Sharon Cooper’s short comic play “Mistaken Identity” follows a dinner date set up between Kali, a young, twentysomething Hindu lesbian, and Steve, a thirtysomething Baptist with very traditional views on relationships and family. When they realize the circumstances of their situation (the date will never work due to Kali’s lesbianism, which her brother, who set up the date, doesn’t know), they engage in a discussion spanning culture, race, sexuality and family. The title refers to not only the mistaken identities the two characters see in each other, but the identities their respective families attribute to them. In this essay, the various themes of the play will be explored.
The character of Kali is a stronghearted, spirited Hindu woman in her twenties who is caught between the traditional values of her people and her sexual preference towards women. As such, she is often confrontational and defensive about her sexuality, especially where men are concerned. She has experienced many cultural differences that lead to her assumption that men always want to hear the sordid details of woman-on-woman relations, believing that to be Steve’s ulterior motive. She makes her feelings on her sexuality very clear, demonstrating a strong sense of feminism – “Steve, being a lesbian is not negotiable. And don’t start with how sexy it would be to be with me or to watch me and another woman…” (p. 71).
The character of Steve is a simple, traditional, down-home Southern boy, with very old-fashioned ideas ingrained into him by his society, but he still attempts to be open-minded. “I just didn’t want you to think I was prejudiced against the French or anyone else…” (p. 67). At first, he is upset that Kali is a lesbian, but that is only because he is so desperate to feel love again. His desire to find true love and Kali’s desire to find it in spite of her family’s beliefs are a focal point that gives them a connection to work into a conversation and a friendship.
The two characters bond over many different issues, despite their cultural and social differences. Steve and Kali determine that they are both lonely people in an alienating world, just wanting to find some sort of happiness with another. Steve regales Kali with a tale of his last love, which Kali pays back with a tale of her current girlfriend. While Steve misses the affection and closeness of having a significant other, Kali laments the fact that she and her girlfriend have to speak in code over the phone in order to keep their relationship secret. Given these similar longings for true love and freedom, the characters find their own sense of camaraderie in these experiences.
In conclusion, “Mistaken Identity” is a play about similarities between people of different backgrounds, and the universal truths that bind us all together. While Steve is a straight white man, and Kali is a gay Hindu woman, they both just want to be loved, and be free to express that love. These longings for what they do not have bring them closer together, and the understanding they come to is particularly poignant, for the characters and for the reader alike.
Works Cited
Cooper, Sharon. "Mistaken Identity." Laugh lines: short comic plays. New York: Vintage Books, 2007. 53. Print.
