The Man Who Lived Underground | The Man Who Lived Underground

At a glance:

Author: Richard Wright
First Published: 1942
Type of Plot: Psychological
Time of Work: The 1930's
Setting: A metropolitan area in the United States
Principal Characters: Fred Daniels, Lawson, Murphy, Johnson
Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
Subjects: African Americans, United States or Americans, Blacks, Suicide, Murder or homicide, Police, 1930’s, Inner cities or inner-city life, City life, Undertakers or undertaking, Subterranean or underground regions
Locales: United States

The Story

After Fred Daniels, a young black man unjustly accused of murdering a woman, is forced into signing a confession, he escapes from the police by going underground—into the sewer system beneath the city—where a series of adventures leads him to self-knowledge, maturity, and, ultimately, death.

Daniels's adventures include visits to various places that he observes through chinks in the floors of the buildings above him, the first of which is a black church. From his protected perch, Daniels watches the choir in their white robes singing and asking God's mercy....

The Man Who Lived Underground | The Man Who Lived Underground

At a glance:

The Story

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