A Quest for the Unity of Self in Richard Wright’s Savage Holiday

Abstract

The predominant theme in all Richard Wright’s fiction expresses the human quest for identity and freedom, exception of Savage Holiday.  It is unique among Wright’s Novels because it does not concern itself with racial conflicts.  It deals overtly with the identity of the Afro-American; their interpretations can be extrapolated to include the plight of other oppressed groups or individuals. Because the terms “identity” and “freedom” are elusive and interpreted in various ways, Savage Holiday traces the development of its main characters confused personality and his efforts to control the traumatic memories of his childhood relationship with his prostitute mother.The novel embodies two movement which work simultaneously with the help of flash backs and dreams.  The external movement delineates the series of events which lead to the murder of Mabel Blake; while the internal movement, which occurs in Fowler’s consciousness and moves backward, traces his unhappy childhood and the symbolic murder of his own mother.