They show Ellison exploring black folklore as a source for black fiction, using flight, for example, as a metaphor for escape--a common trope among slaves who imagined themselves able to fly back to Africa.
Ellison does not think that tropes in black fiction have deeper meaning.
mnli hypothesis: Ellison does not think that tropes in black fiction have deeper meaning. premise: They show Ellison exploring black folklore as a source for black fiction, using flight, for example, as a metaphor for escape--a common trope among slaves who imagined themselves able to fly back to Africa.