Promoting Agency and Resilience during the Civil Rights Movement in "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Down by the Riverside"

    The most important difference between these two works is their portrayal of agency versus determinism. Wright’s naturalism suggests that people like Mann are ultimately trapped by forces beyond their control, using his story to expose the overwhelming and inescapable power of systemic racism and class oppression. This creates a sense of urgency and highlights the need for large-scale structural change, aligning with the broader critiques of inequality during the Civil Rights Movement. On the other hand, Hansberry’s realism centers on the Younger family’s ability to make choices, even in the face of discrimination, showing that resistance and progress are possible. Her work promotes hope, dignity, and integration, reflecting a more optimistic vision of social change. Together, these two modes of protest literature work in different but complementary ways: Wright pushes readers to recognize the depth and severity of racial injustice, while Hansberry inspires belief in the possibility of overcoming it.
    Richard Wright’s “Down by the Riverside” and Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” are both powerful works of protest literature that confront racism and segregation, but they do so through very different narrative lenses. Wright’s story reflects socialist naturalism, emphasizing how individuals are shaped and trapped by the overwhelming social and environmental forces like poverty, racism, and systemic oppression. In contrast, Hansberry’s play uses liberal realism, focusing on everyday life, complex characters, and the possibility of progress through personal choice and dignity. While both texts expose the harsh realities of racial inequality in America, they diverge in how they frame human agency. Wright presents racism as a deterministic force that limits freedom and control, while Hansberry highlights the ability of individuals and families to resist and create change—revealing a key difference in how each text engages with the struggle for racial equality.

    As shown in “Down by the Riverside,” naturalism is when environmental and social forces control individuals. We observe Mann’s struggle throughout the story, as he is unable to fight for himself and is forced to make several life changing decisions. Not only is he facing the struggles of keeping himself alive, but is faced with the systematic inequality and oppression of the soldiers around him. Both are very different factors, but have similar impacts on Mann in terms of severity. The racism that he goes through is inescapable, violent, and structural, similar to the conditions he is under while attempting to navigate to safety. He is not only trapped by the natural disaster going on around him, but the circumstances of society that are beyond his control. It’s clear that Wright is presenting a bleak vision where Black individuals have little agency or control over their own situations, using naturalism to represent it dually.

    While Wright uses realism to communicate the relationship between nature and racism, Hansberry uses realism through integrating everyday life, complex characters, and social issues, into “A Raisin in the Sun.” There is also an emphasis on liberal ideas, as in the story, Beneatha is striving to be a doctor, something that people of color were less likely to achieve in this time period. This realist ideal influences progress and dignity as well, as later in the story, the Younger Family refuses to accept the offer of money in order to not move into the white neighborhood. This action shows how through the face of racism, housing discrimination, while also financially struggling with their living situation, the Younger family actively resists and makes choices for themselves, good or bad. By including these situations of injustice and also resistance, Hansberry is highlighting the possibility of change through realism and resilience against racism.

    The most important difference between these two works is their portrayal of agency versus determinism. Wright’s naturalism suggests that people like Mann are ultimately trapped by forces beyond their control, using his story to expose the overwhelming and inescapable power of systemic racism and class oppression. This creates a sense of urgency and highlights the need for large-scale structural change, aligning with the broader critiques of inequality during the Civil Rights Movement. On the other hand, Hansberry’s realism centers on the Younger family’s ability to make choices, even in the face of discrimination, showing that resistance and progress are possible. Her work promotes hope, dignity, and integration, reflecting a more optimistic vision of social change. Together, these two modes of protest literature work in different but complementary ways: Wright pushes readers to recognize the depth and severity of racial injustice, while Hansberry inspires belief in the possibility of overcoming it.