Intimate Apparel

Esther, the play’s protagonist, is a 35-year-old black seamstress. She is shy, self-conscious about her unremarkable appearance, but yearning for someone to love her. Over the course of the play, Esther learns that her fantasies about love are nothing like a real-life marriage. For the other characters in the play, marriage is an arrangement. It’s about procreation, religious conviction, or personal advancement. Esther discovers that what enriches her soul isn’t sex or affection from a man. In most scenes, Esther is nervous, sullen, or overly pragmatic. Esther comes alive when she is with Mr. Marks, sharing the excitement and thrill over a new and interesting fabric.

Esther’s sewing is an art, and she and Mr. Marks connect on a level that is more joyful and sincere than any of the marriages in the play. Throughout the narrative, Esther buys extraordinary fabrics from Mr. Marks and fashions them into items of clothing for people who never fully appreciate them. When Esther finally gives the smoking jacket to Mr. Marks, it becomes clear that she has been giving everything she has to people who think nothing of taking advantage of her.