Date of Award
5-2009
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
English
Department
English
Major Professor
Bryant, Earle V.
Second Advisor
Cooke, John
Third Advisor
Osundare, Niyi
Abstract
An analysis of the names and violence in Richard Wright's The Outsider reveals Wright's aesthetic program for the novel. Wright's recurring themes and the meanings of the name and aliases of his protagonist are indicative of African American vernacular tradition. Despite Wright's physical distance from African American life in the United States at the time of the novel's writing, he still conveys a strong connection to the African American experience, linking that experience with the suffering of all oppressed people. By using the idea of double-consciousness and various forms of signification, including masking, naming, and improvisation, Wright locates his work within the African American folk tradition and celebrates the freedom and subversive nature of African American expression.
Recommended Citation
Bailly, Sarah, "Names, Violence, and the African American Vernacular in Richard Wright's The Outsider" (2009). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 940.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/940
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.