Critical Overview
The River Niger is Walker's most widely recognized and most critically acclaimed work, garnering a host of awards, including the Obie Award in 1971, the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award in 1973, the Elizabeth Hull-Kate Award from the Dramatists Guild, the First Annual Audelco Award, the John Gassner Award from Outer Circle, the Drama Desk Award, and the Black Rose. It was first performed by the Negro Ensemble Company at the St. Mark's Playhouse in New York City in 1972, and in 1973 opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theater in New York City. It was first published in book form by Hill and Wang in 1973. The River Niger was also adapted to the screen by Walker and produced as a film of the same title by Cine Artists in 1976, starring Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones.
Grace Cooper, in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, praises The River Niger—Walker's fourth play to be produced—as an advancement in his writing. She asserts that it"shows his full growth as a playwright'' in that, ‘‘[w]hile it expresses many of the same strong feelings of the earlier plays, The River Niger is more subtle, therefore allowing him to make his points acceptable to a larger audience.’’
Critics often mention the autobiographical element of Walker's play. In particular, the incident in which Jeff is teased by a fellow serviceman for writing poetry represents a similar incident in Walker's life that inspired him to quit the military and devote himself to writing. Cooper notes, ‘‘The play has been widely recognized as a realistic depiction of black life,’’ adding, ‘‘The realism of the play is derived in part from Walker's reliance on his own experiences and on family members as models for many of the characters.’’
Cooper also points out the use of a diverse range of characters within the African-American community, stating, "The characters come from a variety of black cultural backgrounds, reflecting a cross-cultural interchange that whites often do not note.’’ Cooper goes on to observe the skill with which Walker uses language to create a variety of characters: ‘‘Walker manipulates language in all its nuances to create the proper tone for each character.’’ Writing in 1985, Cooper concludes that, ‘‘Walker continues to be a vital force in black theater'' and that he "will remain a force to consider wherever black theater in America is discussed.’’
Stanley Kauffmann, however, writing in The New Republic in 1973, is highly critical of the play: ‘‘I haven't in a long time seen a realistic play so clumsily built, so naively motivated, so arbitrarily whipped to climaxes, and so ridiculously concluded ...’’ He sums up the play's weaknesses by describing it as
laden with this erratic language, this dramaturgy so clumsily clever that it's not primitive but bad, torturously serpentine in its progress, devoid of any sense of emphasis as to which scenes should be long or short
Kauffmann does allow that, ‘‘the play nevertheless has a certain insistent life.'' He also reserves praise for the play's "veracity," and ‘‘truth of affection.’’ He explains that this veracity has a different significance for white and black audiences: "For a white viewer, this veracity is informational—a peek behind closed doors. For black viewers, as I have seen twice with black audiences, there is warm recognition. Clearly, The River Niger is doing for many black people what hundreds of realistic plays have done for whites for a century: quite apart from its quality, the play certifies the audience's existence. This is not arbitrarily a negligible function, particularly for American blacks, who have so long been deprived of accurate theatrical vicars.’’...
(This entire section contains 802 words.)
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Furthermore, the play's ‘‘truth of affection’’ is expressed by the ways in which ‘‘people care for one another in this play in different alliances and affinities.’’ Kauffmann concludes, "Walker writes at his best when he's dealing with these feelings.’’
In an overview of Walker's work in Contemporary Authors, his predominant theme of black masculinity is described: ‘‘The focus of most of his works is on the psyche of black American males. Cut off from their ancestral home and exploited by whites, these disoriented men are portrayed as lacking a sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth.’’ In light of this thematic focus, ‘‘Walker's plays are still relevant because of their compelling depictions of those black males stagnated by feelings of impotence, frustration, and hopelessness.’’ However, Walker is criticized for his poorly developed white and female characters: ‘‘Walker's portraits of black women and whites rarely escape the limitations of stereotypes. Black women seldom have any personal goals, but instead function as either supporters or 'castrators' of their men. White women serve as sexual playmates and status symbols for their black lovers. White men exploit blacks and destroy those who pose a threat to their way of life. . . . some critics feel these characters weaken the credibility of Walker's plays.''