Visions from Below: the Prophetic Pariah in the Black Literary Tradition

• In Event: Taboo in the Black Literary Tradition

Abstract

DeMointe’ Wesley
University of Houston
4401 Wheeler Street
Houston, TX 77204
940-337-0318


This paper examines the prominent archetype of the prophetic pariah within the Black literary tradition. The character of the wise, quasi-divine outcast has been a mainstay of the greater literary cannon since the time of ancient Greece. Yet, when examined within the context of Black literature, this character gains an even greater importance. The pariah, who has been ostracized due to his vices, poverty, and/or mental disabilities as result of traumatic events, is given a position from which to observe and evaluate the society which has expelled him. In this vein, this paper argues that for Black authors, the character of the socially ostracized visionary represents, on one hand, the social position of Black Americans as an oppressed class, and on the other hand, an inherent optimism present within the collective ethos of Black Americans, one which holds that such a position is temporary and that freedom is inevitable. Furthermore, the character serves as a medium through which the text offers commentary or critique of what might be perceived to be intraracial issues facing the Black community. The paper presents close readings of the works of prominent Black authors, including Daniel Omotosho Black, Toni Morrison, and August Wilson, and draws upon the work of Black theorists and critics of Black literature. Additionally, the paper places each work within an appropriate historical context, either that of when it was written or in which it takes place, in order to offer further analysis of the pariah’s specific role throughout the text.

Author

• DeMointe Wesley, University of Houston