Date of Completion
Spring 5-8-2026
Thesis Advisor(s)
Shawn Salvant; Erika Williams
Honors Major
English
Disciplines
American Literature | Literature in English, North America
Abstract
This project examines the relationship between race and law as it is portrayed by works of American literature. It argues that the gap between the legal system’s claims of neutrality and the lived experiences of Black individuals exposes systemic injustice that may be concealed in traditional legal discourse. Texts examined include Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Additionally, Prison Noir, an anthology of narratives written by incarcerated individuals edited by Joyce Carol Oates, is examined to emphasize how modern mass incarceration works to perpetuate the lack of neutrality in the legal system. Drawing on the work of Patricia J. Williams, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Michelle Alexander, and Derrick Bell, it becomes clear that law operates not only as a system of rules, but also a framework that shapes perceptions of guilt and personhood. Overall, an analysis of the way race and law are portrayed by American literature reveals how narrative functions as a kind of archive in which marginalized voices challenge legal procedures and the purported neutrality of the law.
Accessibility Requirements
1
Recommended Citation
Levine, Taylor A., "Narrating Injustice: Race, Law, and American Literature" (2026). Honors Scholar Theses. 1174.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/1174