Richard Wright's Use of Naturalism to Speak about the CRM

 In “Down By the Riverside,” Richard Wright uses a naturalistic style of writing to urge the entire black community to unite in opposing racial segregation of the Jim Crow south. Naturalism is the idea that nature has total power over an individual, rather than the individual’s actions. While the flood might seem like the nature that controls Mann and his family, Wright conveys through multiple passages that a white supremacist society is really the overarching force on their lives. By representing the ways in which Mann fails to survive the flood and the mis-treatment from white people despite his greatest effort, Wright instills the idea that the black community needs to unite to stand against racial segregation for the Civil Rights Movement's success.  

Firstly, the two paragraphs at the start of page fifty-six contain vivid descriptions of both the flood and white supremacy. When describing the flood, Wright says, “He looked out; his house was about twelve feet above the water. And water was everywhere. Yellow water. Swirling water. Droning water” (56).  The flood carries the story along and is what Mann tries to save his family from initially. One might think that the danger of nature is the only controlling force in his life, but this passage also introduces white supremacy as the overarching influence over his attempt to survive and save his family. When describing the white people in the town amidst the flood, Wright writes, “They were afraid of stores and homes being looted…Shucks, in times like these they’ll shoota (n word) down jus lika dog n think nothing of it” (56). These details foreshadow the cruelty that Mann will face throughout his journey and signify that this story relates more to “man against society” rather than “man against nature.”

Second, the dialogue on page sixty-eight represents that no matter what Mann does, society’s social pressures will always have more power over him. In this interaction, Mann comes across a house amidst navigating the dangerous flood and seeks help for his wife, but instead is met with anger from the owner of the boat he is in. Instead of listening to Mann and showing sympathy in any way, the white man acts aggressively and is only concerned about his boat. Mann did not want to shoot, but was almost forced to by the actions of the white man. This action is one of the events that lead to his death in the end. By including this aggressive interaction, Wright suggests that despite Mann’s efforts to find safety and save his wife, social pressures of a white supremacist society will always have more power over his life. This idea helps represent why the black community needs to stand together against racial segregation, since one individual cannot change an entire social system. 

Finally, the last paragraph of page seventy-nine and Mann’s interaction with the white soldier on page eighty signifies a moment of defeat and a confirmation of the power of nature, or in this case, white supremacy, over an individual. At the end of page seventy-nine, Mann’s body experiences repercussions from the events of the day. Even though he may still be mentally ready to persevere, he physically struggles to stay strong enough. His interaction with the soldier on the next page shows the lack of mercy from the white people surrounding him who have the ability to help. The soldier thinking that a sandwich will cure Mann’s physical pain represents the lack of sympathy and awareness of the needs of black people. Each of these passages represent the inability for one person to overcome the effects of a dismantled social system. “Down By the Riverside '' conveys Richard Wright’s message for black writers to mobilize in an effort to represent the needs of all black people, since one individual cannot change society by themself to make the Civil Rights Movement successful.