Richard Wright's literary contributions and legacy

¶ … Man Who Killed a Shadow comments on a short story written by Richard Wright

The short story, "A Man Who Killed a Shadow," was first printed in the Spring, 1949 issue of Zero Magazine and is essentially based on an actual event which occurred a few years earlier. Of course, Wright fictionalized the names and some of the events to make his dramatic points.

I believe that "The Man Who Killed a Shadow" is a commentary on racism based upon the racial "universalities" which were very much present in 1949 in the South, including Washington, D.C. And Virginia.

The main character, Saul Saunders, finds out during the story that these "universalities" are impossible to escape. First, Saul realizes almost immediately that his being alone with a white woman, especially one who is screaming incessantly, is a situation a Black man should never find himself in. Wright's use of the unseen narrator helps the reader to hear Saul's thoughts is particularly helpful during the crime.

The tragedy that this story becomes is formed when Saul slaps Miss Houseman's face and she starts screaming.

The "screaming" is hammered home by Wright through his use of the word over and over again throughout the events which transpire after Saul slaps the white woman. Wright throws in other words such as "shrill," "holler," and "yell" to reinforce the point that Saul is completely unnerved and is beginning to see Miss Houseman as a "shadow." He realizes the complete break he made with the "rules" (racist, of course) of Blacks and Whites when he slapped her, and spends the rest of his energy on trying to shut her up. Again, these actions reinforce the fact that Saul was in a complete panic after the word, "nigger" was used by Miss Houseman.

Most of Saul's actions which follow the initial crime are an almost primal effort to be away from the screams,

Oh God! In her scream he heard the sirens of the police cars that hunted down black men in the Black Belts and he heard the shrill whistles of the White cops running after black men and he felt again

In one rush of emotion all the wild and bitter tales

He had heard of how white always got the black who Did the crime and that this woman was screaming as If he raped her (p. 205).

The sexual information which is supplied to the reader only helps to compound Saul's fear (p.200-201. He knows that whether or not he rapes this white woman is of no consequence, the "universal racism" dictates that he be treated as a murderer and a rapist. And try as he might, he cannot turn the dead body nor the men who come after him into "shadows." In fact, Saul did not molest the woman.