This thesis discussed how motifs of height and depth in Black literature highlight Black characters’ inability to form positive racial identities. The thesis uses three canonical pieces of Black literature, Passing, Native Son, and Plum Bun, to demonstrate that Black characters who try to reimagine White space are forced into crime, exile, or even death. Consequently, this thesis will discuss the ways in which cultural symbols of power force Black characters into inescapable roles, which suggests that characters must completely reimagine Black Space to reach their full human potential.

Last modified

• 12/09/2021

Creator

• Stovall, Jessica Lee

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-w7hz-ca92

Keyword

• literature

Date created

• 2013

Resource type

• Masters Thesis

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International