The Blues
The lucky listeners of the audience get a taste of the blues when Ma starts signing somewhere around the end of section 2. But the blues are more than just music here: they're solace, connection, a...
Ma Rainey
Okay, okay. We know she's a person. And how can a person be a symbol? Well it's pretty clear here that the speaker and the people in Ma Rainey's audience aren't all that interested in who this woma...
The Fans
Sure, they're average Joes. But no less symbolic for it. From the details we get from the speaker, we can see that these Ma Rainey fans are symbolic of the black southern community as a whole.Secti...