattel slavery and its terrifying legacy. Their history culture wisdom joys triumphs pain sufferings victories weaknesses and strengths are all embodied in one character Aunt Ester. She is as old as the number of years blacks have been on these shores. All of the characters in the ten-play cycle are her children. Their search is through circumstance and adventure certainly. This author demonstrates how Wilson uses language--poetry the blues--to bring each plays characters to a point of wholeness redemption and freedom not from history but ennobled and strengthened by it. Wilson employs fundamental theological doctrines to exhort Aunt Esters children to remember by whom and how they were freed and made whole.