Abstract
"The Sport of the Gods" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a powerful naturalistic novel that deconstructs the myth of the American North as a sanctuary for African Americans during the Great Migration era. The story follows the Hamilton family, who are forced to leave their home in the South after the father, Berry Hamilton, is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Seeking a new beginning in New York City, the family instead encounters a "labyrinth of systemic traps," where ...