The Quest For Fulfilment By Black Females In The United States: A Reading Of Four Novels By Wright, Ellison, Baldwin And Hughes

ABSTRACT

This study critically explores the persistent claim by feminists that black male writing in the United States "has been systematically discriminatory against women.* The critics insist that African-American women in the malo-authored works are portrayed as playing unimportant rules that make the male protagonists emerge as the “real black heroes.' No black female, they argue, is accorded heroic status in texts by these male writers. They are also dissatisfied with the fact that some male authored works completely exclude black women and their experiences

This study addresses most of the issues raised by the critics by revealing how the quest for fulfilment by black females in the United States is central to the feminist efforts of black women in the male authored texts. Aspects of the female quest for the realisation of their aspirations include the pursuit of advanced education, economic and political empowerment, social equality and cultural expression

The study highlights the heroic contributions of individual black women to the advancement of the African-American community in the United States in works by Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.