The environment's influence on the protagonists in Richard Wright's fiction

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. ; Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters ; FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection ; Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2004.