In what ways does Nottage make act 2 scene 2 such a tense moment in the play Crumbs from the Table of Joy

In Act II, Scene II, a clear point of tension in the family emerges in the conversation between the two girls, and into the remainder of the scene as a whole. Gerte’s presence, and more specifically the whiteness of her presence, becomes a clear point of conflict as the scene progresses. The description of potted plants having been added to the household is a visual representation of Gerte’s influence, as is the description of how much work on Ernestine’s dress has advanced. Here it is important to remember that the dress is white, and that Ernestine intends to wear it at her graduation from high school. This means that the dress is a further visual symbol of the presence and influence of whiteness in the house. As such, it is both an echo and reinforcement of Gerte’s presence and influence, also defined by whiteness.

In the midst of these images of whiteness, Ermina’s question about whether Gerte is a Nazi becomes particularly pointed. Historically, the policies and actions of the German Nazi party were defined by extreme whiteness, an obsession with racial purity that led to the destruction of millions of lives that the Nazis believed were, in essence, not white enough. This implied sense of racism in Ermina’s question combines with the visual representations of encroaching whiteness in the scene to create the sense that on some level, Ermina and Ernestine – and later in the scene, Lily – all believe that their Blackness and identity are under attack by whiteness, or at least are in the process of being overwhelmed by it.