Braconi talks about how, with the play, “space is expressed as physical locales, mental space, and social space” (71) and that by “establishing a sense of place [each character] alternately denies or ensures their personal fulfillment” (72). From these spaces Braconi goes on to examine how they affect the relationships of the people who exist within them. Esther, who by way of her profession, can travel across class and race lines, connects on different levels with the other characters. With Mayme, Esther enters a commercial space that also acts as a private residence and a mental space. Mayme’s bedroom houses her, supports her career, and houses the ideas and dreams of those who enter it. Similarly, Marks space also offers a private mental space while also housing his public, business space.
However, when Esther enters a space with George it is a liminal, mythic space of letters. An idyllic place that “contains much of the play’s most vivid, evocative palatial imagery” (85). Within this mythic space George can “craft a heroic, romantic mythology that captivates Esther” (85). It isn’t until George and Esther’s marriage
comes to a head that a “space of truth and transformation” allows Esther to accept her reality and move on from her disappointment.
Braconi sums up her article by reflecting that “Intimate Apparel pivots on the effects of migration, the importance of finding one’s place, and the consequences of placelessness” (87).
Horwitz’s interview with Viola Davis reveals some interesting insight from the actress’s perspective on how the play’s main character is identifiable even in today’s culture. “I still think the seed of that idea [of a woman needing a husband] is planted even today, and that woman
continue to be desperately afraid of being alone” (Davis 1). However, it is Esther’s modern-ness
that makes her so relatable. Davis goes on to say that Esther is “far more liberated than many
women right now. She’s able to leave George and get on with her life, although she has given
him all her money” (1).
What’s most interesting though is Davis’s ability to look at George in conjunction with Esther and see his humanity. “I don’t have problems with a black character presented negatively; that’s okay, as long as he is also human” (2). The article brings to mind the complexity of space mentioned in the above article. How George traverses his spaces, how he
moves into Esther’s space, and what he is trying to accomplish. The reminder that George is, in
fact, only human adds a layer of reality to the reflections Davis gives on Esther’s daring, how she
is a “gutsy young woman who wanted to make her dreams come true” (3).
Roberts look at Intimate Apparel from the perspective of an educator, reflecting on how the text is received and processed by her students. In particular, she talks about how her university-aged
students are looking to “vanquish or give language to the gaze of power” (150), in this case Roberts relates that gaze to Nottage’s mother and the her inspiration in Nottage's writing.. Roberts quotes Nottage reminiscing about her mother and how “her gaze was warm. It was distant, magical, quixotic, and at times even impenetrable”
(150).
Within Intimate Apparel, this impenetrable gaze is found in the desires of the characters, each of whom finds reflections of his or need within Esther. Mrs. Van Buren reflects her sexual desire onto the seamstress, George deflects his frustration at his persecution onto his wife’s gifts, and Mr. Marks sees the tender care of his missing betrothed in Esther’s repairing his jacket button (151). The most interesting point Roberts brings to light is the end of the play where, according to her, Esther’s implied pregnancy means we “feel her dignified resignation but certainly not [her]
march to freedom” (151) prompting the question, what is Esther truly after and what do her goals look like outside of her mythic space?