"Come Out the Wilderness" is a short story by American writer James Baldwin. The short story is part of Baldwin's collection, Going to Meet the Man, which was published in 1965. The story centers on the experiences of Ruth, a black woman, with her white boyfriend, Paul, and her boss, Mr. Davis, a black man. The racial identity of the characters is important to the subtext of the story, as these identities convey the complex relationships between African Americans and white people in a liberal metropolis during the 1960s.

Ruth also reflects back on her volatile and oppressive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Arthur. Like Paul, Arthur is an artist—Paul being a painter and Arthur a clarinet musician—and these two men both treat Ruth badly in different ways. Paul is the typical absentee boyfriend who may or may not be cheating on Ruth with his colleagues. Arthur, on the other hand, treated Ruth like "slave girl" during their four-year relationship. Ruth had made the sacrifice of leaving her family to live with Arthur, and yet she received nothing in return, not even his love and warmth.

Paul treats her coldly as well, as if she was just a commodity, stating that they are not married when Ruth asked him why he comes home late. Paul believes that because he is honest with her, she shouldn't scrutinize him so much. Mr. Davis represents the alpha-male who is a leader in her workplace but seems to also have the intention of dating her despite knowing she is with Paul. He represents the successful man, Arthur represents the volatile artist, and Paul represents the untrustworthy lover-in-name-only.

These different men interact with Ruth in different ways, but none of them ever tries to understand and appreciate Ruth as a person. Those three sets of dynamics illustrate Ruth's oppression as a woman, whether the "master" is a rich black man, a liberal white man, or a man she has known for a long time.