Truth and Hope: The Dual Visions of Liberation in Wright and Hansberry’s Writing

 Truth and Hope: The Dual Visions of Liberation in Wright and Hansberry’s Writing

All throughout history, literature has been used as a medium for more than just storytelling. Literature can be utilized as a way of resisting, preserving culture, and helping writers express their feelings. For Black writers in America, literature was used as both a weapon for rebellion and as a written proof of their struggles. Both Richard Wright and Lorraine Hansberry wrote during times when racism was not just a social issue, but rather a form of systemic oppression. This oppression had staged every part of African American’s lives, and often put them in lower positions. What makes their work special is how differently both of these authors responded to the same reality. Wright’s “Down by the Riverside” is a narrative which traps all of its characters in a society where they are surrounded by systemic oppression even in times of natural disaster. Hansberry’s "A Raisin in the Sun” carries a more hopeful outlook and is assertive with the fact that dignity can still exist even in the walls of segregation. Both works protest against the same injustice, but the authors approach the situations in completely different manners. In particular, Wright forces readers to accept the cruelty of the system until they are unable to protest anymore, while Hansberry focuses more on the humanitarian and empathetic aspect.

In Wright’s perspective, he believes that freedom is something that is always talked about, but is never truly given to the Black people. In “Down by the Riverside”, Mann is portrayed as a character who is caught between the duality of conflict. Not only does he fight with nature, but he also faces systemic oppression. Oftentimes, Wright portrays Mann as being in a position where he has no real choice, and is forced to do evil. Wright’s socialist naturalism also exposes racism on a  systemic level, labeling it to be similar to exploitation. Mann’s desperation to save his family becomes a symbol of the struggle to live under a society where you can’t have your basic human rights. Interestingly enough, Wright’s style of writing makes the reader recognize how the system deforms life itself. His protest was not about changing people’s perspectives at an emotional level, but rather revealing the truth so it becomes impossible to deny. In Wright’s view, only a complete transformation of the system can offer justice, and his views are supposed to awaken the protest for this change.

Hansberry’s vision could not be any different. In “A Raisin in the Sun”, Hanberry invites the reader into the cramped bubble of the Younger family, and introduces the tension of ordinary life. Her realism is personal, and racism is viewed more as a shadow that is prevalent in every dream and decision the family makes. However, Hansberry strategically gives her characters the ability to fight back through their own self-respect and love. In particular, Walter’s ambition and Beneatha’s determination become acts of resistance. Her protest approach reveals a conscience rather than despair. She exposes the moral contradiction of a nation that celebrates freedom while denying it to millions of its citizens. Where Wright tears apart the entire idea of equality, Hansberry requests America to live up to its true values. Her storytelling lightens the “blow” or racism, and she tries to emotionally explain why her audience should feel before they judge. 

The difference between Wright and Hansberry reflects the two visions of liberation. Wright writes with the enraged voice of the 1930s, when the living generation believed that revolution was the only solution to getting their equality. Hansberry writes with the faith of the 1950s when the Civil Rights Movement believed in a more emotionally-driven path. Both believed that literature could be a medium for transformation, but each imagined a different path towards freedom. Wright’s work calls for collective awakening, while Hansberry’s work insists that better morals can evolve the way Black people were being treated.

Together, these texts remind us readers that the fight for equality requires both truth and hope. Wright teaches us that we must see the system for what it truly is before we try to enact changes. Hansberry teaches us that empathy and emotions can be equally as revolutionary as anger. After reading both of them, I feel as if I am reading two parts of the same story. Wright firmly cautions the reader of what might happen if injustice continues unchecked. Hansberry imagines what could happen if courage and compassion continue pulling through. One speaks from the edge of despair, the other from a more realist perspective. All in all, both reveal that literature can be utilized to push the general population towards a path of understanding and renewal.