Written originally in 2006 and released in 2010, Why We Build the Wall is the near-prophetic closer of the first act of Hadestown, a national sensation of a musical based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It is a mantra-like call-and-repeat between Hades and his workers (as well as Persephone, Hermes and the Fates) which directly mimics the language of historical political indoctrination. Each question Hades asks, his “children” repeat before answering, which, combined with the repetitive melody, implies how these people’s thoughts are not their own. Despite this, they sing the final line without Hades’ input, exhibiting that his manipulation has been so successful that he is no longer needed – they will continue this message that is so deeply ingrained in their brains, even without his prompting. It could also suggest that this message is bigger than just Hades as an individual, and instead a commentary about the system as a whole.

Hades’ political language is particularly prominent throughout the song. He refers to his workers consistently as “my children, my children”, which implies how capitalistic hierarchy has replaced traditional family and social power dynamics, as well as emphasising the fact that he is an all-powerful god, leaving the workers even more vulnerable to exploitation. By making himself trustworthy and paternal, the workers, who are searching for security, are much more likely to follow his lead. Furthermore, this phrase works in his favour as a method of manipulation, much like how he constantly uses the collective pronoun “we”. This gives the illusion to those listening to him that he is on the same side as them, and that this is a joint battle against the “enemy of poverty”, a common tool used by politicians to convince their voters of their similarity and relatability. Through having Hades represent not only a wealthy corporation owner but also a politician, Mitchell is able to reveal and criticise the power that money can give individuals over people and politics. Hades’s black and silver pinstripe suit further emphasises the extent to which he represents the wealthy businessmen of America, who control both the industrial and political sphere. Micheal Krass (the costume designer for the original Broadway production) references “most specifically at a photo of the Depression-era politician Huey Long, who wore pinstripes… [of which] there was implied power to the look,” as his key inspiration. Although Long was on the other side of the political spectrum to what we would expect from Hades as a committed capitalist, he also governed his state of Louisiana in an almost dictatorial way, and this absolute power is reflected in Hades control of both the other characters and the narrative as a whole.

The power Hades is able to exert is particularly noticeable in who partakes in this song. It is expected both by Hades and the audience for the workers to respond, and Eurydice (who rises up onto stage and ‘down’ to Hadestown in the middle of the song, following her death in Gone, I’m Gone) also follows suit in the final line, which represents her acceptance of conformity despite her visible realisation in horror of what she has committed to. Also joining the workers, however, is Hermes and the three Fates. This feels somewhat out of place, especially in Hermes’ case given that he is also a god, and therefore we would expect him to hold a similar status and power to Hades. Despite this, he sings alongside the workers, emphasising not only Hades’ influence, but the absolute influence of financial power. The three Fates are also implied to be somewhat disconnected from day-to-day life, and are largely present to sway Eurydice’s and Orpheus’s internal conflicts to their own will. Because of this, Hades’ power is further reinforced, as he holds it over divine beings beyond the scope of both god and human. Finally, Persephone stands by his side and she too sings with the workers. As his wife, she fills the role of wives of politicians throughout history and many far-right male politicians today: she is the blueprint for how the oppressed should follow Hades’ instruction, acting as the perfect wife and perfect subject.

“The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall”

Rachel Chavkin, the original Broadway director of the show, describes Hadestown as “a place that has chosen security over spirit and over freedom,” which is made evident throughout Why We Build the Wall. By claiming that “the enemy is poverty”, Hades creates an ‘us’ of him and his workers and a ‘them’ not just of the ambiguous fear of destitution, but also the poor themselves, which is revealed in his question “What do we have that they should want?.” The use of the pronoun “they” instead of a noun purposefully breeds a suspicion of the ‘other’, of those who are not workers on the wall. This is a common technique in politics, which can be seen clearly today through right-wing targeting of immigration, for example by Trump in the US and Farage and his Reform UK party. Blaming a society’s issues on faceless outsiders through this nationalist, right-wing rhetoric enables politicians to avoid addressing the active problems of society, and also makes it easier for them to unite people to their cause, as few things can make people band together like fear. Moreover, the fact that this explanation does not make logical sense (given walls’ connotations of entrapment) serves to further emphasise how those in power do not need to make sense in order to be believed, and are able to build campaigns on a complete fallacy with enough money, support and influence.

Throughout Hadestown, love (symbolised chiefly by nature and music) is constantly in direct conflict with capitalism and the need for survival. This forms the decision that Eurydice has to make – does she choose love with penniless Orpheus or security with tyrannical Hades? Mitchell, however, makes it clear which will win in the world through the placement of this song in the show. Typically in musicals, the end of the first act is a climactic number and often one of the most well-known (like Defying Gravity in Wicked or One Day More in Les Misérables). Why We Build the Wall does not fit into this expectation, instead following Wait for Me, Orpheus’ deeply emotive love ballad that would traditionally be expected to close the first act. In doing this, Mitchell makes it very clear that, in our current political and social climate, love will always come second in the face of money and power.

Lastly, this song cannot be discussed without acknowledging how the very lyrics of it have manifested in modern politics. Unknown to Mitchell at the time, almost a decade after she wrote Why We Build the Wall, a business tycoon would gain massive popularity in American politics under an almost identical slogan, adding a new and very literal layer of complexity to this already topical song. The direct links between Donald Trump and Hades is already evident without reference to the infamous ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘We will build a wall,’ – it could be easily expected that anyone seeing this musical today would think this was a purposeful comparison without knowing the timeline of its creation.

Ultimately, Trump’s career just reveals how predictable politics can be, especially in consideration of the power of wealth and the fear of the ‘other’. Time and time again, vulnerable people are manipulated by politicians promising a simple fix to all of their issues, and possibly more importantly someone to blame for their problems.

In a myth traditionally about love, death and music, Mitchell is able to weave in powerful criticism of modern politics and capitalism, and no moment of Hadestown exemplifies this better than Why We Build the Wall.