"A Raisin in the Sun" and "Down by the Riverside" are both two different medias of African American protest literature that approach themes of racism and racial segregation through different lenses. They portray a black family, specifically focusing on the the masculine "head" of the family, suffering through the racism inherently present in their environments. However, the tone of both of the stories differs dramatically, as well as the the portrayal of racist behavior.
Hansberry's play embodies a socialist-driven naturalism, and portrays characters as products of the environment and social conditions. She emphasizes the deterministic influence of a systemic racism and economic inequality and how that realistically shapes an individual's life. Wright's short story, on the other hand, embraces a bleaker view of racism and segregation in a more holistic, inevitable view: characters are trapped under an endless cycle of poverty and oppression, and there is little hope or potential for change.
The major difference between the two types of protest literature is in the perspectives on an individual's capability of social change. Richard Wright's socialist-driven naturalism dramatically portrays racism as an inherently systemic form of segregation by a greater power, with the individual, Mann, unable to change anything and his death is an inevitable part of story. Mann's agency as a character is limited: instead, he is a plot device used to further the meaning of the ending. Him and his wife die because of systemic constraints of his society. A Raisin in the Sun encourages a realistic hope for the future through an individual's action: while the end of the play wasn't a happy ending, through the family's actions, they were at least able to move on to the next stage of the life. They aren't stagnant characters, and their actions change the potential of their future.
Both modes of protest literature encapsulate and illuminate the injustices of racism: both Walter and Mann (and their families) suffer through racial segregation and discrimination, even though one family struggles in a much more intense and depressing manner. In terms of the civil rights movement, Wright portrays the problem of systemic racism needing a "systemic" solution: that is, the entire overthrowal of the system. Hansberry's answer is a more personalized one, placing part of the weight of the solution on an individual person and what actions they can take. I think both of these views show different perspectives of the fight for racial equality during the civil rights movement. Hansberry's literature fosters the idea that even an individual can make a difference, and it's not entirely hopeless. Wright's literature encourages an idealistic hope for a different future, one requiring an entire overthrow of the current oppressive society.
