Racism in literature

The protagonists in Richard Wright's fiction often face insurmountable obstacles. The environment plays an important role in the actions of the protagonist. Although Wright's fictional settings were often centered in the United States, the specific U.S. location was often integral to the resolution of the story. The protagonists are exposed to similar situations, but depending upon the northern American or southern American environments, they may encounter vastly different outcomes. Neither environment proves itself to be beneficial to Wright's protagonists. The racism in both northern and southern environments is the defining factor in the development of the protagonists. There are differences between the two environments: while the racism is obvious in the southern environment, the northern environment is outwardly more accepting. Even so, the northern environment can also isolate the protagonist. In nearly every piece of Wright's fiction, his protagonists meet unfortunate endings.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is, admittedly, a text with many racist, imperialist and sexist subtexts. A feminist literary analysis, however, can extract women's empowerment and agency. This thesis takes a closer look at the Mistress (also known as the African woman) and the Intended, two women with vastly different racial and class backgrounds who, in their own ways, demonstrate resistance. This thesis analyzes Mr. Kurtz's often ignored sketch in oils, arguing that the sketch itself demonstrates the colonial mentality of difference and the disruption of that difference. It then explores both the Mistress and the Intended in detail, positing that while the Mistress uses the colonizers' fear of the wilderness and its silence to her advantage, the Intended takes control over her own domestic circumstance. Overall, this author asserts that the Mistress and the Intended, while often dismissed, are noteworthy, important, and influential characters in Heart of Darkness.