A Rage In Harlem

The criminal underworld has been an essential aspect of crime fiction since the concept emerged in the mid-eighteenth century. While many authors have constructed their own idealistic conceptualizations of the criminal underworld, they have implemented distinct boundaries between the “good” and “evil” features of society. These opposing “worlds” often intertwine when the protagonist, a crusader for good, is thrust into the hellscape of society’s underworld. The novels A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson feature protagonists from differing backgrounds who embark on treacherous journeys through the criminal underworld.
The underworld as depicted in A Rage in Harlem has largely to do with the

As Norlisha Crawford stated in her article, Himes often felt robbed of his freedom of speech, and his right to publish and sell his work (Crawford 175). African American individuals who published their work during the mid-twentieth century were paid significantly less than their Anglo counterparts. Although Himes grew-up in a well-off middle class family, where his parents both worked as teachers, he landed himself in prison for armed robbery. During his 25 year sentence, Chester Himes wrote his Harlem novels, which were primarily about the racial politics of Harlem and how the corruption of society forced African American individuals to practice criminal activity (Crawford 176). Himes witnessed two extremes of life – a comfortable middle-class existence, and the depths of the criminal underworld. Even though a majority of Himes’ detective novels were written about Harlem, he did not spend a relatively long time living in Harlem. In fact, A Rage In Harlem was written while Chester Himes resided in France, which caused many critics question the validity of Himes descriptions of the cultural struggles in Harlem. In Lisa j. Fluet’s article Chester Himes and the Equality of Hurt, describes that Himes novels set in Harlem were criticized for illustrating comically ridiculous acts of violence amongst characters without exhibiting any amount of empathy with their suffering (Fluet 119). This theory is disrupted with Chester Himes’ description of Goldy’s death in A Rage In Harlem. When Goldy let out his final scream, it reverberated through the entirety of Harlem like a powerful unsaintly force. It was as if a prominent voice in Harlem’s society was unjustly silenced, shaking the balance of the entire community. However, those involved in Goldy’s life did not identifiably mourn his death, especially