Let Me Breathe Thunder (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: William Attaway
- First Published: 1939
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Naturalism
- Time of Work: The 1930’s
- Setting: The northwestern United States
- Principal Characters: Ed, Step, Hi Boy, Sampson, Anna Sampson, Mag, Cooper
- Genres: Long fiction, Naturalistic literature
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Racism, Sex or sexuality, Escapes, Depression, economic, 1930’s, Poverty or poor people, Farms, farmers, or farming, Death or dying, Sick persons, Mexican Americans, Migrant labor, Trains, Tramps or hoboes
- Locales: Northwest (U.S.)
The Novel
Let Me Breathe Thunder is a terse tale of three hobos in the western United States during the Great Depression. William Attaway’s novel quickly builds to its tragic climax of racial brutality by depicting the social and economic desperation of the times. Step, Ed, and Hi Boy ride the rails looking for work and adventure. They sleep outdoors, travel both by day and by night, and eat when and where they can. They are at the mercy of the elements, the train “bulls,” and the town police, who harass migrant workers.
Step and Ed have traveled the...
[The entire page is 2902 words long]
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