Consider Hally's hitting Willie and his recollection of being beaten by his teacher in "Master Harold" . . . and the boys.

In "MASTER HAROLD" . . . and the boys, Hally tells Sam that he was given six strokes (beatings) by his teacher for doodling on his book. The context of the conversation suggests that corporal punishment is a regular occurrence at Hally's school—an act that is used by adults in a hierarchical position to punish children for their wrongdoings. Later in the play, when Hally hits Willie with a ruler on his backside, the act mimics the beating that he himself has received from his teacher, except that the power dynamic has shifted: Hally is only a seventeen-year-old child hitting an adult man. But in this society, racial hierarchy trumps that of age, and Hally uses his white privilege to take control over Willie. Just like Hally's teacher who wanted Hally to know that he stood in a lower place in the hierarchy of school, Hally wants Willie to know that he is in a low position at the tea shop.