pride and predjuce in south pacific 5

In Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the main theme is racial prejudices. The two main
characters, Emile de Becque and Nellie Forbush are faced with these problems as they attempt a
relationship. Two other minor characters, Lt. Joe Cable and Liat, are faced with the same
dilemma. Both Nellie and Joe Cable have a hard time copping with their own racial prejudices;
Joe loves Liat, yet cannot marry her because she is Tonkinese ; Nellie loves Emile, but cannot
marry him because of his former Polynesian wife. It is these prejudices that set the state for what
might be the most significant scene in the production.
In act 2, scene 3, Nellie reveals her prejudices to Emile.
I can't help it. It isn't as if I could give you a good reason. There is no reason. This is emotional.
It's something that is born in me.
She looks to Cable for help in describing what she feels, but he offers no help. Emile tells her that
it is not born in her, that it cannot be born in her. Nellie, who is crying, runs off. Emile is left
with Joe, who is thinking over his own relationship with Liat. Emile asks him why he and Nellie
think that these prejudices are born in them. Joe, giving him the product of his thoughts, tell him
'It's not born in you.'
It is at this point that Joe Cable begins singing 'Carefully Taught,' a character song in which Joe is
able to vent his frustrations and anger about his own prejudices. The music is slightly upbeat,
which helps to illustrate that by singing this song, he is beginning to feel better. The words that
Joe sing tell the audience that he realizes that prejudices aren't born within someone, but taught to
them.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people who's eyes are oddly made,
And people who's skin is a different shade -
You've got to be carefully taught!
To HATE all the people your relatives hate -
You've got to be carefully taught! (II,iii)
Joe realizes that there would be no prejudices in the world if it nobody were to teach it to the
children. He sees that if nobody had even spoken against other races or people that were different,
he would have no problem with marrying Liat. He realizes that he actually does not feel these
things at all and the ideas that have been planted in his head can be as easily uprooted as they were
planted. Joe, feeling better, sits down and listens to Emile begin to speak.

Emile tells Joe that it was prejudice that he had been running away from and it was prejudice that
had found him again. He finishes 'Carefully Taught'. He sings of being cheated in the past and
being cheated out of love again. He sings that it is the fault of 'a MEAN little world of MEAN
little men (II,iii).' He sings that he will hold on to this island 'and be free - and alone(II,iii).' It is
this part of the song that offers a perfect segue into Emile's next song, 'This Nearly Was Mine.'
Joe alludes to the fact that he will probably marry Liat after all by saying that all he cares about is
on the island and so he plans to stay there. Emile agrees with him that if all you care about is right
there on that spot, then it is a good place to be, but if what you care about is gone, there is no
place to be. It is at this point that he adds his voice to the music that has been going on under the
dialogue, singing 'This Nearly Was Mine', a love song that shows how much Nellie's refusing
marriage has affected him.
The song he sings is about things lost and giving up hope of ever being happy again. He sings of
having one love, one girl, one dream, and each of those things would be in his paradise, which he
nearly had. He poetically sings of how Nellie flew into his heart, only to fly away. He remembers
things like kisses, and time spent with her, but realizes that these things will be no more. The song
is very sad and the music magnifies that emotion of sadness to a higher degree.
After Emile has finished singing, Joe sees the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He
asks Emile if he would reconsider going on the spy mission with him, now that he has nothing to
risk losing. Emile agrees and they set off to tell Captain Brackett that they will be doing the
mission after all.
Act 2, scene 3, is a very important scene in South Pacific because it tackles the problem of social
prejudices as well as puts Emile into danger by sending him off on a mission to spy on the
Japanese. The scene puts forth a social message as well as furthering the plot. It is because of
Emile's acceptance of the mission that helps Nellie realize that her prejudices are stupid and that
she's giving away everything that is important to her because of someone else's preconceived
notions of people. By examining some of the social problems of the time (and even now), Act 2,
scene 3, proves to be one of the most significant of the production.