Read the sections of Wright's autobiographical Black Boy that discuss his strict religious upbringing. To what extent do you believe his own religious background influenced the church scenes in "The Man Who Lived Underground"?

Find some other short stories addressing racial, ethnic, or gender-based oppression. Do you think Wright expresses more or less anger in this story compared to the authors of the other stories you discovered? Explain.

Investigate the laws and policies that govern police officers in their duties, along with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona case. How likely is it that a modern-day Fred Daniels would be coerced into confessing to a crime he did not commit?

"The Man Who Lived Underground" was written during the 1940s. Based on the evidence in the story and other information about that decade, do you think the United States has progressed or regressed in terms of providing equal opportunities for all its citizens since the 1940s? Have there been any "wrong turns" on the path to equal opportunity? If so, explain.

In 1993, the City Theatre on the South Side in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, presented a stage adaptation of "The Man Who Lived Underground." How difficult do you think it would be to visually capture the atmosphere of the story? What scenes would need to be altered or omitted in a stage version? How well do you think a radio adaptation would work? What about a film version? Which elements of the story would be best represented by each medium?