Symbol for safety
One of the symbols used in the play is that of the Church as a safe place for the black community to speak out and talk about their experience. The church is the place where the black men are urged to reveal their experiences with racism and where they can meet people who have the same interests and ideas as them regarding the Civil Rights Movement.
I do not want to mix with them
One of the common motifs presented in the play is the idea that the white population claimed not to have anything against the black community and yet they did not want to have anything to do with them. This common motif is repeated time and time again by the white characters in the play and is used as a way of explaining their actions.
Black men and punishment
Another common motif presented in the play is the idea that black men deserve to be punished. The white men argue this is true because they see black men as sexual predators and thus they see it as their duty to protect the white women from the dangerous black men in their towns.
Richard was clean
Another common motif is the idea that Richard was drunk or high during the time when he was killed. This is mentioned during the trial time and time again and even though the people who testify try to prove this is not true there are always others who insist he was either under the influence of drugs or high the night when he was killed.
I had to do it
Another common motif presented in the play is the idea that Lyle felt as if he had to kill the two black people for various reasons. Lyle protects himself in the first case by claiming it was self-defense but he admits he felt the need to kill the man because he found about him having an affair with his wife. Next, Lyle claimed he had to kill Richard because he was being disrespected by him. Through this, Lyle argues that the murders were not his fault, but in reality caused by the people killed.
