# An Evening Out explained — The Sport of the Gods

> Chapter companion for The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

## What happens

The Hamilton family, now in New York, attends the theatre with Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Jones. Fannie Hamilton grows uneasy with Thomas's familiarity toward Kitty, while Kitty is enchanted by the stage and expresses a desire to become an actress. Joe is intoxicated by the performance and the glamour of the theatre, feeling a newfound confidence and aspiration to emulate the sporty young men he sees. Thomas's friends treat Kitty with a half-courteous familiarity that disturbs her mother, and after the show, Fannie declines Thomas's invitation to supper, asserting her authority. Joe lingers to ask Thomas to take him out to see the town, and goes to bed with his head in a whirl.

## Themes in this chapter

### False Ideals and Ambition

Joe's intoxication with the stage and his desire to emulate the sporty young men reflect his false ideals and misguided ambitions, shaped by a 'moral and mental astigmatism.'

### Hypocrisy and Self-Deception

Kitty is deceived by the glamour of the stage, seeing chiffon in cheesecloth, while Joe is blissfully unconscious of his own 'nastiness.'

### Class and Social Hierarchy

Thomas's selective introductions and the seating arrangement highlight class distinctions within the African American community, as well as the family's lower social standing.

## Character check-ins

### Fannie Hamilton

Sits long discussing New York; grows uneasy with Thomas's familiarity toward Kitty; asserts herself by declining supper invitation.

### Kitty Hamilton

Enchanted by the theatre; expresses desire to be an actress; embarrassed by Thomas's friends; draws her hand away from Thomas at parting.

### Joe Hamilton

Feels a new confidence after a girl smiles at him; intoxicated by the stage; asks Thomas to take him out to see the town.

### Mr. Thomas

Arranges seating to sit beside Kitty; introduces her to his friends; attempts to hold her hand; disappointed by her rejection.

### Mrs. Jones

Accompanies the family; reassures Fannie about Thomas's friends; provides jellylike appreciation of the stage.

## Key lines

> One might find it in him to feel sorry for this small-souled, warped being, for he was so evidently the jest of Fate, if it were not that he was so blissfully, so conceitedly, unconscious of his own nastiness.

Joe is a pitiable figure, a joke of fate, but his smug ignorance of his own flaws makes it hard to sympathize with him.

_Narrator's commentary on Joe's moral blindness and self-deception._

> It is strange how the glare of the footlights succeeds in deceiving so many people who are able to see through other delusions.

The stage's bright lights fool even those who normally see through illusions, making cheap costumes appear glamorous.

_Reflection on the deceptive power of theatrical spectacle._

> His soul was floating on a sea of sense. He had eyes and ears and thoughts only for the stage.

Joe was completely overwhelmed by sensory pleasure, utterly absorbed in the performance.

_Description of Joe's intoxicated state during the show._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters/viii-an-evening-out
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters