Down by the Riverside Was Set in the 20th Century?

“Down by the Riverside” is a horrific tale of death and suffering during a hurricane in the Jim Crow South. Although it takes place well after the abolition of slavery, the brutal racism and backward ways of thinking make one think that it is a reconstruction-era story. The story centers around Mann, a husband and father, and his fight for safety. His wife, Lulu, begins the story at the end of her life. Throughout the story, Mann stays strong and completes the impressive feat of rowing his entire family miles against a current to the hospital. The natural disaster, though, is not what kills or injures any of the characters. They are only hurt by the racism around them. 

Every white person in “Down by the Riverside” treated Mann and his family like dogs. Most called him the n-word, even when he was saving their lives, and the nicest ones only referred to him as “boy.” A line that spoke to me most especially came when Mann and his family were finally arriving at the hospital. “‘His bitch is sick. Having a picaninny. Shoot em over to the Red Cross Hospital.’” (Wright, 73). The soldiers and doctors seemed unable to call him and his family anything other than racial slurs, even in times of life and death like this. Another example of this comes after Mann finds out that Lulu has died. “‘Poor nigger,’ said the white nurse.” (Wright, 75). Racially violent words and actions calmed the white people. During disasters like this, they seemed to relish their power to abuse some people, even more than they would under normal circumstances. Every white person in this story is despicable. Even when Lulu was pronounced dead, the family was not given the chance to grieve or process her death. 

Mann’s attitude toward himself was also shaped by the way he was treated by white people. He was taught to prioritize any white person over every black person. While every white person calls him the n-word, he is expected to call them “sir” or “ma’am.” He saved the white family, who immediately had him murdered, and he even expected them to do so. He was told his place in society and had to stick to it. Although almost a century had passed since the abolition of slavery, white people still treated him like he owed them everything he had. Mann submitted to all of their requests not only because he knew he would be killed if he didn’t comply, but also because he was used to that kind of treatment. He was even expected to be grateful to white people for their smallest courtesies. “‘Kin Ah have some watah, Capm?’ ‘Theres no water anywhere, You hungry?’ He was not hungry, but he wanted to reassure the soldier. ‘Yessuh.’” (Wright, 80). When I first read this story, I was shocked to find out that it is set in fairly recent memory. Almost every white person was to be feared and was capable of doing what they did Mann. Although “Down by the Riverside” is a worst-case-scenario situation, everything that occurred has happened to hundreds of black people, especially Mann’s brutal murder at the end.

I believe this story is an allegory for the horrors Black men have to face just to make it through life, even though that life often ends in violent and unfair ways. Mann fought for his life and for his family the entire time, but he was eventually murdered like an animal without the knowledge that his family was safe. Civil rights were not fought for or mentioned because they weren’t even a question. Mann was subservient to all white people no matter what was happening to him. Throughout the story, Mann is treated in a subhuman way. He was pushed to his physical limit, forced to endure the death of his wife and then to work on the levees, and finally murdered. He died without dignity, forced to become the animal he was told he was.