Pantaloons in Black: Race, Identity, and Tragedy in William Faulkner's Work

In William Faulkner's "Pantaloon in Black," the racial struggles Blacks confronted in the South are illuminated in how they affect the emotional and psychological well-being involved in racial injustice and oppression. The protagonist, Rider, after losing his young wife, Mannie, is unable to cope with his grief because the racial oppression he faces limits his emotional potential as a human being. Rider's value in a racist society is limited to his brute physicality and strength, therefore offering little room for emotional outlets or the realization of his emotional and psychological well-being that would make it possible for him to cope with his grief.