Summary "This piece of land"

             In this Depression era play depicting the lives of independent Black farmers in the South, Rosa is determined to keep her farm from being bought by Mr. Charlie, who will turn her husband into a sharecropper. The drought has hit all the local farms hard, and many have already signed over their mortgages to Mr. Charlie in exchange for the right to remain on their land. Rosa knows her husband has worked too hard to allow him to give up ownership of the farm. Rosa is slowly dying of a mysterious tumor in her abdomen. Although her husband Perry spent all their money on doctors for Rosa, there is no hope she will survive her illness. Perry and their son Leroy have decided not to tell Rosa that she is dying, but Rosa knows by the way they always ask how she’s feeling and look at her strangely. Meanwhile, their mortgage has gone unpaid for the last two months, and the only thing that survived the drought was the tomato crop. Unfortunately, the market is already flooded with tomatoes, and they will be unable to make a profit when they sell them. After unsuccessfully trying to sell some of her nice things, Rosa comes up with a mysterious plan to save the farm. Mr. Charlie, the only White man in the play, is determined to have Perry’s farm too. He makes a surprise visit, and Rosa barely manages to convince Perry to wait to sell. Leroy thinks his mother foolish, but Rosa is not a woman to trifle with. After Perry leaves, she sends for J.P. Morgan, the town undertaker. J.P. Morgan uncomfortably listens to Rosa’s proposal. After picking out her casket and arranging her funeral, she presents her life insurance policy to Mr. Morgan. It is worth significantly more than the cost of the funeral, and she insists Mr. Morgan cash it in to pay the mortgage on the farm. Even though she has not died yet, Mr. Morgan agrees to do her this favor. Perry is livid, and not ready to deal with Rosa’s impending death. He is not even sure he wants the farm without her on it, but she insists it’s for his own good. If history is any indication, Rosa is absolutely right. The only thing that is troubling Rosa about her death now is that she hopes when she gets to heaven, God isn’t White