Race relations, the nature of power, and the origins of violence all serve to illuminate the central issue in The Lynchers, an examination of society and revolution. Wideman offers a portrait of American society in the 1960s and 1970s as violent, oppressive, racist, spiraling downward to decay and chaos. The protagonists of The Lynchers see their plan to lynch a white policeman as an act of protest and renewal fomenting a revolution which will reverse the power relations between blacks and whites.

Race relations, therefore, are an important social issue addressed in the novel. The chasm between races seems unbridgeable, from minor to major events. A white woman casually farts behind a black man's head at a movie theater; white policemen brutally subdue and beat Littleman, one of the main characters, at a rally; a well-intentioned white teacher cannot make a difference in the lives of...