ABSTRACT
The twentieth century American literary scene is characterized by the emergence of black writers who are concerned with creating what is called “Black Consciousness”. This concept became a form of literary expression associated with the Afro-American movement whose concern was for the discovery of the meaning of black man’s experience. Black, consciousness has to do with the revolutionary consciousness which occupies most Afro-American writing. This concept places emphasis on the Afro-American search for self-esteem in a hostile social environment and the search for a language to affirm a “black selfhood” as well as express the richness of an oral culture. These elements are examined in Richard Wright’s Native Son and Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. These works marked a high point in the Black-American literary tradition. Both novels are protests against the hatred, injustices and racism in the America society.
The racial prejudices and the American racial dilemma inform the choice of themes by these authors. Wright’s novel represents what has been described as protest to black fiction. Wright is a central figure in Afro-American literature. Ellison’s novel is indebted to Native Son for certain themes i.e. the social invisibility of black Americans and the blindness of the whites to theirindividuality.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Afro-American tradition
Racial freedom in the face of white oppression and injustice is a social necessity of black life. The Afro-American novelist as a spokesman for his people places his art at the disposal of the course of freedom. These writers possess a sense of commitment to racial justice and racial freedom. The Afro-American literature of the last couple of decades witnessed remarkable transformations. The artistic ambition of the black writers in America. Thus, history provides and impetus for current black writing. The efforts to define the Afro-American experience have influenced the choice of theme and the literary traditions of Afro-American literature. It then follows that the basic themes and literature traditions of Afro-American writing is associated with black experience.
The dominant themes of Afro-American literature have been identified as the search for freedom. The theme has been explored by several Afro-American authors who often believe they have a commitment towards the liberation of the generality of the Afro-American people. This issue is explored in such novels as Ellison’s Invisible Man whose protagonist embarked on a journey to achieve self-knowledge in order to gain his freedom. This trend is repeated in other Afro-American novels like Jean Toomer’s Cane, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Richard Wright’s Native Son, James Baldwin’s Go Tell It On The Mountain and Toni Morrison’s Sula. The protagonists of all these novels have one thing in common; they are all involved in the struggle to achieve freedom.
The literary traditions of the twentieth century Afro-American literature are committed to the task of delving into the complexity of the Afro-American experience. The diverse kinds of black experience referred to here are characterized by racial prejudice and oppression as well as their political struggle for freedom. The importance of black literature in America may be considered from the point of view of the fact that most literary works by Afro-Americans address such issues as the question of personal identity and the meaning of freedom as well as the humanity of the blacks. The benefit of addressing issues of this nature as that it assists in the process of a deeper understanding and self-discovery for the blacks and the nation at large. The much talked about Afro-American literary tradition is a complex term. There is no gainsaying that certain themes and tropes recur in Afro-American fiction. The Afro-American writers like other writers have literary antecedents. Over the years, Afro-American fiction has changed the artistic achievements.
