Orpheus Descending has been known as a tragedy due to the unfortunate faith of Lady and Val. It is a play centered on unanswered questions that make it quite impossible for the main characters, like Lady, to start a new life. Once Lady and Val declare their love for one another, it seems as if the play will have a happy ending. However, the evil in the world of the play sets out to destroy Lady one final time. Both the play script and the film adaptation of Orpheus Descending are similar. Although the ending of the film version is slightly altered compared to the play script, the plot and overall meaning of Tennessee Williams’ play remain intact. Lady has been living an unsatisfying life next to Jabe. The love and passion is clearly not there between them. When Jabe returns to town from his cancer treatment, Lady shows no real signs of compassion for him. In fact, in both the movie and play script, Lady is portrayed as more of a nurse or caretaker instead of Jabe’s wife. For instance, Jabe knocks his cane from the upstairs bedroom each time he needs her. This infers Lady’s lack of empathy and love for Jabe; she sees no other alternative than to succumb to take care of him until he dies. Jabe, too, shows no consideration towards Lady. While he has been away for treatment, Lady has taken full responsibility of the store. Jabe gets mad at her for putting the shoe department in the back of the store and responds to her decision in a cold, sarcastic manner (Orpheus Descending 1.1.30-31). Lady longs to be happy and move on with her life, but in order for that to happen she wants answers to her father’s death. When she finds out that Jabe was responsible for leading the Ku Klux Klan to kill her father, she is determined to seek revenge. Her revenge, of course, is to promote the opening of the confectionery. In the film, the confectionery resembles the orchard that Lady’s father owned. It is of sentimental value to her because it is the only thing she has in remembrance of him. Once the confectionery is finished, we see that Lady’s mood is completely changed. She goes from an unhappy, lost woman to an optimistic woman capable of reestablishing her life alongside Val.
Val’s character in the film is also lost at first. We see that he gets in trouble with the law, which prompts him to change his lifestyle. Set on leaving his wild past behind, Val winds up at the store looking for a job. In the film, one can see the instant attraction that Lady has towards Val. As their relationship develops, Lady sees Val as a means to escape from the misery she is in. She loves him but it is as if she only cares about herself and her happiness. For example, towards the end of the play she tells Val that she needs him in order to live and go on living (2.4.88). Perhaps her only intentions were to get pregnant and become a mother, something she was eager for, instead of finding true love. On the other hand, Val does fall in love with Lady. Lady is his savior because she not only gives him a job but she provides a shelter for him. Val has found a woman who actually cares for him, or at least pretends to, and he grows fond of her for enabling him to become a better man.
Racism ultimately leads to the destruction of the main characters Lady and Val along with Carol and Vee. Vee’s character sees religious visions due to the horrifying moments and events that she has witnessed. At one point, she specifically states that she has seen blacks getting beaten and treated like animals. It is in Vee’s nature to help others, which is why she helps Val when he needs it the most. However, her character ends in tragedy too when she goes blind by the end of the play. Furthermore, Carol has been an activist for the African Americans in the south. After devoting her inheritance in an attempt to put up clinics for the black population, she gets arrested. As a result, we see that her character acts like a fool and there is no hope for her either. Her character is in fact overlooked because she was one of the few who was willing to help put a stop to the racist attacks on blacks, yet she was seen as mere vagrant.
In Orpheus Descending we see how the important characters go astray and are destined for tragedy. In a quest for answers, Lady winds up in a worse position knowing that her husband killed her father. However, if she had not met Val, she would have continued to live in agony. The play describes the awakening of life and love through the romance between them. But just when there seems to be hope for Lady and Val to live happily ever after, the evils in the world of the play seek to ruin it all.