This paper explores Black male characters in August Wilson's Two Trains Running and King Hedley II. Characters in these plays seek personal autonomy through economic stability. They seek these things during the turbulent times of the 1960's and 1980's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District. The roads they take are filled with self discovery, humility and peril.
","abstract_html":"<p>This paper explores Black male characters in August Wilson's <em>Two Trains Running</em> and <em>King Hedley II</em>. Characters in these plays seek personal autonomy through economic stability. They seek these things during the turbulent times of the 1960's and 1980's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District. The roads they take are filled with self discovery, humility and peril.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Young, Natasha"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Andras Kisery","Laurie Woodard"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:57:28Z","subjects":["August Wilson","Two Trains Running","King Hedley II","Pittsburgh Plays","Century Cycle of Plays","Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/812","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Andras Kisery","Laurie Woodard"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Young, Natasha"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-05-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["August Wilson","Two Trains Running","King Hedley II","Pittsburgh Plays","Century Cycle of Plays","Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/812"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This paper explores Black male characters in August Wilson's Two Trains Running and King Hedley II. Characters in these plays seek personal autonomy through economic stability. They seek these things during the turbulent times of the 1960's and 1980's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District. The roads they take are filled with self discovery, humility and peril.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Walking Through Fire: Black Men’s Quest for Autonomy in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and King Hedley II"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Andras Kisery","Laurie Woodard"],"dc:creator":["Young, Natasha"],"dc:date.available":["2021-05-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This paper explores Black male characters in August Wilson's Two Trains Running and King Hedley II. Characters in these plays seek personal autonomy through economic stability. They seek these things during the turbulent times of the 1960's and 1980's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District. The roads they take are filled with self discovery, humility and peril.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/812"],"dc:subject":["August Wilson","Two Trains Running","King Hedley II","Pittsburgh Plays","Century Cycle of Plays","Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority"],"dc:title":["Walking Through Fire: Black Men’s Quest for Autonomy in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and King Hedley II"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:57:28Z"}