Covintree is a graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, with a degree in English. In this essay, Covintree discusses the impact of southern culture on Jewish identity for the characters in Uhry's play.

To be southern or to be Jewish in 1939 is to be part of a specific community with principles, ceremonies, language, attitude, and actions that represent and reinforce the culture. To be southern and Jewish is to be a part of a unique community that Alfred Uhry focuses on in his play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Though the play primarily takes place in the house of Adolph Freitag, it coincides with two major events—the opening of the movie Gone With the Wind and Hitler's rise to power—that stand like bookends at either side of the story and its characters. These events and the characters' reaction to them reflect the struggle for...