ABSTRACT
The study explores the enactment of black masculinities as represented across time in Black
Thunder, Black Boy, The Third Life of Grange Copeland and Song of Solomon. Two
theoretical frameworks have been used, namely Black Marxism and Connell’s masculinity
theory. Male writers’ portrayal of black male characters has been analysed using both Black
Marxism and Connell’s (1995) theory of masculinity. However, femalewriters’
representations of black males do not show elements of radicalism that can be linked to Black
Marxism. What has been established is that ways of being a ‘man’ and how masculinities are
negotiated differ according to history, race, age, culture among other variables. Coupled with
ideology, various representations of black males are shown in the selected four African
American literary texts. Given that the concept of masculinity has been explored from slavery
to the post emancipation era, it has been noted that each different epoch has its own forms of
masculinity. Claims of location are also responsible for spawning different masculine
identities. Black masculinities exercised in the American Deep South are not necessarily the
same as those performed in the North. Interestingly, African American female writers have
also had their say on black masculinities, in their various representations of the American
male of African descent. These female writers have their different areas of convergence and
divergence with male writers in their representation of black masculinities. The black male
has been portrayed exercising violent and hyper sexual masculinities. The degree of black
men’s misogyny highlighted in the two texts by female writers is unparalleled in Black
Thunder and Black Boy. Such phenomena attest to the underlying imprints of ideology in
the depiction of the African American male characters.
MAIDZA, P (2021). Ideology And The Representation Of Black Male Character In Selected African American Literary Texts: Bontemps Black Thunder; Wrights Black Boys; Walkers The Thirdlife Of Grange Copeland And M. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/ideology-and-the-representation-of-black-male-character-in-selected-african-american-literary-texts-bontemps-black-thunder-wrights-black-boys-walkers-the-thirdlife-of-grange-copeland-and-morr
MAIDZA, PETER "Ideology And The Representation Of Black Male Character In Selected African American Literary Texts: Bontemps Black Thunder; Wrights Black Boys; Walkers The Thirdlife Of Grange Copeland And M" Afribary. Afribary, 04 May. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/ideology-and-the-representation-of-black-male-character-in-selected-african-american-literary-texts-bontemps-black-thunder-wrights-black-boys-walkers-the-thirdlife-of-grange-copeland-and-morr. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
MAIDZA, PETER . "Ideology And The Representation Of Black Male Character In Selected African American Literary Texts: Bontemps Black Thunder; Wrights Black Boys; Walkers The Thirdlife Of Grange Copeland And M". Afribary, Afribary, 04 May. 2021. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/ideology-and-the-representation-of-black-male-character-in-selected-african-american-literary-texts-bontemps-black-thunder-wrights-black-boys-walkers-the-thirdlife-of-grange-copeland-and-morr >.
MAIDZA, PETER . "Ideology And The Representation Of Black Male Character In Selected African American Literary Texts: Bontemps Black Thunder; Wrights Black Boys; Walkers The Thirdlife Of Grange Copeland And M" Afribary (2021). Accessed April 27, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/ideology-and-the-representation-of-black-male-character-in-selected-african-american-literary-texts-bontemps-black-thunder-wrights-black-boys-walkers-the-thirdlife-of-grange-copeland-and-morr