"Down by the Riverside"

This story is about a black family in the rural South during a flood. The patriarch of the family is Mann. His wife Lulu is deathly sick in childbirth. Other members of this extended family are PeeWee (Mann's son), Grannie, Bob (Mann's brother), and Sister Jeff (Bob's wife). A white family, the Heartfields, is an important element in this plot. With the flood waters only twelve feet from his house, Mann sends Bob into town to sell their mule and buy a boat so the family can evacuate. Bob returns from town and describes the chaos: "Everwhere Ah looked wuznt nothin but white men wid guns. They wuz a-waiting fer the soljers when Ah lef, n yh know whut tha means . . . (60). Bob's only recourse was to steal the boat belonging to Mr. Heartfield, the postmaster.

Mann reluctantly takes the boat, hoping to get Lulu to the Red Cross hospital then return the boat to Hea

. . .
ld have told them to be grateful to be alive just like Mann was told when he grieved for his dead wife Lulu, "Shucks . . . You ought to be glad youre not dead in a flood like this" (80). Tragedy is everywhere in this story, but it highlights how the goal of protecting your family is sometimes impossible when you are black. This story is connected to the ideology of the African American family because it shows how such families pull together in times of need. Mann refuses to go to higher ground to safety because he has a responsibility to Lulu. He knows he must get her to the hospital, though trying to save her meant jeopardizing his own life. The religious aspect of this story also connects to the ideology of the African American family. Religion plays an important role in many of their lives. In Mann's family, it is represented by the way he prays to God when in trouble: "When it rains it pos. But, Lawd, ef only tha ol levee don break" (55). The presence of Elder Murray is another evidence of religion. At one point the whole family gets down on its knees and prays with Elder Murray that God will not only stop the flood but also soften the hearts of the white people in town so that they will show mercy on the black
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1697
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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