Introduction

"Elbow Room" (1977), a short story about a biracial couple, is part of a collection that made James Alan McPherson the first African American man to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. His stories and style are greatly influenced by his upbringing in the segregated South, as well as his philosophy that there are only human topics, not "black" or "white" ones, allowing McPherson to present a deep understanding of both points of view. His humanistic take on life, which is expressed in many of his stories and captures an era perhaps lost in American history.

Like many of the tales in Elbow Room, this short story focuses on characters in difficult situations who must struggle to find success for themselves. The author also explores social, cultural, and political tensions in America in the 1960s and...