IT was the production of "The Emperor Jones" in 1920 that put the final seal on Eugene O'Neill's acceptance as one of America's most important dramatists. The play is a story of a fear-crazed negro, told to the accompaniment of a rhythmical drumbeat which starts at a normal pulse and is slowly intensified until the heartbeat of the reader corresponds to the frenzied beat of the drums.

"The Straw" was written in 1918—immediately preceding the composition of "The Emperor Jones."